Built in the 1860's, the Boise Basin Mercantile was among the first stores in Placerville and belonged to the first chain stores founded in Idaho. Its owners operated similar businesses in Idaho City until the end of the mining boom. The building now serves as one of Placerville's museums, where artifacts and shelves stocked with period items recall the treasures miners and travelers would find in a mining mercantile. In September 1984, the building was recognized as a Contributory Property and placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In its basement is the lone cell of Placerville's original jail, although few criminals saw the inside during the community's early days because most received a bullet or swung from the end of a rope.