Here’s a chance to own a piece of Central Valley history. It comes with a liquor license - Tollhouse, CA - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

"A historical piece of property in the foothills of the central San Joaquin Valley is for sale.

Humphrey Station, a restaurant & bar/general store on Tollhouse Road with old ties as a stagecoach station, is officially on the market.

The asking price is $675,000, which includes the 2,178-square foot building, an expanded patio area next to a creek, and a large shed and other storage areas on nearly two acres of land. In addition, the purchase comes with all of the equipment and licenses that Humphrey Station used in its operation, including a walk-in freezer, “a grandfathered in offsite license,” and “a full 47 liquor license.” Much of the property’s decor is antique with an old-town western saloon feel. Terry Smith, who has owned Humphrey Station for the past six years, said he’s selling since he is retiring. “I always liked this place,” the 77-year-old Smith said. “We always stopped there for breakfast when I was (a teen), and we’d go up to Shaver and go fishing and hunting. “There’s a lot of history that comes with this place — for me personally and for a lot of people. But it’s time. Ideally, it’s sold to someone who keeps the business running and is a cook, so they can run the restaurant themselves.” Humphrey Station — located about 21 miles northeast of Clovis and 18 miles southwest of Shaver Lake — actually has been closed since March 2020, primarily due to the coronavirus pandemic. When it was open, the store/restaurant regularly served as a meeting place for motorcycle and bicycle clubs, as well as high-end sports car groups to meet on the weekends for breakfast or lunch. It was also a pit stop for those taking a detour or preferring a more scenic route than the Highway 168 route to/from the Shaver Lake and Huntington Lake areas. Before Highway 168 was built, Humphrey Station was almost always on the way for those traveling between Fresno and Clovis to the eastern parts of Fresno County, Smith said.

“We’re on all the old maps,” Smith said. According to Smith, the original Humphrey Station was actually located in the Shaver Lake area. The Tollhouse location opened in 1939. The Humphrey Station in Shaver eventually closed at some point after a sawmill there was closed for good, Smith added. The Historical Marker Database HMdb.org states that Humphrey Station was an unofficial stage stop for the Butterfield Overland Mail, a mail and passenger stage service that operated from 1858 to 1861 with services stretched from St. Louis to California. Passengers rode on stagecoaches powered typically by four horses. “The Butterfield Stage dropped off passengers at Humphrey’s store to get refreshed,” according to Historical Marker Database HMdb.org. “Passengers included for the most part working-class men from the lumber industry.” Today, Humphrey Station is described in its real estate listing as “a great place for venues, including weddings, car or bike shows, weekend bands on the large cement patio and much more on this almost two-acre property.” Listing realtor Jessica Gabrielson of Guarantee Real Estate said she’s already had a couple of showings of Humphrey Station. “It’s a landmark,” Gabrielson said, “with a lot of history.”https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article252044473.html#storylink=cpy

Type of publication: Internet Only When was the article reported?: 06/12/2021 Publication: Fresno Bee Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: yes How widespread was the article reported?: regional News Category: Business/Finance

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