By SARAH LIM
Special to the Times
The Old Library Building stood for decades in Courthouse Park as a symbol of learning. When it was destroyed by a fire in December 2024, many Merced residents were shocked and angry, seeking answers and reminiscing about the past.
To help the community find closure, the Merced County Courthouse Museum is opening the “In Memory of the Old Library” exhibit on March 12, depicting the complete history of the building in a timeline presentation — from being the home of the first high school in the county, to becoming the Merced County Library, and later standing vacant while waiting for repairs.
This article is the first of two parts of the story of the Old Library Building. It begins with the organization of Merced County High School in 1895 and the opening of the 1895-1896 academic year in its temporary headquarters at the Merced Academy Building on Canal Street. The first-year faculty consisted of Principal Jefferson Elmore and his wife, with an enrollment of 64 students.
Building the first high school in Merced County was one of the County Board of Supervisors’ top priorities. In November 1895, Louis Stanwood Stone, a Marysville native, was hired to design the High School Building and oversee its construction. The construction contract was awarded to John Miller for $12,250 in March 1896, and W. H. McElroy was appointed as Superintendent of Construction in May. McElroy was also awarded the contract to lay the foundation of the High School Building, while L. Morris handled the brickwork, and C. A. Galvin took care of the cornice work. Merced Lumber supplied the lumber, and the bricks were made locally. In May 1896, it was reported that a kiln of 200,000 bricks was fired for the High School Building.
On January 7, 1897, the 13,182-square-foot, three-story High School Building, showcasing Richardsonian Romanesque style, was accepted by the Merced County Board of Supervisors. The high school moved into the new building in mid-January, after which Principal Jefferson Elmore resigned to accept a professorship at Stanford University, and Fred Koch became the principal in 1897.
Principal Koch sent off the first graduating class on June 17, 1898. There were 22 students, including Henry N. Bagley, Tissayac Bernard, Florence Dixon, Julia Dixon, Kathryne Garibaldi, Pauline Grove, Warner W. Grove, Leah Harris, Robert J. Hughes, George W. K. Hartman, Gertrude A. James, Lida Law, Jessie Manchester, Frank J. McInerny, Margaret McInerny, Mollie McInerny, Teresa McDonald, Ella Mugler, Myrtle Reed, Kathryn Sheehy, Margaret Sheehy, and May F. H. White.
In addition to academics, our first high school also had athletic programs. Although the women’s basketball team was established in 1896, the full development of athletic programs did not happen until 1899, when football teams were organized. Field days were also held, games exchanged with neighboring towns, and Merced participated in the big field meets at Fresno, helping to organize the San Joaquin Valley Athletic League, of which it held the first presidency, winning its first silver championship trophy in 1899.
In an October 23, 1976 Merced Sun-Star interview, Bill Bedesen recalled how Principal Koch started the athletic programs. “I got to the high school in 1899 and when I got there, the principal was a man named Fred Koch. He was an athlete of some renown; he held the quarter-mile record for some years. Well, when I was there as a ‘freshie,’ he was most anxious to build up a track team for the high school. We, the boy students of the school, built a very short track behind that building, which is now the library, and Professor Koch got us lined up there, remember now he was looking for athletes to represent the school, and he said, ‘on your marks, get set, go.’ Well, we all took off as best we could, and I guess I didn’t do as well as some. He looked at me and said, ‘Bedesen, you start like a bale of hay’.”
During Koch’s administration (1897-1900), other significant developments took place, including the selection of the school motto, the composition of the school song, the creation of the first yells, and the establishment of the school colors. The Merced High School Band was founded in 1909 under the leadership of Principal J. B. Hughes. He also played a key role in expanding the library, enhancing the aesthetics of the school grounds, and publishing the inaugural annual in 1907. Following him, Principal Noel Garrison (1909-12) focused on improving teacher salaries, bringing electricity and an electric program clock to the school, and providing students with showers and athletic lockers.
By 1915, the Merced community was facing a great challenge due to a fast-growing student population. On August 8, 1915, Merced County High School was reorganized into a union district school by legislative act, becoming Merced Union High School.
The newly formed high school district, comprising 37 elementary school districts, elected its first board of trustees on August 28. Their primary focus was to address the overcrowding issues at the existing facility.
On September 8, 1916, the Merced Union High School trustees announced their acceptance of the plans drawn by Allison & Allison, architects of Los Angeles, for the $150,000 new high school building proposed to be erected on the Bear Creek site. This proposed site was not selected, and the new campus was eventually built on G Street. After the students moved to the G Street campus in September 1920, the Old High School was remodeled into a county library.
Stay tuned for Part II of this story.
And please mark your calendar for the new Courthouse Museum exhibit opening on March 12 at 5 p.m. During the reception, special guests Kathleen Crookham, Sherrie Spendlove, and Susan Walsh will share their memories and tributes about the Old Library Building.
For more information, please contact the Courthouse Museum at (209) 723-2401.