Historic photos sought for Merced County ‘Memories’ book

Dear readers,

I’ve got some great news for you. Our Merced County Memories book last year was so successful, we’ve decided to add a second volume this year.

Last year we started with the early years, from the 1800s to 1950. This year we’ll include a chapter that reviews the early years again, but our focus will be on the history of Merced County from the 1940s to 1970s. We are once again partnering with the Merced County Courthouse Museum, Los Banos Milliken Museum and Castle Air Museum to bring you Merced’s history as it played out in all of its geographic and cultural glory.

What’s critically important to ensuring we have a full pictorial depiction of life here is the contributions you as readers bring to the table. Your own family history likely goes back to these times, and we’re hopeful you will share some of that with us. It may be that your family owns a business that was started back then and continues to serve the community. Perhaps your parents or grandparents went to school here, worked in an industry, manufacturing or farming here. Those are the pictures that tell the true story of what life was like back then. It is from those pictures that we can all grasp a piece of the history that laid the foundation for where we are today.

This project is not about the Merced Sun-Star. It’s a project intended to engage our community in telling the tales of the past from their own personal archives. It’s time to dig out those old images. Some of you may have them proudly displayed in your home, but I know most of us have them stored away in containers or boxes we rarely look through.

Last year we sold out of books quickly, both through pre-orders and sales after they arrived here in early December. Our readers were extremely pleased and impressed with the final product, which is truly a group effort. Merced County is rich with life-changing events that helped to not only grow our economy, but provide a history steeped in tradition.

Now’s the time to help our community with a personal contribution to savoring our past and sharing it with others. We will be scanning the public’s images (you don’t even have to give the image up but for a few minutes!) this coming week for potential publication in this year’s “Merced County Memories: The 1940s-1970s.” Remember that those old family portraits outside the home, at a family gathering, in front of the new family car, shopping, picnicking or enjoying family life in Merced, all of those make an important contribution to telling the story of our past.

Please join in building community pride by offering a slice of your own personal history. The Merced Sun-Star and our museum partners appreciate your contributions.

Valerie Bender

President & Publisher

This story was originally published May 29, 2015 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Historic photos sought for Merced County ‘Memories’ book."