Sommercamp Saloon

Up Washington Street, you'll find the old Sommercamp Saloon. The Sommercamp family arrived in Silver City in 1864. William Franz Sommercamp was born in 1828 in Hanover Germany and emigrated to the US in 1847. He originally settled in Missouri, but moved to Oregon and later to Shasta Valley California in 1852. He was an early placer miner around Ruby City and Florida Mountain. When the War Eagle mines closed, he helped destitute miners and their families and had interests in cattle and horses and owned a ranch along with mining interests. By 1880, when he was in his early 50s, he had opened a brewery and a saloon at this site. Mr. Sommercamp met with a violent death on August 7, 1890 when he tripped and fell into a mine shaft at age 62. He is buried at the Silver City cemetery. 

The building changed hands many times over and was a candy shop and apartments, among other uses until it burned to the ground along with many other buildings in the 1907 “Christmas fire.” It was rebuilt in 1908 as a furniture shop and was last known for selling fresh produce. Apparently a spring runs through the lower level of the building keeping things nice and cool and was ideal for storing fresh produce. It is now a private residence with an interesting past!