From old homes to ‘Bloodthirsty Charlie’ — new displays at the Merced Courthouse Museum

The Merced County Courthouse Museum is now open. The pandemic has not slowed down the preservation and sharing of Merced County history at the Museum.

Recently, we augmented our permanent displays with new acquisitions, changed the display in the elevator room to the “Merced Irrigation District Centennial” exhibit, and installed the “Homes of Old Merced: Town and Country” exhibit in the temporary exhibition gallery.

The “Homes of Old Merced” exhibit is based on Henry DuPertuis’ book of the same name.

Henry is a retired local architect who has lived in Merced since 1949. Spending most of his life in our San Joaquin Valley town, he has witnessed great changes in this farming community and felt the need to preserve its historical beauty.

So, in 2005, collaborating with the Merced County Historical Society, Henry updated his book, which was first published in 1989, and released the 2nd edition. The book, featuring Henry’s 47 beautiful pen and ink drawings of historic homes and their stories, is available for sale in the Museum Gift Shop for $14.95.

Originally, we were going to unveil this exhibit last December, in time to celebrate Henry’s 99th birthday and the 15th anniversary of the release of the 2nd edition of the book. The third shutdown postponed this effort until now.

This exhibit is not just about the history and art of the homes but also a tribute to Merced County pioneers. According to Henry, “They were the ones who established the churches, the schools, the parks and the businesses. They wove the fabric of this town and gave it richness.”

One such pioneer was Charles F. Bludworth, the first sheriff of Merced County. He is the subject of another new display at the Courthouse Museum. His childhood portrait, a 19th century oil painting, was recently added to the Victorian Room in our permanent exhibition gallery.

The painting was donated by Charles J. Robertson of Washington, D.C., a descendent of Bludworth’s sister, Georgiana. According to Mr. Robertson, “The portrait, though unsigned, is attributed to C. R. Parker by the Frick Art Reference Library in New York City, as well as on the basis of stylistic similarity to other portraits by Parker.”

Parker, born in Connecticut, was a well-known portrait painter for the rich and powerful in the Antebellum South. In 1826, the Georgia state legislators commissioned him to paint George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette for the senate chamber, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin for the House chamber, and James Oglethorpe for the governor’s office.

Soon after that, Parker traveled to England to study where he met and painted John James Audubon.

Upon returning to America in 1832, he worked as an itinerant portraitist and painted Alfred Bludworth’s three children — Martha, Georgiana, and Charles, in the late 1830s or 1840. Looking at Bludworth’s childhood portrait, it is hard to imagine that this sweet little boy with a dog by his side would one day be called “Bloodthirsty Charlie.”

Born in Natchitoches, Louisiana in March 1830 to Alfred Bludworth of North Carolina and Mary Davidson of Tennessee, Charles Bludworth probably enjoyed a relatively carefree childhood until it was interrupted by his father’s death in 1843.

Coming to California in 1853, he was recruited to join the California Rangers, the first statewide law enforcement agency.

Under the command of Captain Harry Love, the group successfully suppressed outlaw gangs in the Gold Country before it was disbanded. Somewhere along the way, Bludworth acquired the nickname of “Bloodthirsty Charlie” which came to be a defining feature of his adventures in the Wild West.

After his brief stint in the California Rangers, he settled in the Snelling area and soon became a political figure in this region when he was appointed to the commission to organize the new county of Merced.

Bludworth was then elected the first sheriff of this new county in 1855. The bureaucratic life did not suit him well, and he left the top law enforcement job after one term in 1857.

His “bloodthirsty” nature caught up with him when he was involved in a gun fight on January 23, 1858 in front of the Snelling Courthouse. Just a month earlier, his wife’s uncle, William Snelling, was shot and killed by William Edwards over a gambling dispute. Edwards quickly left town.

When Bludworth and two other Snelling’s supporters eventually met up with Edwards’ contingent in front of the Snelling Courthouse, a furious gun battle took place and resulted in three deaths. After coming out of the battle unharmed, Bludworth joined the party to hunt down Edwards in Nevada where he was captured and hanged.

Seeing justice done, Bludworth lived a quiet life as hotel keeper and rancher while raising four children with his wife, Frances. In 1865, Bludworth was itching for action again so he decided to run for Constable in Township #2 in which he won with 65 votes. On December 6, 1869, Bludworth died at the age of 39 and is buried in Snelling.

In addition to Bludworth’s portrait, other new displays at the Courthouse Museum include Reinero’s Trophy Room & Cocktails sign, a Courthouse lamp post (recently removed due to damage and awaiting restoration), two large wall-size photos of Main Street scenes in the early 20th century, and several Gold Rush letters dated 1851 from the James Cunningham collection.