The Meagher House
Nature Education/Interpretive Center
Coming soon! We are currently developing the Meagher House into an interpretive center, but we need more funding to complete the project. To make a donation, please visit our support page.
At the end of the road on the east side of Gold Bug Park stands an old house in disrepair. It was the summer home for the Meagher family of Oakland, California. At that time William Meagher owned the four mining claims which comprise the park today.
The family would venture out to the foothills in the summer time, so that William could work the mining claims to make good his intent to improve the claims. When the claims were abandoned they became the property of the Bureau of Land Management.
The “home” has been used by the City of Placerville’s Recreation and Parks Maintenance crew for the last 30 years. Outdated and short on space, the “home” will soon be relinquished to the Hangtown’s Gold Bug Park Development Committee to be restored as a Nature Center. Hoping to show plants and animals the miners encountered during the gold rush days, school groups and visitors will learn what the area was like in the 1850’s.
Some federal funding has already been obtained with the assistance of former Congressman John T. Doolittle. More money will be needed to complete the interior for classroom and exhibit use.
To make a donation, please mail your check to “Gold Bug Park, 2635 Gold Bug Lane, Placerville CA”. Please make checks payable to Gold Bug Park. We hope you will be able to visit the park soon as we continue to make progress.
For more information, please e-mail the Chairman.
2009 Meagher Family Get-Together
The barbecue for the “Meet the Meagher Family” event in August proved most successful. 75 members of the Meagher family came and participated in the activities of the day. It was an exciting event with great anticipation for the development of a nature center in the family’s summer cabin.
Progress on the Restoration
In August of 2009, work was completed on the west side of the Meagher House, thanks to the remainder of our federal funding. The foundation was stabilized; the veranda siding and floor were repaired; and the storage area was removed from the side of the building.
Unfortunately, no further funding on the federal level is anticipated. State funding will be aggressively pursued, but we will be largely dependent on private donations and fundraising events. Contact us for your contribution anytime.
Flake Fact
The Meagher family children used to roller skate around the cabin on the veranda!
