On this site, Joseph Zwinge built the first restaurant, a tent known as the American Restaurant, in 1853. After losing his buildings to three fires, he erected a permanent stone structure in 1855, and in 1857 a brick extension enlarged the restaurant and added a few guest rooms. The building survived the fires of 1856 and 1858 and remains the oldest stone building in San Andreas, still in use today. Zwinge and Co. sold the property to Joseph Huberty in 1858. Another account says the building was erected in 1852 and was used as a hotel for many years. In 1937, Mr. and Mrs. Désiré Fricot of Fricot City purchased and restored it and donated it to the County of Calaveras for use as a county library, museum, and chamber of commerce.