Ralph Gibson
Museums Administrator
As I write this, we are completing the installation of our last exhibit for this year: two displays for the Gold Country Fair.
Something else we are working on is the Cemetery Tour for October. The Old Auburn Cemetery Tour will be Sunday, October 6th at 1:30 pm. Like last year, a variety of docents and volunteers will be on hand to reenact the colorful lives of past Auburn residents. There is no need to call ahead or purchase tickets. Show up between 1:30-3:30pm at 170 Fulweiler Avenue, and the dead will rise to tell you their stories.
Fall Living History gears up at the end of September and runs through the first week of November and then we’ll start decorating for the Holidays – but that’s another issue. I hope everyone had a great summer and will have a great fall. Happy Halloween!
Kasia Woroniecka
Curator of Collections
Tea became popular in Europe after it arrived from China in the early 1600s. As the demand for exotic beverages like tea, coffee, and chocolate grew, so did the variety and size of the porcelain and silver-plate sets used to serve them. Some of the most elaborate tea services were produced in the Victorian era and could contain more than 40 pieces. The tea kettle and the coffee pot were added to the larger tea services and coincided with the fashion for taking mid-afternoon tea. The tea pots were typically short and round which allowed tea leaves to expand and steep, while coffee pots were tall and slender to retain the heat.
Tea service patterns were often influenced by the neoclassical elements of Greek and Roman art, while the curved forms were informed by the Rococo style. Silver tea sets were popular because they matched the pattern of any porcelain tableware. By the end of the 19th century, many silver service designs were influenced by the simplicity of the Arts and Crafts movement. Teaspoons, sugar spoons, and sugar tongs often accompanied these sets.
Tea is still enjoyed around the world today, with tea sets—old and new—part of the experience.
Haviland & Co. three-piece tea set: tea pot, sugar bowl and creamer. Haviland & Co. started in 1840’s New York as a porcelain importer. In 1842, impressed with the quality of French porcelain, it opened a factory in Limoges and began production for the American market. Haviland & Co. became the chief supplier of porcelain services for the office of the President of the United States, including Presidents Lincoln, Cleveland and Harrison. Placer County Museums Collection
A William Adams silver plated tea and coffee set. This set includes a coffee pot and teapot with black resin handles and knobs along with a kettle stand and burner, a sugar bowl with a lid, and a creamer. Made in Sheffield, England, circa 1902. The town is famous for Sheffield plate, the process of plating copper objects with silver, which made them cheaper than those made of solid silver. Placer County Museums Collection
Porcelain tea set by unknown maker c. 1880-1900. The set includes a tea pot, sugar bowl with lid, a creamer, a candy dish, a set of cups and saucers, and a bowl. The bowl could be a slop bowl, which allowed tea drinkers to pour out the cold tea and leaves left at the bottom of the cup. Slop bowls became standard tea set equipment in the 18th century and came in different shapes and sizes. They were eventually replaced by the tea strainer and seldom appear in modern tea sets. Placer County Museums Collection
Chinese tea set with tea pot, cup and, basket. Circa 1930. Originally tea was valued for its medicinal qualities, aiding digestion and boosting immunity. When tea was introduced to England in 1600s, it was drunk using the traditional handless bowls the Chinese used and referred to as a “dish of tea” rather than a cup. The teacup handles were introduced at the turn of the 19th century. Placer County Museums Collection
Mermod Jaccard quadruple plate four-piece tea set. Mermod Jaccard & Co. was a St. Louis retail jewelry store that also sold silver. The company dates to about 1845. Mermod Jaccard silver was made by various silver manufacturers, but the store marked pieces with its own name. This set includes a tray, teapot, sugar bowl, and creamer. Placer County Museums Collection
Kelsey Monahan
Curator of Archives
Ralph examines each page looking for tears or missing pieces that need to be repaired using a special material called Filmoplast. This acid-free tape is transparent, does not affect the chemistry of the material it is applied to, and it can be removed with water.
Once Ralph has inspected and repaired the pages of an annual volume, he puts them into a book vise, and double sews the pages together. The pages are then given a hinge that is glued with an archival adhesive. Equipped with this hinge the pages and the original covers can be reunited using a new spine cover.
To protect our historic newspapers during this process, all methods and materials are designed for archival purposes and are completely reversible. Once the covers have been attached the volume is ready to be returned to the Research Room for public use.
Ralph has now repaired almost 70 years of bound volumes! We are so grateful for his work on this project and his book binding expertise.
News from the Placer County Historical Society
April McDonald-Loomis, President
Who doesn’t love Fall in the Foothills? This is probably my favorite time of year, not too hot, not too cold! A few Society projects have been completed.
Part Two of the Art Sommers Collection has arrived and is in capable hands at the Placer County Archives. Art has also decided that there might be a Part Three. If that should happen, we would assist with financing. In the meantime, Art has donated several Placer County related books for the December Society Dinner Meeting.
The research books the Society helped fund for Kasia at the Placer County Collections Facility have arrived and she is delighted with all of them. All the research work has been completed for the plaques for the Old Town businesses. We just need to get them printed and distributed.
Mark your calendar for October 6, 2019 for the Cemetery Tour given by the Museums Docent Guild. This event gets better every year! These terrific individuals, all eighteen of them, will reenact stories of Auburn’s past residents. Beside the regulars like Alma Bell and Rattlesnake Dick, they have several new stories to tell this year. Be on the lookout for poor Katy Andrews, who died way before her time, Hattie Fellows, murdered in her back yard, and many more. These Docents do a fabulous job, making the tour enjoyable for everyone involved. It runs from 1:30 to 3:30 and is free, although like any non-profit, the Guild is always happy to receive donations. It is held at the Old Auburn Cemetery a 170 Fulweiler Avenue.
The Society is involved with other historical organizations in the county that are interested in presenting an annual History Award to an individual who has significantly contributed to Placer County History. If you want to nominate someone, we can provide you with the criteria for the award.
Placer County Historical Society Dinner Meeting
When: October 3, 2019Time: 6:00 Dinner, 7:00 Program
Where: Veterans Memorial Hall, 100 East Street, Auburn
Cost: $16 per person
Menu: TBD
Program: We are honored to have historian Phil Sexton for our speaker. Phil has been involved with the California State Parks for many years and is considered an expert on many facets of California history. The topic for the presentation will be the Transcontinental Railroad.
PLEASE RSVP BY SEPT. 26th and mail dinner checks to: PCHS c/o Jane Hamilton, 1871 Crockett Road, Auburn, CA 95603. (530) 885-7839 or hamiltonjane1@me.com
DO NOT BRING ALCOHOL.
Come see Placer County Museum's Latest Exhibit, A Season to Remember
on show now at the Historic Courthouse, 101 Maple Street, Auburn, CA
Calendar of Events
Placer County Historical Organizations
Colfax Area Historical Society
Chris Miller
(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 Area Archives Museum
Elizabeth Jansen
(916) 645-3800
laamca.org
Lincoln Highway Association
Bob Dieterich
bobd@iname.com
lincolnhighwayassoc.org
Loomis Basin Historical Society
Karen Clifford
(916) 663-3871
ppgn.com/loomishistorical.html
Maidu Museum & Historic Site
Kaitlin Kincade
(916) 774-5934
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
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
pcgenes.com
Placer County Historical Society
April McDonald-Loomis
(530) 823-2128
placercountyhistoricalsociety.org
Placer County Museums Docent Guild
Fran Hanson
(530) 878-6990
Rocklin Historical Society
Hank Lohse
(916) 624-3464
rocklinhistory.org
Roseville Fire Museum
Jim Giblin
(916) 538-1809
rosevillefiremueum@gmail.org
rosevillefiremuseum.org
Roseville Historical Society
Denise Fiddyment
(916) 773-3003
rosevillehistorical.org
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