Information & history on rear of plaque:
This majestic home was built in 1889 for Dr. Hogan J.Ring,  a Norwegian immigrant,  and his wife Orcelia Lowe Ring.   In the 1920's,  Dr.Ring converted and enlarged the structure to become the Ferndale General Hospital.   Through the years the house has been a rest home,  doctor's office,  an American Legion Hall,  and finally an appartment building.   The hospital rooms have now become elegant guest rooms and the grounds a formal English garden.   The Gingerbread mansion is a spectacular example of Victorian grandeur and is one of the most photographed Inns in California.

Information & history on rear of plaque:
By the mid 1880s,  Eureka,  CA was becoming the dominant city on Humbolt Bay.   Many elaborate homes were constructed during this period,  none more famous than the Carson Mansion.   Built by William Carson,  one of the area's most prosperous lumbermen,  and designed by two of San Francisco's most uninhibited architects,  the Carson Mansion stands as a monument to American Victorian Architecture.   There are many theories as to why Carson built such an extravagant home.   One claim is that he wanted to keep his employees working during a depression in the forest industry.   Another suggestion is that the lavishness of the mansion was intended to advertise the possibilities of wood as a construction material.   The simplest suggestion is that he just wanted to create something spectacular.   Whichever theory,  the house was two years in the building and the labor alone is said to have cost upwards of $75,000.   Today it is owned by the Ingomar Club,  a private men's organization.