Reclaim Yuba Sutter’s Architectural Survivors at Book Launching Party November 13, 2008

Historic architecture, horse and carriage rides, wine tasting and community spirit are all a part of a Book Launching Party hosted by the Mary Aaron Memorial.

“It is our hope that we may live in harmony with our architectural past and that our generation may in turn create an equally harmonious future for the generations that succeed us.” So ends the preface of the 1974 publication, The Survivors: Existing homes and buildings of Yuba and Sutter Counties’ past.

The authors, Janet R. Sullivan and Mary-Jane Zall, were inspired, as many are today, by the elegance, charm and unique place in history these early buildings and homes embodied. They were also determined to raise awareness that monuments such as these tend to give slowly away to the needs of a developing city. Unfortunately, The Survivors, after being out-of-print for over thirty years, has been a waning force in preserving Yuba-Sutter’s architecture…until now.

The book itself has become a monument, a significant piece of Yuba-Sutter history and a survivor in its own right. For this reason, along with the commitment of its members to renew the community’s interest in local history, the Mary Aaron Memorial Museum of Marysville, California has announced its re-publication of The Survivors.

Although some very minor changes were made, the publisher and the editors have taken great care to preserve the content and design of the first printing. It contains over fifty images of significant and familiar structures in the Yuba-Sutter area, including the Danville House, the Old Harter Home, the Ramirez Home (otherwise known as “The Castle”), Sutter’s Hock Farm and the Harkey House. The authors provided invaluable information about each building, giving historical backgrounds of the initial occupants and commenting on each building’s architectural elements and historical context.

The message of the book is clear: if we are to preserve our heritage, we must preserve it purposefully, consciously and out of a genuine appreciation. The preservation of The Survivors was also purposeful and certainly inspired by appreciation for the authors and their original intentions. Thanks in part to the efforts of Mrs. Zall and Mrs. Sullivan, only a minimal number of the buildings mentioned in the original edition have been destroyed. This book, therefore, as was the hope of two community members in 1974, remains a work about survivors. Their legacy continues…

Official Website: http://www.amicusbooks.com/mary-aaron-memorial-museum