Helping Hand Hall, New Almaden - San Jose, California - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

New Almaden’s long-famed Hacienda Helping Hand hall which shortly succumbs to wreckers. It was built just 70 years ago when the quicksilver mining company, then at peak production, wanted a place where miners could enjoy sober relaxation. Many famed entertainers, as well as home talent at the mines, staged shows here and at a similar Helping Hand hall farther up Mine hill, long since wrecked. These two halls did much to bring social life to the famous mining camp under the late superintendent, J. B. Randol, who in 1870 changed the wild western mining community to a quiet industrial town. Lumber from the hall will be used to build small cabins for miners in the new quicksilver development.

From the descriptive sign out front:

Built in 1886 by Giles McDougal as social meeting place for miners & families. Included game room, kitchen, library & dance hall with stage patterned after San Francisco's Tivoli Theater. Upstairs rooms used for Hacienda visitors; in summer, arts & crafts classes for children. In 1940, disassembled & built into home by F Pfeiffer. In 2013, Murphy family built new home in site using reclaimed materials from he original hall.