Old Town wonders how to replace historic sign lost in truck wreck

Journal Staff WriterA historic terra cotta sign that first graced Old Town Auburn 111 years ago is down ? toppled and shattered into dozens of pieces during efforts to save a trucker who crashed into it.But work is now under way to ensure that the fallen Placer Herald sign avoids becoming another vanished piece of Auburn?s past.Dave Allen, a long-time Native Sons of the Golden West member, said Thursday that Lincoln?s Gladding-McBean terra cotta factory is being contacted to see whether a reproduction of the sign could be made ? or if indeed the original mold might still be stored at the plant.Other artifacts, including a stamp mill, were damaged when the truck barreled into the small park near the Interstate 80 offramp on October 3. ?We?re hoping we can put it back to the way it was,? Allen said. ?The equipment won?t be a problem, but the sign ? we don?t know about that one.?The brick-red sign, embellished with heraldic horns and grandly flowing scrollwork, was placed on the Placer Herald building to commemorate its 40th anniversary in 1892. The newspaper, which has since moved to Rocklin, continues to publish under the ownership of Brehm Communications, owner of the Auburn Journal. It has been honored as the oldest continually published weekly in the state.The sign was taken down and stored by local developer Greeley Herrington after the Herald building was demolished in 1946 to make way for highway construction through Old Town. It was brought out and displayed on the site of the demolished building starting in 1960.The terra cotta front of the sign has been reinforced by concrete cinder blocks. Auburn Fire Chief Mark D?Ambrogi said the driver?s door on the crashed cab was pinned on the stamp mill and the other door was wedged into the Herald sign when rescuers arrived. A group of firefighters tried to pull the sign away but when they tried to move it out of the way ?it just fell apart,? D?Ambrogi said.?It was the only way they could get in to give the driver medical attention,? he said. The driver ? Matthew Stizmann of Lathrop ? was taken to hospital with moderate injuries.?What a shame,? said Linda Robinson, president of the Old Town Auburn Business Association. ?I don?t think it can be repaired and I don?t know if it can be replicated. If it can?t, it will be another part of our history that has disappeared.?Robinson said she plans to bring the sign?s future up at a meeting next week of the business association.Melanie Barton, Placer County Department of Museums program manager, examined the remains of the Placer Herald sign on Thursday and described its possible demise as a significant loss for the community.?Fortunately, we have reproductions and photos,? Barton said. ?It?s a good indication why you make copies because most of our valued treasures do deteriorate or are eventually destroyed.?Displaying the sign in a potentially hazardous site is part of a balancing act historians have to contend with, she said.?It can be hazardous to have something in view in public where people can see and enjoy it,? Barton said. ?You have to weigh the different issues.?Colfax Record editor Tom Homer contributed to this article.