Entry No. 5 — the San Francisco file — filed under: weird monument

The Golden Fire Hydrant

An ordinary iron hydrant on this corner kept flowing when the 1906 earthquake snapped every water main around it, helping firefighters stop the fire from consuming the Mission — it's repainted gold every April 18th anniversary by the San Francisco History Association (in 2012 they mistakenly used silver).

The move: Time a Dolores Park picnic to April 18th to catch the annual gold repainting ceremony, or just detour past it any other day — it still functions as a working hydrant.

📍 Mission District / Dolores Park
💸 Free
⚡ Up for anything
🌗 Outdoors

Where: 3899 20th Street (at Church Street), San Francisco, CA

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

#weird monument #earthquake history #annual ritual #free

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Wikipedia · sfstandard.com

last checked: 2026-07-20