Forest Hill Divide Historical Society

09/09/2026

Remember, Heritage Festival is this Saturday, 10-3 at LeRoy Botts Memorial Park.

Come celebrate the end of Heritage Trail this Saturday up in Foresthill! It's a great opportunity to get that last stamp you need or get your cards turned in for the prize drawing.

Forest Hill Divide Museum 10 AM to 4 PM
24601 Harrison St., Foresthill

Email: [email protected]

Watch blacksmiths craft period tools and household items. View exhibits on mining, Native American Heritage, the lumber industry, fires & firefighting on the divide and life here in the Victorian era. There will be a historical walking tour before noon of our town as well. Enjoy plenty of food and craft booths, hands-on activities for the kids and music will fill the air. Visitors may also witness the re-creation of history with the Interactive Entertainment group of notable outlaws and marshals who teach as well as perform skits about the heritage of the Gold Rush.
The Forest Hill Divide Museum combines the Heritage Trail with their town’s annual Heritage Festival, so come prepared for a full day of adventure.

08/08/2026

This weekend, due to the hot weather, our blacksmith shop will be closed. Not healthy for our guys to be working in that heat.
The museum will be open with air conditioning, Saturday and Sunday, 12-4pm. Admission is free.

07/20/2026

Do you like planning local events and dinners?

The Forest Hill Divide Historical Society is looking for a volunteer Event Coordinator.
We have 2 dinners annually ( June & December) and 2 large events- July 4th and the Heritage Festival.
For the dinners, the coordinator will obtain a speaker for the 2 dinners, procure a caterer for the December holiday dinner, assist with decorating the tables, and make sure plates, silverware & napkins are purchased as needed . We also make coffee and put out pitchers of water and a carafe of lemonade. For the 4th, there are signs to put out and decorations.
For the Heritage Festival, the event coordinator currently contracts with Interactive Entertainment ( group from Georgetown), makes sure they get paid by our treasurer and obtains lunch tickets from the American Legion, coordinates activities with the Chamber of commerce and puts out flyers, etc. We also have a historical walking tour that day that needs to be announced in the park. There is signage to put in the park and hay bales for guests to sit on in the entertainment area that need to be brought in by volunteers obtained by the Chamber of Commerce. So,
basically this is 4 events for the entire year. It’s great assisting in making these events successful, fun and bringing the community in to learn more about our society and museum. Our goal is to share the rich history of our community. The museum season is Memorial Day weekend through the Heritage Festival in September. Our museum hours are Saturdays and Sundays 12-4.
Admission is free.

If this sparks your interest, please contact us at foresthillhistory@ gmail.com and we will get in touch with you.

07/08/2026

This week the Heritage Trail will be in Auburn with two dynamite museums to visit. Swing by the Bernhard Museum and the Benton Welty Schoolroom for all kinds of fun. Details below!

Bernhard Museum 10 AM to 4 PM
291 Auburn Folsom Rd., Auburn

530-889-6500

Dive into family-friendly living history fun! Explore the Bernhard family’s restored 19th century Victorian farmhouse. Learn about daily life from experienced docents, view authentic period wagons, and handle 19th century artifacts. Then, roll up your sleeves and get to work! Build your own replica fruit crate, try washing clothes by hand, or head inside to make your own vintage toys. Don’t forget to try a cup of ice cream.

Benton Welty Schoolroom 10 AM to 4 PM
1225 Lincoln Way, Auburn City Hall

The Benton Welty Historic Classroom is housed in the old Auburn Grammar School, now City Hall. Join us for a rare sense of time-gone-by in this little gem of our past. See how students experienced a typical school day in the days before computers and electronics. Slate boards and chalk will let visitors share the experience. Dip a quill pen in an inkwell and practice your handwriting the old-fashioned way. Auburn Grammar School was built in 1915. Parking is behind the building.

For more details, visit placer.ca.gov/7375/Heritage-Trail

06/24/2026

This Saturday, June 27th, The Heritage Trail is in Auburn! Swing by and visit these four museums which will have free admission and special events.

Western States Trail Museum 10 AM to 4 PM
1103 High St., Suite 300, Auburn

The Western States Trail Museum (WSTM) will serve as a testament to the trail's significance across Native American, Gold Rush, and modern-day eras. Exhibits will include settlers, local pioneers, miners, and immigrants who helped shape the American West. Visitors will be able to explore the history of this iconic trans-Sierra trail between Carson City, Nevada and Sacramento, California from its origins as a lifeline for indigenous communities to its contemporary allure, including renowned sporting events such as the Tevis Cup Ride and Western States Endurance Run. Join us in our new space to get a preview of our plans, and what’s to come! Our entrance is located on the Lewis Street side in the suite next to the Auburn Chamber of Commerce and the California Welcome Center/Placer County Visitor’s Bureau.

DeWitt History Museum 9 AM to 1 PM
2985 Richardson Dr., Auburn

Explore the history of the DeWitt Government Center at this fascinating museum. Learn about the construction and use of the World War II Army Hospital, the site’s use as a State Mental Health Hospital, and it’s current use by Placer County. Visitors will learn how WWII affected the local community and start their very own Victory Garden with a hands-on activity.

Placer Athletic Hall of Fame 10 AM to Noon
275 Orange St., Auburn

The Placer Athletic Hall of Fame Museum is housed in the historic Earl Crabbe Gym on the campus of Placer High School. This Gym was a 1936 WPA project and placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 2017. Many aspects of Placer High School’s long and storied athletic history are show cased. Walk on the gym floor, toss a ball around, view an extensive collection of memorabilia and photos.

Auburn Journal Newspaper Museum 10 AM to 3 PM
1030 High St., Auburn

View vintage newspaper printing presses, tools, and learn how these were used to produce early issues of the Auburn Journal.

For more details, visit placer.ca.gov/7375/Heritage-Trail

06/16/2026

A Huge THANKS to all our members, docents and community who attended our BBQ last night!!!
It was a wonderful turnout with about 50 in attendance.

06/15/2026

Thank you for sharing this info. A past Eagle Scout made a display inside our jail of a prisoner on his bunk. We even have a few rats ( plastic) in there. Someone tried to escape by starting a fire inside and you can see the charred beams on the ceiling.

In 1886, the Board of Supervisors authorized $100 from the general fund to build a jail in Forest Hill. They authorized this jail over a request from Michigan Bluff residents for their own jail. The Forest Hill jail was evidently built soon after its approval, as in 1889, the Board authorized $59 for jail repairs.

While most of these small regional jails scattered around the county held local drunks and hobos, some, like the jail in Foresthill, held murderers until they could be transferred to Auburn. Because of the arduous journey from remote towns, it was common for the sheriff to place one-room jails in these distant localities so the local lawman had somewhere to store captured lawbreakers until the sheriff could come up and retrieve them.

This jail now resides at the Forest Hill Divide museum, but its original location was near the corner of Soap Street and Lowe Street, one block south of downtown.
Forest Hill Divide Historical Society

06/06/2026

Don't forget we are OPEN every weekend through the summer from Noon to 4pm. Come and visit us today. You can also RSVP to the BBQ Potluck at the museum. See our flyer blow:

05/16/2026

Heritage Trail Museums Tour is a Summer-long tour of Placer County Museums. 29 Museums will host special events on their tour day. The tour runs from June 6 to September 6.

05/15/2026

Here’s the link to all of the information on this year’s Placer County Museums Heritage Trail.
It is the schedule for all of the participating museums. Ours will be September 12th this year in conjunction with our Heritage Festival in Foresthill. Plan to discover a new museum this summer!

Heritage Trail Museums Tour is a Summer-long tour of Placer County Museums. 29 Museums will host special events on their tour day. The tour runs from June 6 to September 6.