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Hotel Léger

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Hotel Léger
The Leger Hotel in 1934
LocationMokelumne Hill, California
Official nameCourthouse of Calaveras County, 1852-1866, and Leger Hotel[1]
Reference no.663

The Hotel Léger, in Mokelumne Hill, California is one of the oldest hotels still operating in California. The hotel and courthouse building are registered as California Historical Landmark #663,[1] and located in present day Calaveras County, California.

History

George Léger, a Frenchman who came during the California Gold Rush, opened his Hotel de France in 1851, as a wood-framed tent. Next door was the Calaveras County Courthouse, as Mokulemne Hill was the county seat at the time. When the county seat was moved to San Andreas in 1866, Léger bought the court building and incorporated into his hotel. One reason was that it was made of stone and thus had survived two fires that had ravaged the town previously. After restoration following another fire in 1874, the hotel became known as the Hotel Léger, and it has been in operation ever since. The bar, which features a stained-glass back bar with the date 1851 in it, reportedly came around Cape Horn and has been in continuous use.

The former courthouse building was also the location of the county jail, and remnants of the jail cells can still be seen in the building's cellar.[2]

Ghosts

The hotel has the reputation of being haunted by ghosts.[3] Guests and employees have claimed seeing Léger himself as well as other people. Paranormal investigators have performed tests, but found results to be inconclusive.

The hotel was refurbished by local volunteers in September 2012 for an episode of Travel Channel's Hotel Impossible series.[4] The episode featuring the hotel aired on January 7, 2013.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Leger Hotel". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-10-06.
  2. ^ a b "Hotel Impossible: The Hotel Léger". Travel Channel. January 7, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  3. ^ McManis, Sam (August 5, 2012). "Discoveries: At the Hotel Léger, buy a night or buy the place". Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, CA. p. 1H. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  4. ^ Metzger, Joel (September 18, 2012). "Travel Channel works to transform Léger". Calaveras Enterprise. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
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