The Vernon-Brannan House

Beginning in 1849, a one-story building at this location served as Sacramento’s first post office, but the structure burned down in 1852. The following year, Henry E. Robinson purchased the property from Samuel Brannan, and he constructed three-story brick building that opened in 1854 as the Jones Hotel. By 1855, the hotel was converted into a boarding house under the ownership of a female proprietor, O.J. Clark. Known as the Vernon House, the building was purchased a decade later by Samuel Brannan, the original owner of the lot and a founder of the city of Sacramento. He restored the property as a hotel and renamed it the Brannan House. The building was later designated as a California Historical Landmark, with a historical marker placed on site by the California State Parks Department. It was also listed as a contributing structure to the Old Sacramento Historic District, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

On land owned by Samuel Brannan, Sacramento’s first post office was established here in 1849. Along with John Sutter Jr., Brannan founded the city, which was officially incorporated in March 1850. After the one-story post office was destroyed by fire in 1852, Brannan sold the property to Henry E. Robinson. He built the existing three-story brick building, which opened as the Jones Hotel in 1854. The hotel provided temporary accommodations for many newcomers who passed through Sacramento in the 1850s amidst the hustle and bustle of the California Gold Rush. Following the 1849 discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills, Sacramento experienced a population boom, as the city became a point of departure to the gold fields.

In 1854, the hotel also became the site of a heritage organization known as the Sacramento Pioneer Association. In the group's early days, those who wanted to join were required to have arrived in California prior to January 1, 1850, to be eligible for admission. According to the Association today, the rules for membership were once so strict that: “one unfortunate applicant was denied admission … though he saw the coast before January 1, 1850, [he] was unable to land because of adverse winds.” The Association continued to maintain these rigorous admission requirements until 1908, at which point membership had fallen to a total of only fourteen members from the more than two-hundred and fifty members in 1880. Eventually, the Association adopted a more inclusive policy.

In 1855, the Jones Hotel building was converted into a boarding house under the ownership of O.J. Clark, a female proprietor. Although opportunities for women were relatively limited in the 19th century, operating a boarding house was a potential source of income for an entrepreneurial woman at that time. Known for a decade as the Vernon House, it was then purchased in 1865 by Samuel Brannan (the original owner of the lot), who restored it as a hotel, renaming it the Brannan House. Currently, the building contains a souvenir shop and a restaurant, Brannan Manor. It was designated a California Historical Landmark with a marker placed on site by the California State Parks Department, and was also listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

"California Historical Landmark 604: Vernon-Brannan House", Noe Hill. Accessed September 1st, 2023. https://noehill.com/sacramento/cal0604.asp.

"California Historical Landmark 812: Old Sacramento", Noe Hill. Accessed September 1st, 2023. https://noehill.com/sacramento/cal0812.asp.

"Old Sacramento Historic District", Noe Hill. Accessed September 1st, 2023. https://noehill.com/sacramento/nat1966000219.aspx.

Parker, Lane. "Vernon-Brannan House", Historical Marker Database. January 15th, 2018. Accessed September 1st, 2023. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=149178.

Sacramento Archives Museum and Collection Center and the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation. Old Sacramento and Downtown. Images of America. Charleston, SC. Arcadia Publishing, 2006.

"Vernon-Brannon House", Anytime Tours. Accessed September 1st, 2023. https://anytimetours.oncell.com/en/vernon-brannan-house-188310.html.

"Vernon-Brannon House: Historical Landmark", California State Parks, Office of Historic Preservation. Accessed September 1st, 2023. https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/ListedResources/Detail/604.