Merced County Courthouse is 150 years old. New book tells stories of its past
You can tell a lot about a town by what goes on in its courthouse.
So you should be able to learn a lot about Merced in a new book from the Merced County Historical Society.
The nonprofit organization, which preserves the history of Merced County, has released a new book, “Old Courthouse: 150 Years, 150 Stories.” The society announced the new book in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
The Merced County Courthouse, which was dedicated in May of 1875, served as the headquarters for the Merced County Superior Court and County Administration for decades. It was turned into the Courthouse Museum in 1983, the post said.
The museum celebrated its 150th anniversary in October.
The new book features more than 100 photographs and is organized in three sections: “Courthouse Briefs,” “Legal History” and “Personal Stories.”
The “Personal Stories” section — 84 stories drawn from oral histories, written submissions and unpublished manuscripts — spans from 1910 to 2025, the post said.
The book is available at the Courthouse Museum Gift Shop for $24.
You can get more details by calling the Museum Office at 209-723-2401.
