Placer County Museums

Placer County Museums The Placer County Museums Division runs 8 museums, the Placer County Archives and Research Center.

Our curator of collections just put some new, but actually very old, dresses on display at the Bernhard Museum. Several ...
05/27/2026

Our curator of collections just put some new, but actually very old, dresses on display at the Bernhard Museum. Several were donated recently and thus have never been on display before. Come down to the Bernhard to check them out. It's open Tuesday through Friday from 1-4pm and 11- 4pm on weekends at 291 Auburn Folsom Road.

Attached are photos and below are the dress details.

Lace wedding dress c. 1901-1915.
Belonged to Theresa or Genevieve Largente.
* This dress was donated recently and has never been on display.

2-piece silk ensemble c. 1890.
Day or visiting dress.
* This dress was donated recently and has never been on display.

2-piece blue silk wedding ensemble, 1868
Worn by Bertha Pisor Nader when she married Henry Nader on March 15, 1868, in Germany. The family settled at Ewings Station near Sheridan, north of Lincoln. They ran a grocery business and later farmed. They had 12 children.

05/27/2026

The DeWitt History Museum and the Bernhard Museum will be closed for events today. Sorry for the inconvenience.
5/27/26

Annual Heritage Trail Museums Tour opens 29 Placer County museums free of charge this summer!The Placer County Museums D...
05/15/2026

Annual Heritage Trail Museums Tour opens 29 Placer County museums free of charge this summer!

The Placer County Museums Division will host the 17th annual Heritage Trail Museums Tour from June 6 through September 12, opening the doors of 29 partner museums to the public free of charge across 11 Saturdays from Roseville to Tahoe.

Each Saturday on the trail, a different cluster of museums takes its turn in the spotlight — rolling out hands-on activities, guided tours, demonstrations and family programming.

The 2026 lineup includes the Maidu Museum & Historic Site, the Roseville Telephone Museum, Sierra College Natural History Museum, Fruitvale Schoolhouse, Lincoln Area Archives, Griffith Quarry Museum, Bernhard Museum, Gold Rush Museum, the Placer County Museum at the Historic Courthouse, the Auburn Joss House, Gatekeepers Museum, SNOW Sports Museum, Museum of Truckee History, the Forest Hill Divide Museum and many more.

The tour also features a guided hike to the historic Summit Tunnel on August 15, hosted by the 1882 Foundation, in honor of the Chinese laborers who built the First Transcontinental Railroad over Donner Summit.

“The Heritage Trail is a celebration of the people, places and stories that make Placer County unique,” said Placer County Museums Administrator Bryanna Ryan. “For 17 summers, this tour has invited residents and visitors to step into our shared past, from the Nisenan and Maidu peoples, to the Gold Rush, to the railroads that connected the West, to the Olympic legacy of the Sierra. We hope families will load up the car, collect their stamps and discover something new about the place we call home.”

Visitors can pick up a free Get-Up-And-Go card at any participating museum beginning June 6. Cards may be stamped on each museum’s Heritage Trail Day or anytime that museum is open during regular hours throughout the summer. Collecting just four stamps qualifies travelers for a drawing to win gift baskets full of local history.

New this year, travelers who collect stamps from all 29 museums (the hike excepted) will be entered in an additional bonus drawing. Cards must be turned in by 4 p.m. on Sept. 12 at any participating museum.

Students entering kindergarten through 12th grade in fall 2026 can also take part in scavenger hunts at participating museums for a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet, a Kindle Fire or a backpack stocked with school supplies.

A full schedule, trail guide and museum descriptions are available at https://www.placer.ca.gov/heritagetrail or by calling 530-889-6500.

The Heritage Trail is presented by the Placer County Museums Division in partnership with member museums, local historical societies and the Placer County Museum Docent Guild.

During the earliest days of Placer County’s history, crime was a constant threat. Just as some people were successfully ...
04/17/2026

During the earliest days of Placer County’s history, crime was a constant threat. Just as some people were successfully building their wealth, desperation and opportunity led others to explore alternative ways of making money. Highway robbers plagued wagons maneuvering throughout remote, switchback roads while burglars preyed upon miners and storekeepers.
The presence and skill of dedicated Placer County law enforcement officers was essential in tracking down and arresting alleged criminals to face the wheels of justice.
Sheriff John C. Boggs occupies an interesting and important role in the story of Placer County’s history. He left Pennsylvania for California in Feb. 1849 and traveled by ship around the Horn of South America. Boggs landed in San Francisco and was in Wood’s Dry Diggings (Auburn) by late-Sep. 1849.
A man of many hats and enterprises, it is his time as sheriff of Placer County in 1859 that secured Boggs into the realm of legend. At the time, he was on the hunt for a notorious outlaw who went by the name of Rattlesnake Dick.
Dick’s real name was Richard Barter who mined at Rattlesnake Bar in 1854 where he was arrested and tried on the charge of stealing clothing from a store but found not guilty. Just a few months later, he was tried and convicted of stealing a horse and sent to San Quentin for one year. Upon his release, Barter adopted the alias of Rattlesnake Dick and grew a reputation throughout northern California for daring robberies and successful jail breaks. During that time, Sheriff Boggs became his nemesis.
On July 11, 1859, Barter was spotted riding near Auburn with a companion. Sheriff Boggs and his deputies split up, hoping to catch the famed criminal. This led to a shootout that left Deputy Sheriff William Crutcher and Under Sheriff George Johnson shot and injured, while Deputy Tax Collector, George Martin was killed. Dick was shot but rode away and Boggs, who was on the other side of town, missed the fray.
However, the following morning Rattlesnake Dick was found dead and holding a note with the words scrawled on it, “Rattlesnake Dick dies, but never surrenders, as all true Brittons do. If J. Boggs is dead I am satisfied.” Or at least that is what was printed in the Placer Herald newspaper.
Today, Martin Park Fire Station marks the site of the deadly shootout and a plaque in the Raley’s parking lot by the Foresthill Road stands where Rattlesnake Dick took his final breath. He was buried in Auburn’s East Street Cemetery in a $10 coffin, and reportedly moved to the Auburn City Cemetery in the 1890s.
Meanwhile, John C. Boggs went on to become the Newcastle postmaster for several years and died in 1909. His photograph and biography were placed into a copper box under the cornerstone of the Placer County Courthouse when it was dedicated in 1894.

AUBURN, Calif. -- Placer County Museums will host free guided walking tours of Old Town Auburn on April 25 as part of th...
04/16/2026

AUBURN, Calif. -- Placer County Museums will host free guided walking tours of Old Town Auburn on April 25 as part of the county's 175th anniversary celebration.

The tours will explore the people, places and stories that have shaped Placer County since its founding in 1851. Tours will depart at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. from the lobby of the Historic Courthouse in Auburn, home of the Placer County Museum. Each tour will be guided by knowledgeable docents and designed to bring the county's rich history to life through its most storied neighborhood.

Free children's crafts will also be available at the museum throughout the day, making the event a family-friendly outing for residents of all ages.

As a special addition to this year's event, the historic Old Town Auburn Post Office — now a museum — will be open for public tours. Members of the Placer County Historical Society will be on hand in period attire to share the story of early Auburn history and how Placer County came to be.

"Placer County has a remarkable history, and Old Town Auburn is one of the best places to experience it firsthand," said Placer County Museums Division Administrator Bryanna Ryan. "We invite everyone to come out, walk the streets of this historic district and connect with the legacy that has made our county what it is today."

The Old Town Auburn Walking Tour is one of several events planned throughout 2026 to mark Placer County's 175th anniversary.

For more information, call Placer County Museums at 530-889-6500 or visit placer.ca.gov/Museums.

The Fruitvale Schoolhouse Museum will be open this Sunday, April 12th, from noon to 4:00pm. It's located at 3425 Fruitva...
04/08/2026

The Fruitvale Schoolhouse Museum will be open this Sunday, April 12th, from noon to 4:00pm. It's located at 3425 Fruitvale Road, in Lincoln.

The Fruitvale Schoolhouse Museum will be open this Sunday, March 8th, from noon to 4:00pm. It's located at 3425 Fruitval...
03/06/2026

The Fruitvale Schoolhouse Museum will be open this Sunday, March 8th, from noon to 4:00pm. It's located at 3425 Fruitvale Road, in Lincoln.

The Fruitvale Schoolhouse Museum will be open this Sunday, February 8th, from noon to 4:00pm. It's located at 3425 Fruit...
02/06/2026

The Fruitvale Schoolhouse Museum will be open this Sunday, February 8th, from noon to 4:00pm. It's located at 3425 Fruitvale Road, in Lincoln.

The Fruitvale Schoolhouse Museum will be open this Sunday, January 11th, from noon to 4:00pm. It's located at 3425 Fruit...
01/09/2026

The Fruitvale Schoolhouse Museum will be open this Sunday, January 11th, from noon to 4:00pm. It's located at 3425 Fruitvale Road, in Lincoln.

Our Museums will be closed for Christmas Eve (Dec 24), Christmas Day (Dec 25), and New Year's Day (Jan 1). Please come v...
12/23/2025

Our Museums will be closed for Christmas Eve (Dec 24), Christmas Day (Dec 25), and New Year's Day (Jan 1). Please come visit us another time!

Address

101 Maple Street
Auburn, CA
95603

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

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