Administrator’s Notes
by Ralph Gibson, Museums Administrator
When the final trick-or-treater wanders from our door back into the darkness of Halloween, my attention turns to the Holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
As before, our plan is to have our museums decorated for the season by the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which means a lot of our museums will start looking like Christmas in mid-November. It takes weeks to get all the decorations up in the five museums we decorate, so that means a few “But it’s not even Thanksgiving yet!” Grinches, will just have to endure.
It’s a wonderful time of year and I can’t wait! The Bernhard will be decorated for Victorian Christmas; we’ll have Christmas at the Courthouse in the Treasury of the Placer County Museum; a Welsh Christmas at the Griffith Quarry Museum; a touch of Gold Rush Christmas at the Gold Rush Museum; and Christmas on the Home Front at the DeWitt History Museum.
As year’s past, we will also host S’mores & Stories at the Bernhard Museum on December 13th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. We’ll have storytelling on the porch, Ukulele Music with Auburn String Jam, walk-thru tours of the Bernhard House and, of course, s’mores around one of three campfire pits.
The Placer County Museum in the historic Courthouse will also take part in each night of Old Town’s Country Christmas event on December 14th and 21st also from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Mrs. Claus will read stories to children in the Treasury, we’ll have a craft station for kids and free cookies and hot apple cider! Admission to all of our museums and these great programs is always FREE! So please, come by and see us during the Holidays!
New Donation Highlight
by Kasia Woroniecka , Curator of Collections
This fan dates to about 1910-1930. For centuries fans served as a practical and convenient means of keeping cool. Like many functional items, their designs evolved creatively, especially during the Victorian era. At that time, fashion dictated that every woman own a fan, leading to a wide range of options—from inexpensive printed souvenirs sold by street vendors to exquisite hand-painted pieces crafted from mother of pearl and embellished with gold and precious jewels. It is through donations like these that we can continue to bring history to life for our visitors.
If you have items with Placer County history that you are interested in donating, please contact the Curator of Collections, Kasia Woroniecka (kworonie@placer.ca.gov) or the Curator of Archives, Kelsey Monahan (kmonahan@placer.ca.gov) to find out how.
Savoring History: Holiday Recipe Ideas from the Dutch Flat’s Ladies Aid Society
by Kelsey Monahan, Curator of Archives
As we approach another holiday season I’m sure many of us are getting out our recipe books and planning out our holiday meals. One of my favorite cookbooks in our collection comes from the Dutch Flat Ladies Aid Society, founded in 1933 as a “helping hand” organization for the Methodist Episcopal Church and community of Dutch Flat. In addition to raising funds to support church repairs, they also donated to charities and made Christmas gifts and food baskets for families in need. The Dutch Flat Ladies Aid Society building is now the home of the Golden Drift Museum.
The 1964 cookbook “Delicious Diggins” published by the Society includes over 300 recipes inspired by the group’s bake sales, potlucks, dinners, and annual barbecue. When it was first published the cookbook cost $2 and the first edition sold out in 20 days.
Consider this fall making the “Old Hotel Plum Pudding” once served at the Dutch Flat Hotel.
Feeling adventurous? Try the “Holiday Molded Seafood Salad,” and let me know how it is!
Volunteer Spotlight
by Kelsey Monahan, Curator of Archives
What do you like about volunteering at the Archives? “I like being involved with history and being assigned different projects in the Archives. I’ve also organized the maps, conducted Oral History interviews, and compiled research about the DeWitt Military Hospital.”
What have you liked about working with the Auburn Journal negatives? “It’s been wonderful to see all of the different types of activities that would happen and how well they were documented by the paper. I also like seeing pictures of people I remember, like Bill Cassidy that ran the Auburn Journal. Even though the photos only go back to the 1950s you can also really see how the buildings have changed.”
What is a fun fact about you? “I have a passion for woodworking and tile working. I like to decorate my home with tiles that were gifted to me by my patients during my career as a home health nurse for 30 years.”
Thank you Joyce for all of your hard work!
June Tollefson operating a perforating machine, published on March 30, 1961. Joyce contacted members of the community to track down the type of machine being used!
Old Auburn Cemetery Tour
by Katy Bartosh, Curator of Education
A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s Murder, Mayhem and Mystery Tour at the Old Auburn Cemetery a success! We were thrilled to welcome nearly 700 visitors who were captivated by the chilling tales of Rattlesnake Dick, Alma Bell, Elmer Gum, Frank “Big Dip” Dependener, and many more intriguing characters. Your contributions brought these haunting stories to life!
Karen Chesney, Carol Cramer and Bev Cal
Rebecca Hemphill and Karen Allen
Gary Koolhof and Heather Watkins-Koolhof.
Volunteer Appreciation Movie Event
by Bryanna Ryan, Supervising Curator
Over 80,000 visitors came to our Placer County Museums in 2023, and the numbers keep growing! From busy school programs to seasonal events, tours, and open museum hours – it is exceptional volunteers who make all the difference. Last year, our volunteers donated over 12,000 hours of their time to promote local history and enrich our communities. We are so grateful to be a part of your lives and share in the joy that comes in exploring what makes this region so special. As a small token of our gratitude, we hold an annual “Volunteer Appreciation Movie Day.” On Monday, October 21st we celebrated the day at the Roseville Veteran’s Memorial Hall with a showing of the 1996 film, Phenomenon which was mainly filmed in Auburn. It was our pleasure to see so many friendly faces this year and we look forward to the next one!
Upcoming Events
Placer County Historical Society
Dinner Meeting
When: Thursday, December 5, 2024
Meeting at 6:00, Dinner at 6:15, Speaker at 6:45
Speaker: Frank Nissen
Location: Veterans Memorial Hall Dinner cost: $30.00.
100 East Street, Auburn, CA Speaker presentation: Free
Please RSVP to rsvp.pchs@gmail.com
Please go to www.placercountyhistoricalsociety.org for more information
Placer County Historical Organizations
Colfax Area Historical Society
Jay McIntyre, President, (530) 346-8599
colfaxhistory.org
Donner Summit Historical Society
Bill Oudegeest, (209) 606-6859
donnersummithistoricalsociety.org
Foresthill Divide Historical Society
Annie DeMaria-Norris (916) 206-4479 foresthillhistory.org
Fruitvale School Hall
Community Association
Mark Fowler
Golden Drift Historical Society
Sarah Fugate, (530) 389-2121
Historical Advisory Board
Glenn Vineyard, (916) 747-1961
Joss House Museum and
Chinese History Center
Larry Finney, (530) 305-9380
Lincoln Area Archives Museum
Elizabeth Jansen, (916) 645-3800
laamca.org
Lincoln Highway Association
Trey Pitsenberger
vice.president@lincolnhighwayassoc.org
Loomis Basin Historical Society
Karen Clifford, (916) 663-3871
www.loomisbasinhistory.org
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
Phil Sexton, (530) 583-1762
northtahoemuseums.org
Placer County Genealogical Society
Diane Fishburn
http://www.placergenealogy.org
Placer County Historical Society
April McDonald-Loomis
(530) 823-2128
placercountyhistoricalsociety.org
Placer County Museums Docent Guild
Craig Norris
Placer Sierra Railroad Heritage Society
Chuck Spinks
Psrhs.org
Rocklin Historical Society
Gloria Beverage (916) 624-3464
rocklinhistorical@gmail.com
Roseville Historical Society
Denise Fiddyment, (916) 773-3003
rosevillehistorical.org
Calendar:
Please confirm all meeting times and locations with each organization
Foresthill Divide Historical Society Meeting: Monday, November 18th at 6:00 p.m.
Golden Drift Historical Society Meeting: Monday, December 2th at 7:00 p.m.
Historical Advisory Board Meeting: Wednesday, December 18th at 5:30 p.m.
Loomis Basin Historical Society Meeting: Wednesday, November 20th at 6:00 p.m.
Placer County Historical Society Meeting: Thursday, November 7tha t 2:00 p.m.
Placer Sierra Railroad Heritage Society: Tuesday, November 26th at 7:00 p.m.
Rocklin Historical Society Meeting: Tuesday, November 12th at 6:30 p.m.
Roseville Historical Society Meeting: Tuesday, November 12th at 4:00 p.m.
