Auburn in Placer County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Placer County Courthouse

Historical Landmark

Photographed By Syd Whittle, January 17, 2006

1. Placer County Courthouse Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Site of First Public Hanging Area and Graveyard Third Courthouse Cornerstone Laid July 4, 1894 Dedicated July 4, 1898

Erected 1898.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Landmarks • Notable Buildings. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1868.

Location. 38° 53.808′ N, 121° 4.576′ W. Marker is in Auburn, California, in Placer County. Marker is at the intersection of Maple Street and Lincoln Way, on the right when traveling east on Maple Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 Maple Street, Auburn CA 95603, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Brye House (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Auburn Native Sons Hall (about 500 feet away); First Placer County Hospital (about 500 feet away); Lawyers Row (about 600 feet away); Old Masonic Hall Erected 1860 (about 600 feet away); G. Willment General Store (about 600 feet away); Gold Bug Stamp Mill

Placer County Courthouse Sign and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Syd Whittle, January 17, 2006

2. Placer County Courthouse Sign and Marker

Click or scan to see
this page online

(about 600 feet away); Gold Discovered Just Downstream in Auburn Ravine! - Why Daylight North Rich Ravine? (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Auburn.

Regarding Placer County Courthouse. Currently the 1st floor houses a museum displaying exibits on Auburn Ravine and Placer County Government history.

Additional commentary.
1. From the Placer County Courthouse Museum Brochure:
Three courthouses have served Placer County. The first, a canvas and wood structure, with a nearby jail built of logs. In 1852 the Court of Sessions ordered a new courthouse to be built. This building was a wood frame building with plaster walls. A bell tower called jurors to duty and sounded the fire alarm. The jail remained at its old site until it burned in June, 1855. Later that year a two-story brick jail was built next to the new courthouse. An iron cat walk connected the upstairs of the jail building to the courthouse. In 1893, after forty years, the courthouse had deteriorated to the point of needing replacement. Setting of the cornerstone of the new and third courthouse was placed on July 4, 1894. A copper box, placed under the cornerstone by local officials,

Cornerstone Placed July 4, 1894 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Syd Whittle, January 17, 2006

3. Cornerstone Placed July 4, 1894

held a variety of gold, silver coins, newspapers and county documents. Four years later, on July 4, 1898, the third courthouse was dedicated.
At the dedication ceremony, Judge J.E. Prewitt eulogized the merits of the new edifice:
It is our Temple of Justice; repository of our titles; fortress of our personal and property rights; fountain head of our school system; and registry of our births, marriages and deaths.

— Submitted October 10, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.

Additional keywords. Courthouses

Placer County Courthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Syd Whittle, January 17, 2006

4. Placer County Courthouse

Under the steps and behind the hedge is the entrance to the woman's jail.

Woman's Jail image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Syd Whittle, January 17, 2006

5. Woman's Jail

**Under the Courthouse Steps, Women in Jail** Women prisoners in the 1850's - 1905 were either held in the men's jail or in a hotel with an armed guard, which posed a dangerous problem. In 1905 the Board of Supervisors authorized the construction of one or more cells for women and juvenile prisoners. On October 19, 1905 construction began on the iron works for a new woman's jail, located under the steps at the north end of the courthouse. This jail was used until a new jail was constructed in 1941 in back of the courthouse, now a parking lot.

Postcard - Placer County Courthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Fritz Vibe Postcard Service, Sacramento, Ca. Dexter Press, Inc.

6. Postcard - Placer County Courthouse

Auburn California Cornerstone laid July 4, 1894. Building, put up in four sections and completed in July 1898, is still being used.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 17, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona. This page has been viewed 2,338 times since then and 97 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 10, 2008, by Syd Whittle of Mesa, Arizona.