Merced County Courthouse museum using more digital tools to educate about region’s history

One of the outcomes for the Courthouse Museum during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown is the development and expansion of our digital platforms.

From pop quizzes on Facebook to virtual exhibits on ArcGIS StoryMaps, we have reached a bigger audience and generated a greater interest in Merced County history.

The Courthouse Museum Self-Guided Tour, for example, has been a critical and welcome tool since the museum reopened on April 14. Just the other day, one of the docents told me how the self-guided tour transformed a Spanish speaking family’s museum experience. By pulling up the tour on his mobile device, a bilingual member of the family was able to give his group a tour of the museum in Spanish.

What is in the Courthouse Museum Self-Guided Tour?

Designed by former museum staff member Rocco Bowman, the tour was arranged thematically room by room, beginning with the Courthouse Room as shown on the Main Floor (First Floor) map. In addition to telling about the origins of Merced County and Merced City, this room showcases the restoration of the Courthouse in the late 1970s and early 1980s as well as the story of its original architect Albert A. Bennett.

Next exhibit is the Treasurer’s Office; during the renovation of the courthouse into a museum, this room was preserved to show what a typical office would have looked like 100 years ago. Built in 1875, our historic Courthouse was not only the site of hearings and jury trials but also served as the headquarters of county administration that included the Treasurer’s Office. One of the interesting displays in this room is the built-in vault where a highly publicized gold heist took place in 1900. The heist led to a near-death experience for County Treasurer D. G. Bambauer.

Before entering our temporary exhibit gallery, one will see the Merced Theatre case that contains artifacts like old programs, a cloud machine, and the iconic “M” sign. New shows in the three-room temporary exhibit gallery are installed three or four times a year. Currently on display is the “Homes of Old Merced: Town and Country” exhibit, featuring 50 beautiful drawings/paintings of historic homes by local architect Henry DuPertuis.

The end of the main hallway is the Recorder’s Office which was added to the original Courthouse in 1914; therefore, this portion of the structure is known as the “New Addition.” When it was a county office, vital records such as birth, marriage, and death were stored and protected in this fireproof room.

This room features Merced’s first fire engine known as “Old Betsy,” the 1878 2-passenger Henney Buggy, Santa Rita Cart from Henry Miller’s headquarters at Santa Rita Ranch, and Yokuts Indian artifacts. A large display in the back of the room pays tribute to our agricultural heritage with items such as an egg incubator, a cream separator, and a fireless cooker.

Leaving the Recorder’s Office and returning to the other side of the hallway, the Chinese Temple exhibit room tells the story of Merced’s Chinese immigrants who worked on the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad and in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley. One of the best-preserved artifacts from Merced’s Chinatown is the Taoist altar which was once housed on the top floor of the Tea Garden restaurant on 14th Street.

Next door is the Blacksmith Shop which came from the Rodrigues Ranch in the Franklin area. It was a working smithy from 1914 to the mid-1950s. The room also features a Civil War saddle once owned by Amberson Brandon of Le Grand and a “stitching horse” used for leather work.

Going upstairs to the Top Floor (Second Floor), the turn-of-century School Room has collected items from various schools in the county: desks from John Muir School, a large wall clock from Merced High School on G Street, and the flex panels showcasing photographs of schools, teachers, and students.

Then, there is the Victorian Room representing a time before common usage of electricity and indoor plumbing. Items on display such as the oil lamps, chamber pot, kerosene stove, ice box, and organ are from the 1870s to the 1920s. The childhood portrait (circa 1840) of Merced County’s first sheriff Charles Bludworth is the newest addition to this room.

Next to the Victorian Room is the Bedesen, McDaniel, and Stoddard Room which pays tribute to three important members of our community: Bill Bedesen, a legendary surveyor; Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel, a celebrated “Okie” poet; and D. K. Stoddard, a well-known businessman.

Saving the best until last is the magnificent courtroom which was in active use from 1875 to 1950. We are fortunate that we have much of the original furniture. Sheriff Meany, the guardian of the courtroom, is always “watching” the door so do not be startled when you see him at the back of the room when you enter.

Going back downstairs, the last exhibit on the Main Floor is the Mercantile Room which gives one a hint of what it was like to be in a general store in the olden days. The main exhibit is a traveling store set up in a wooden case which dates from the Gold Rush era; a merchant would load it up on the back of a wagon, take it up to the gold fields, and open the doors to his store.

The virtual self-guided tour in no way replaces our excellent docent-guided tour, but it serves as a supplement to enhance the visitor experience. There is more to see at the Courthouse Museum; please come visit Wednesday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.

This story was originally published July 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.