September - October 2018

Administrator’s Notes 

by Ralph Gibson, Museums Administrator

With the grand opening of the Gold Rush Museum on August 17th and the DeWitt History Museum on February 27th earlier this year, we have completed two huge projects. It was four years ago in 2014 that we learned we would be moving the Gold Country Museum to the Depot and we would be getting a new museum to interpret the history of the DeWitt campus. We essentially took on two capital projects at once with a small staff and relatively small budget. We confronted and overcame obstacles on each front. We endured staff changes and worked around events and programs. In the end, we opened two new museums in the same year! Technically, the Gold Rush Museum celebration was a “re-opening,” but the Gold Rush Museum contains only a few whispers of the museum that languished in the Gold Country Fairgrounds. It truly is a new museum and one that will gain in popularity as word of the opening spreads. Thank you so much to our staff, our Volunteers, the Placer County Museums Docent Guild, the Placer County Historical Society and the Native Sons of the Golden West. We couldn’t have done it without all of you. If you haven’t already, please come by and check out our new museums. They are your museums after all.

Coming up are two Community Education programs. The first is Bill George’s presentation of his film “Beyond a Miracle, Creating California’s Agricultural Empire” on September 15th at 1:00 pm at the Bernhard Winery. The second is the Old Auburn Cemetery Tour at 1:30 pm on October 7th. Look for more details in this newsletter.

Collection Strategy

by Kasia Woroniecka, Curator of Collections

Smoking was popular during the Victorian period, and for many men smoking cigars was a social rite which often involved the wearing of special clothing like a smoking jacket, slippers and even a smoking cap.

Cigars were often sold in bundles wrapped by a silk ribbon with the brand name printed on it. These ribbons were collected and even traded with others to obtain a specific collection and to create various objects like quilts, pillows and tablecloths. These narrow ribbons, which are about ¾ inches wide, were stitched on muslin backing, often with fancy stitching and creative patterns. This small unfinished cigar silk quilt was recently donated to our collection.

Creating these quilts required hundreds of ribbons, so understandably it would have taken a long time and a lot of cigars to create a large quilt. Cigar smoking enjoyed consistent support at the time when cigarettes were still rare. By mid-19th century Americans consumed some 300 million cigars annually; by the end of the century that number surpassed 4 billion. Mark Twin declared that "If I cannot smoke in heaven, then I shall not go."

Since many women discouraged their husbands from smoking tobacco, tobacco companies created clever marketing campaigns that included packaging with silk and felt pieces printed with popular actresses, birds, butterflies, flags and other designs that would appeal to women collectors. Companies encouraged the collecting of ribbons and some even offered ribbons for sale to aid in quilting projects.

Victorian etiquette books agreed that smoking is not a desirable habit, yet it provided quilters with the medium to create something that was necessary in their household. The hallmark of the Victorian Era was change, and even quilters were eager to try something new.

What is this?

Sometimes objects in our collection are a little mysterious. They are mysterious because we don’t know how old they are, who made them or what is their purpose. This object, donated to our collection in 1954, is such an object. It stands on a brass base with two arms and three firmly attached pronged elements, which are not removable.

If you know what this is please e-mail the Curator of Collections Kasia Woroniecka at kworonie@placer.ca.gov.

From the Archives: Boo!

by Bryanna Ryan, Curator of Archives

For those of you who love the eerie, spooky, and haunted side of history, the Old Town Auburn Ghost Tour is back!

Tours will be held at 6pm on Saturday, October 27th; Tuesday, October 30th; and Saturday, November 3rd. This hugely popular event sells out quickly, so I encourage you to get tickets while they last.

In the vicinity of Old Town Auburn is where the killer Adolph Webber made his fateful journeys. Here, there were murders, hangings, and even the town’s original burying ground. The Ghost Tours feature re-enactors and storytellers who will bring this spirited history to life.

If this does not satisfy your thirst for the morbid and macabre, visit the Gold Rush Museum where you can see an authentic noose that was used to carry out capital punishment at the hands of the law.

The Hunt is On! 

by Katy Bartosh, Curator of Education

The Grand Opening for the Gold Rush Museum has passed, and while the exhibits may be completed, it’s time to implement some fun activities. If you’ve been to the Courthouse in the past few months, you may have seen the stand in the lobby with Scavenger Hunts. They may seem simple, but they are a quick and easy tool that can engage visitors from 5 to 55 with your collection.

Now the Gold Rush Museum was lucky to have an Exhibit Technician who could build interactives straight into the Museum itself. But if you don’t have a gold panning stream or a stamp mill, a scavenger hunt may be just the right way to highlight particular objects or broad themes within the museum.

We’ve all seen a visitor walk through a gallery a bit glassy eyed. They’re looking, but not seeing, and having them search for specific artifacts can help them focus. Combine photos and object captions from a few artifacts throughout the gallery on a word document and you’re done. Want something more complicated? You can pick different themes that apply to the time of year, your exhibit, etc. Adding puzzles within the hunt is a good way to entertain children, or create more in-depth activities for events.

Their versatility, and how easy you can change them and print them, also make them a great tool for groups. For example, if a school group is coming to visit with a focus on natural resources, take the template and change all the objects to fit their focus. It works well within the Museum, but can extend to the classroom, special interest groups, holidays, and special exhibitions.

Have fun with it! I certainly do.

They’re Dying to See You  

Murdered and murderers, heartbroken family and lovers, sheriffs and feisty attorneys. All will rise from their graves at the Old Auburn Cemetery on Sunday, October 7, to haunt you with their dramatic stories of Murder and Mayhem in the early days of Auburn’s history.

Sponsored by the Placer County Museums and the Museums’ Docent Guild, this year’s Cemetery Tour will provide visitors with maps to self-guide to 14 gravesites with as many ghostly reenactments.

Located at 170 Fulweiler Avenue, the cemetery will open the tour to the public at 1:30 p.m. and finish at 3:30. Parking will be provided in the County facilities across Fulweiler Avenue from the cemetery. This event is free; no tickets are required.

News from Placer County Historical Society

by April McDonald-Loomis, President

Greetings!

The big news from the Society is the Grand Opening of the Gold Rush Museum this past August 17th. It was pretty hot for the event, but the sterling museum staff were prepared with canopy tents complete with misters, ice cold waters and even cold watermelon. A very nice crowd attended. If you weren’t able to make it, do try to stop by very soon. The museum is outstanding, and the two murals that the Society helped fund are the show pieces! It is amazing the depth and context these murals add to the historical artifacts displays.

Take a look at our website - placercountyhistoricalsociety.org - for some new material. “Friends of Gene Markley,” a group of dedicated folks, have spent an incredible amount of time scanning articles from Gene’s library. There are also some terrific items from vintage Mining and Scientific Press publications that Thomas Birch scanned and are great sources of information. Thanks to Thomas for spending hours and hours to complete this project for us all to be able to access. Thanks are also in store for Jon Brommeland, our webmaster. He keeps us up to date and spends a lot of time ensuring that our website is full of great stuff.

Our next general dinner meeting will be on October 4th. Check the website for details. If you ever have any ideas about speakers you would like to see at our meetings, please contact me or Addah Owens our Vice President and Program Chair. We are always on the lookout for interesting speakers with topics concerning our local history.

Auburn Historic Home Tour 

Sunday, November 4, 2018

10 AM to 4 PM

Here is your chance to see seven local historic homes, some of which have never been open to the public before.

Dr. Snypp’s Queen Ann has been meticulously restored to the late 1800’s and is filled with period antiques.

Attorney Fred Tuttle’s Eastlake home, built in 1890, has been updated inside while keeping the exterior original.

Placer High School Coach Earl Crabbe’s home is a Greene and Greene Craftsman Bungalow built in 1908.

The Trent home, built about 1890, has been extensively remodeled. The property has four rental cottages and a studio apartment in the rear.

Businessman J. M. Francis’ home with Eastlake elements was built about 1898. While some remodeling has been done, it still has the original look.

Superintendent of Schools Irene Burns’ home was built in 1895. The home has been restored and furnished with vintage antiques. This house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Druggist Edward Snowden’s home, built in 1867.

Tickets are $25.00. Proceeds will benefit the State Theater Performing Arts.

They will go on sale September 25th online at www.livefromauburn.com or in person at Eisley Nursery, Wildflower or Lyon Real Estate

 

Placer County Historical Society Dinner Meeting

by Addah Owens, Vice President

When: October 4
Time: 6:30 Dinner, 7:30 Program
Where: Veterans Memorial Hall, 100 East Street, Auburn
Cost: $16 per person
Menu: Chicken Marsala, mashed potatoes, seasoned vegetables, salad and dessert
Program: Game Changers: Twelve Elections that Transformed California is a thoroughly researched, non-partisan book that dissects how ordinary Californians have sent powerful messages to Sacramento that reverberated under the Capitol dome and beyond. It puts momentous elections in context and analyzes their future impacts on Californians and the state’s political institutions. Co-authors Steve and Susie Swatt will present their findings for the book, which offers thought-provoking interpretation rooted in decades of experience in journalism, public policy analysis, and political consulting at the state Capitol. Steve Swatt is a Sacramento-based political analyst who spent 23 years at KCRA-TV as its political and public policy reporter. Susie Swatt is a member of the National Advisory Council at UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies.

DO NOT BRING ALCOHOL.

Mail Dinner Checks to:
PCHS c/o/ Jane Hamilton
1871 Crocket Road, Auburn, CA
95603
(530)885-7839 or hamiltonjane1@me.com

Calendar of Events 

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Placer County Historical Organizations 

Colfax Area Historical Society
Gayle Sorensen (530) 346-8599
colfaxhistory.org

Donner Summit Historical Society
Bill Oudegeest (209) 606-6859
donnersummithistoricalsociety.org

Foresthill Divide Historical Society
Sandy Simester (530) 367-3535
foresthillhistory.org

Fruitvale School Hall Community Association
Lyndell Grey (916) 645-3517

Golden Drift Historical Society
Sarah Fugate (530) 389-2121

Historical Advisory Board
Glenn Vineyard (916) 747-1961

Joss House Museum and Chinese History Center
Richard Yue (530) 346-7121

Lincoln Highway Association
Bob Dieterich bobd@iname.com
lincolnhwy.org

Lincoln Area Archives Museum
Elizabeth Jansen (916) 645-3800
laamca.org

Loomis Basin Historical Society
Karen Clifford (916) 663-3871
ppgn.com/loomishistorical.html

Maidu Museum & Historic Site
Kaitlin Kincade (916) 782-3299
roseville.ca.us/indianmuseum 

The Museum of Sierra Ski History and 1960 Winter Olympics
David C. Antonucci
(775) 722-3502
tahoemuseum.org

Native Sons of the Golden West, Parlor #59
Dave Allen (530) 878-2878
dsallen59@sbcglobal.net 

Newcastle Portuguese Hall Association
Mario Farinha (530) 269-2412

Newcastle Portuguese Hall Association
Mario Farinha (530) 269-2412

North Lake Tahoe Historical Society
Marnie Carr (530) 583-1762
northtahoemuseums.org

Old Town Auburn Preservation Society
Lynn Carpenter (530) 885-1252

Placer County Genealogical Society
Toni Rosasco (530) 888-8036
pcgs.pcgenes.com 

Placer County Historical Society
April McDonald-Loomis (530) 823-2128
April400@wavecable.com 

Placer County Museums Docent Guild
Fran Hanson (530) 878-6990

Rocklin Historical Society
Jim Carlson, President (916) 624-3464
rocklinhistory.org 

Roseville Fire Museum
Jim Giblin
JGiblin@roseville.ca.us
rosevillefiremuseum.org

Roseville Historical Society
Christina Richter (916) 773-3003
rosevillehistorical.org