Angels Hotel
Why it's listed
Angels Hotel is a stone commercial building at Main Street and Birds Way in Angels Camp. Its first part was built in 1855-56 by C. C. Lake from rhyolite tuff quarried about a mile from town, replacing earlier canvas and wooden structures from 1851. The hotel was dedicated on January 1, 1856, with a grand ball. A second stone building, the Otto Dolling building, was added in 1893 and joined to the first with a common facade and hip roof. Frame annexes were built at the rear, and a dance hall and theater behind the hotel have since been demolished. The property is best known for its link to Mark Twain, who stopped here in the 1860s. Bartender and part owner Ross Coon told him of a frog jump held on Main Street, and Twain later wrote his famous story. The town's annual festivities still draw on that legend. Upstairs rooms are now apartments, and the ground floor is commercial.
Significance in brief: The hotel is presented as the original building where Mark Twain heard the story of the jumping frog from bartender and part owner Ross Coon, which he later wrote as "The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." It also reflects Gold Rush-era commercial life in Angels Camp and was built of local rhyolite tuff. It is California Registered Historical Landmark No. 734.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 72000220, listed March 24, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Main St. at Birds Way, Angels Camp |
|---|---|
| County | Calaveras County |
| Listed | March 24, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000220 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (built 1856) |
| Architect / builder | C. C. Lake (original builder/owner); Otto Dolling (1893 addition) |
| Architectural style | Victorian-era stone block masonry commercial building; the original balcony was Victorian |
| Areas of significance | Literature |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In good shape and repair; upstairs used as apartments and ground floor commercial; front porch and balcony recently replaced (1971). |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 38.06884, -120.54663 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 72000220.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4763056
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.