W.F. Wilson Company, San Francisco, CA

I estimate this is from the 1890s

Original cover

Octavia Street near Washington Street

The cover is on the sidewalk next to the Spreckels Mansion, which was built by Adolph B. Spreckels, who ran the Spreckels Sugar Company. His father Claus Spreckels founded the company.

This block of Octavia Street is (still) a brick street with two small islands in the center with places to sit.

I once lived in San Francisco a few blocks from here and sat in the islands many times enjoying the bay view (see next photo). In all the times I walked down this street, I never noticed the manhole cover. Many years later I saw it when I was there on a visit after I began rubbing manhole covers.

The view