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Completed in 1898, the Courthouse is a grandiose three-story Classic Revival structure topped by a dome. The Placer County Museum is located on the first floor of Auburn’s Historic Courthouse. It's one of four surviving northern and central California courthouses which retain most of their architectural ornamentation and magnificent domes. The first floor originally housed the county jail, and is now home to the museum, which contains Native American artifacts, a stagecoach, and gold collection. The featured exhibit in the foyer is the Pate Collection of Native American Art. This collection contains artifacts from all over California, the Southwest, the Northwest Coast, Alaska, and the Eastern United States. Also in the foyer is “Auburn Centennial”, a painting by renowned artist Thomas Kinkade. The Sheriff’s Office has been restored to recreate the early days of the building. With its original furniture back in place, it looks as if Sheriff Elmer Gum will walk in the door at any moment. The Gold Collection is housed in the lower vault inside the former Treasurer’s Office, and can be viewed by the public everyday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm (except Holidays). The Women’s Jail is located under the north steps of the Courthouse. Built in 1905, the jail housed women prisoners for nearly 40 years.
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