Merced County Courthouse Museum

The Merced County Times interviewed Wayne Eisenhart, author of "Old Town Merced: A Historic Neighborhood." https://mercedcountytimes.com/downtown-neighbor-pens-book-/

Merced County Times has done it again - bringing the 36th Annual Christmas Tree exhibit to the readers and sending our appreciation to the tree exhibitors. https://mercedcountytimes.com/christmas-at-the-courthouse/ The Christmas Tree virtual exhibit will be launched next week.

Two new additions to the Courthouse Museum displays: Reinero’s Trophy Room sign and Courthouse Museum lamppost. The Reinero sign was donated by the City of Merced. The lamppost is temporarily housed in the Museum.

Dear Friends: Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Our courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historical Places, the Nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. The lampposts are made of cast iron, very heavy, and still in good shape. The intact lamppost will be temporarily removed to prevent further damage. The County has already begun the process of repairing/replacing the damaged lamppost.

A 145-year-old lamppost at the Courthouse Museum was vandalized and damaged today.

When was this postcard picture taken?

New Release (Curbside Pickup): The Merced County Historical Society and the Downtown Neighborhood Association are pleased to announce the release of a new architectural history book entitled "Old Town Merced: A Historic Neighborhood" on December 7. Compiled by Wayne Eisenhart, the book was written as part of the application to officially designate the Old Town Merced Historic Neighborhood district. This residential neighborhood is located in the heart of Merced and is bounded... by G Street on the east, M Street on the west, BN-SF Railroad on the north, and the Downtown Business District to the south. Arranged chronologically by construction dates, hundreds of homes and several public or commercial buildings, featured in color photos, tell the story of the neighborhood’s architectural evolution from Merced’s founding to the Great Depression (1870s to 1930s). In addition, the historic photos capture the memories of the homes and buildings that are no longer here. For $25, Old Town Merced will make a great holiday gift for the history-lovers on your gift list. It is available in the Courthouse Museum. Due to pandemic restrictions, please call the museum office at 723-2401 to make a purchase.

What is going on here? What year did that happen?

Happy Election Day! What year was this picture taken?

Merced County Courthouse Museum will launch its very first virtual exhibit, "Settlement of Merced County: From Homestead to Colonization," on November 15. Do you want to know where British Colony was, how it was named, what it looked like, and how the pioneer settlers lived? Don't miss the virtual exhibit launch. Meanwhile, please visit the Courthouse Museum this weekend and check out "Beyond Appearance: Portraits of Merced County Women" exhibit.

What occasion are they celebrating in this picture? Where was the picture taken?

Where was Wig-Wam located? What was your favorite item?

Where was Skippers? How long was it in business?

Map of Healy (or Healey) Ranch Road (1874): Today’s Healy Road between S.P. Railroad and Sandy Mush Road.

K Street Then and Now. Please visit the Courthouse Museum this weekend. "Beyond Appearance: Portraits of Merced County Women" exhibit is on display through November 29.

McNAMARA’S HARDWARE CO. AND TOYLAND (1959) McNamara’s Hardware Company was located at 1737 L Street. The hardware store was owned by Jack, Tom and Steve McNamara. The hardware business actually began as Kocher Hardware in the late 1890s on Front Street (now 16th Street) and was owned by C. E. Kocher. In 1923, Fred Bedesen and Jack McNamara purchased the hardware business from Kocher (who had moved the business to L Street) and formed Bedesen and McNamara Hardware. Bedesen die...d in 1946, and Jack McNamara bought the Bedesen interest from his estate and changed the name of the business to McNamara’s Hardware Company. In 1952, Jack McNamara purchased the telephone company building adjacent to the hardware store and moved his toy department into the building, naming it McNamara’s Toyland. The address for Toyland was 518 W 18th Street. In 1987, McNamara’s Hardware was destroyed by fire. In 1991, the family rebuilt the downtown site and named it McNamara Plaza. The McNamara family is now in its third generation of the retail business in Merced. See more

Gender Equality: Look How Far We’ve Come! (Special thanks to Tom Gaffery for finding this article for Merced Evening Sun, 10-20-1916)

Have you gotten your pumpkin yet? If not, it's time to visit your local pumpkin patch. Pictured here is a wagon load of pumpkins near Livingston about a hundred years ago.

16th Street near G Street, looking from both directions.

The historic photo featured in the last post was taken in front of a very well-established photo gallery on 520 Alameda Street (now 1624 K Street). It was built by pioneer photographer E. R. Higgins in 1878. Higgins had produced some of the earliest views of Merced including the Merced County Courthouse pictured here, Merced Bank, as well as the El Capitan Hotel on Front (16th) Street. All of these photos are from 1879. Higgins left Merced after 1880 and became a well-known photographer in Fresno.