Interpretive displays at the former Arboga Assembly Center preserve the history of Japanese Americans incarcerated at the Yuba County site in 1942. The site will open to visitors Sept. 19 as part of the statewide Doors Open California program. Photo courtesy Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - Two Yuba County sites representing different chapters of local history will open to the public Sept. 19 as part of Doors Open California, a statewide program that provides access to historic buildings, landscapes and cultural sites.

The historic Packard Library in Marysville and the former Arboga Assembly Center in south Yuba County will welcome visitors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Docents will be available at both locations to provide historical context and answer questions.

The Yuba County Historic Resources Commission and Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture are coordinating the county's participation in the program, which the California Preservation Foundation organizes statewide.

The two locations tell markedly different parts of Yuba County's history.

The Packard Library opened in 1906 after local benefactor John Q. Packard provided funding for the Classical Revival building. It served generations of Marysville residents as the city's public library.

Preservation advocates are now considering new uses for the building, including its possible conversion into a Yuba County history museum and event center.

The Arboga Assembly Center carries a different legacy.

Following President Franklin D. Roosevelt's signing of Executive Order 9066 in 1942, the federal government forcibly removed Japanese Americans from their homes on the West Coast. About 2,500 Japanese Americans were temporarily incarcerated at the Arboga site before the government transferred them to more permanent War Relocation Authority camps.

A California State Historic Landmark plaque at the former Arboga Assembly Center describes the incarceration of approximately 2,500 Japanese Americans at the site in 1942 following Executive Order 9066. The landmark was dedicated in 2010. Photo courtesy Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture

Interpretive elements at the site now document the families held there and the civil rights history connected to their incarceration.

The California historical landmark plaque at the site states that Japanese Americans from Placer and Sacramento counties were incarcerated at Arboga beginning May 8, 1942. The government closed the center June 29, 1942, after transferring the approximately 2,500 people held there to the Tule Lake camp.

The plaque also states that Executive Order 9066 "unjustifiably ordered the removal of all persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast," regardless of citizenship.

Organizers said presenting both locations gives visitors a chance to examine how historic places preserve different aspects of a community's past.

"Historic preservation is about much more than saving old buildings," representatives of the participating organizations said. "It is about preserving the places that help us understand who we are, where we came from, and how the experiences of previous generations continue to shape our communities today."

Doors Open California draws from similar programs around the world and focuses on giving the public opportunities to visit historic places, including some that may not routinely offer public access.

The California Preservation Foundation organizes the statewide program as part of its work in historic preservation, education and advocacy.