| Alternate names | Sperry and Perry Hotel Mitchler Hotel Murphys Historical Hotel |
|---|---|
| Location | 457 Main St Murphys, California United States |
| Coordinates | 38.1374446°N 120.4671844°W |
| Opening date | August 20, 1856 |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Designated other 1 | California |
|---|---|
| Designated other1 number | 267 |
| Added | November 23, 1971 |
| Refnum | 71000134 |
The Murphys Hotel in Murphys, California, is one of the oldest hotels still operating in the state of California.[1] It was formerly known as Sperry and Perry Hotel, and the Mitchler Hotel.
The hotel is registered as California Historical Landmark (No. 267);[2] and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NPS-1971000134).[3][4]
History
First called the Sperry and Perry Hotel, it was opened by James L. Sperry and John Perry on August 20, 1856.[5][1] The town of Murphys was a popular stopping point along the stagecoach route from Milton to the Calaveras Big Trees.[4] Thought to be fireproof due to its stone construction and iron shutters, the hotel was damaged in the fire of 1859 that destroyed most of the downtown area.[4] However, it was quickly restored and reopened by spring of 1860.
The new Sperry and Perry Hotel was considered one of the finest hotels outside of San Francisco, and was host to many famous people over the years. Copies of the original register show such signatures as Mark Twain,[6] John Jacob Astor, Ulysses S. Grant, John Bidwell, Charles Bolles (alias Black Bart), Henry Ward Beecher, Horatio Alger, J.P. Morgan and Thomas Lipton.[4]
Renamed the Mitchler Hotel in 1882, and the Murphys Hotel in 1945 by the McKimins family, it has since had several owners.[4]
The Murphy name was derived the founders of the city of Murphys, California, Daniel Martin Murphy and John Marion Murphy,[1] the sons of rancher Martin Murphy Sr. in the Santa Clara Valley.
Gordon Ramsay's Hotel Hell American reality television series covered the hotel in an episode of the series, broadcast on September 9, 2014, on the U.S. Fox television network.[7] It also appeared in the public television series Road Trip with Huell Howser, episode on the Mother Lode.
This hotel is reportedly haunted.[6]
References
- ^ Lea, Ralph & Kennedy, Christi (October 1, 2004). "Pioneering brothers: Murphys struck gold and built town". Lodi News-Sentinel. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
- ^
- ^ "Murphys Hotel". NPGallery, Digital Asset Management System
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Murphys Hotel". National Park Service. June 24, 1971. Retrieved November 20, 2025. With
- ^ California State State Historical Resources Commission. "Mitchler Hotel Historical Marker". Retrieved August 19, 2009.
- ^ Ferrell, Jamie (2025-10-14). "This Small CA Gold Rush Town Is Known As The ‘Queen Of The Sierra’ — Famous For A Haunted Hotel That Once Hosted Mark Twain". Secret San Francisco. Retrieved 2025-11-21.
- ^ "Gordon Ramsay’s Hotel Hell Comes to Calaveras County". FOX40. June 26, 2013. Archived 2018-06-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-21.