The authors of 1948 Division of Mine's Bulletin 141, the building survey that my repeat photography project is based on, really thought that they were all that. And they actually were, when it came to archeology. Robert Heizer, was one of the authors, for example was the long time head of the anthropology department at UC Berkeley. They however seemed to have skipped the actual research on some these building. For example, the Romaggi Fandango Hall was never a dance hall. And the building that they identified as the Chichizola Store in Jackson Gate, Amador County, is actually located about 500 feet south of the actual Chichizola Store building. The building in the photograph above today is a family-run Italian restaurant, Teresa's Place. They have been a going concern for over 100 years, although when the earlier photo was taken, their business was as a boarding house for miners. The spectacular Kennedy Mine is just down the road from them. While looking at the building, one of the owners saw me and told me I should go in backdoor to see the inside of the restaurant. Unfortunately when I got cold feet when I poked my nose in and saw no one. The simmering minestrone though was inviting enough on its own. After photographing the building and looking at the menu, it is now on my short list of places to eat. Too bad it's over an hour away from the home base. The confusion about the Chichizola building is somewhat understandable. In the 1930s, the federal HABS project misidentified the building. They interviewed the grandson of the founder of the Chichizola store and collected detail about the building. They then mixed up their research with the HABS photograph. Heizer and his team used this research 10 years later when competing their project. The actual Chichizola store is is still standing and would have been an appropriate addition to Bulletin 141 if they had chosen to include it.
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AuthorMy name is Jeff and I am on a hunt to find historic brick and stone structures along Highway 49. Archives
January 2022
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