Saratoga News
News
Platter that survived 1906 quake given to museum by Hitchman
By Jason Sweeney
The newest artifact in the Saratoga History Museum collection is a platter that survived the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
Bee Hitchman, who lived in Saratoga for 30 years, donated the hand-painted platter to the city of Saratoga. Hitchman is 95 and now lives in Scottsdale, Ariz.
At the May 18 meeting of the city council, Bee's son, Jerry Hitchman, presented the platter, along with photographs from the 1920s, to the city.
"This is a piece that has value because of its historic significance," Hitchman said. "Mom is in the process of tying up loose ends. She wanted the platter to go somewhere where it would be appreciated. She thought the Saratoga History Museum would be a good place for it."
"I'm a very sentimental person," Bee Hitchman said from Scottsdale in a telephone interview. "I love Saratoga. My mother is buried there, and my two sisters are buried there. I already have my plot there. I can't wait to come back to Saratoga."
The old platter was made in Germany. It was owned by a Capt. Townsend of the San Francisco Fire Department. The platter was one of his few possessions that survived the earthquake. When Townsend heard that two of his friends, David and Carrie Braid, were leaving the city due to their losses, he gave the platter to Carrie.
Carrie later became a friend of Bee Hitchman. In 1956, four years before Carrie passed away, she gave the platter to Bee on the 50th anniversary of the earthquake.
"I loved that platter, and I loved Mrs. Braid," Bee said. "I hope that as people come to the museum and look around, they will look at the platter and know that it went through a very horrible earthquake."
Carrie Braid, her husband and daughter are buried at Madronia Cemetery.
Chuck Schoppe, a volunteer at the Saratoga History Museum, said the platter is a nice addition to the museum's collection. "It's certainly a family treasure that has been cared for all these years."
The museum wraps up its three-month 1906 Earthquake Anniversary Exhibit on May 28. Its next three-month exhibit opens June 2.
The upcoming exhibit features the 50-year history of the Saratoga Rotary Club, the 150-year-old McWilliams House and the 100-year-old ex-general store that houses the museum.
The platter Hitchman donated to the museum will be on display in future museum exhibits. Jerry Hitchman said he was happy to present the platter to the city for his mother. "It made her very pleased," he said.
Regular Saratoga History Museum hours are 1-4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
