Comstock's magazine 0919 - September 2019 | Page 29

EL DORADO COUNTY AT A GLANCE Population: 190,678 opened it as Hangman’s Tree Ice Cream Saloon in 2017. Most of the floors are original — you can still see burn marks from cigarettes — and Sue Taylor says the stump of the famous oak is still be- neath the floor in the middle of the shop. In 1934, the building became California Historic Landmark No. 141. WHY AN ICE CREAM STORE? Jamie Nutting, 30, who graduated from Union Mine High School in El Dorado, returned to her hometown of Camino, where the family still lives, after her parents asked her to manage the busi- ness. They decided on an ice cream par- lor, Nutting says, because “we wanted to do something for all ages and family friendly.” She tells the story of George Peabody, considered one of the fore- most historians of El Dorado County up until his 2014 death at 96, who she says would bring groups of children into the bar to show the history of the building, including a huge mural behind the bar that depicts the town during the gold rush, but the bartenders would make them leave because they were under- age. “History should be open for all,” Nutting says as she scoops ice cream for a young boy. The family embraces the building’s history so much that they produced the brochure “A Guide to Arti- facts and Decorations,” which includes the 18-foot redwood bar that came from a bar in Sacramento that was frequented by John Sutter. Nutting also is an entre- preneur; she sells the brochures for 50 cents because, she says, “everyone has questions.” WHAT’S UP WITH GEORGE? When you stroll down Main Street, it’s hard to miss George, but he hasn’t al- ways been hanging there. He was sto- len the night before the bar closed, but he mysteriously showed back up three Median Age: 45.5 Median Income: $74,885 Size: 1,805 square miles County Seat: Placerville THE 10-COUNTY CAPITAL REGION Biggest Cities: South Lake Tahoe (22,036), Placerville (11,048) SOURCE: EDCGOV.US, FACTFINDER.CENSUS.GOV years later. Earlier this year, the fam- ily took him down for about a month to spruce him up; he returned to his spot in March. Nutting embraces George, even taking him around town to visit other businesses, which she documents on the store’s Facebook page. In April, for example, “he was spotted trying to sweet-talk his way into a free hat” at Combellack’s, a clothing shop on Main Street. Nutting says she doesn’t hear complaints about the dummy, though a Shingle Springs man’s efforts to have it removed in 1996 attracted national at- tention, including a story in Newsweek. WHAT’S IT LIKE ON MAIN STREET? The Taylors decided to purchase the buildings because Main Street is like a family, Nutting says. “Everyone knows everyone.” During renovation, Nutting says, “everyone was so excited because the business had been closed for so long. Now it’s a gathering hub, a place people come to gossip.” Walking along Main Street is like taking a step back in time: The Cary House Hotel, opened in 1857, is just across the street, and not far down Main Street is Placerville Hardware, which proclaims to be the “oldest hard- ware store west of the Mississippi.” WHY CLOSED ON SUNDAYS? For most businesses, Sunday is a busy day. But not for Hangman’s Tree. Nut- ting, who is married and has a young son, says she works most evenings and her husband works days, so Sundays are the only time they have together. “It’s a quality-of-life thing,” she explains. It’s not the only unusual aspect of the busi- ness. They don’t have a business phone because Nutting says they don’t need one. They also are occasionally closed on Tuesdays, especially in the winter when business is slower. “Most of the town closes on Tuesday,” Sue Taylor points out. n Tom Couzens is executive editor of Comstock's. On Twitter @tomcouzens. MAIN STREET profiles businesses in our 10-county Capital Region. If you know of an interesting one, email [email protected] September 2019 | comstocksmag.com 29