Jackson

The National Hotel

The National Hotel has been in continuous operation as a hotel since 1863, making it one of the oldest such establishments in California. The lot upon which it stands has been occupied by some kind of building since 1849, when Ellis Evans and his partner D. C. White put up grocery and general provision store near the spring which gave the town its earliest name. That first building was either burned or taken down in 1852 when Evans, White & Co. put up a wooden building with a two-story front facing Main Street and a three-story back facing the creek. It was called the “Louisiana Hotel and Store.” It burned to the ground in the fire of 1862, after which Evans, White & Co. built a two-story with basement brick hotel they called the “National Hotel.” The building was completed and ready for business on March 27 of 1863, the third story and extensions coming at a later date. The three-story addition to the rear of the main building were constructed in 1896 by its new owner, Richard Webb. It is located at the bend in the road, at 2 Water Street.