Built in 1852 by John Fountain and Benjamin Tallman as a soda water factory, the Fountain-Tallman Soda Works is one of Placerville’s oldest surviving buildings and a rare Gold Country industrial structure. Its thick masonry walls and spring-fed water system were designed to keep soda supplies cool, and the building later survived fires that destroyed much of the surrounding area. After the factory closed, it served other community uses, including as the town jail and a Pacific Gas & Electric office. Donated for preservation in 1981, it now operates as a museum that preserves both the building and artifacts linked to Placerville’s early history.