Helen Thomsen. (Gillette Photography) January 31, 1995 - Helen Fagg Thomsen, devoted musician and a founder of the Mendocino Community Library died, just a few days before her 88th birthday. Born in Detroit on February 4, 1907, she earned her undergraduate degree in 1929 from the University of Michigan. She came to California when she accepted a graduate fellowship in education at Mills College [...]
Studio portrait of Alice Hills taken when she was 17 years old. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs) January 30, 1882 - Mrs. Alice Hills Grindle, age 23, passed away at the home of her parents, leaving her husband Joshua Grindle, her parents Spencer and Senith Hills, and her 8-day-old son to mourn her. Joshua named their newborn son, Aliston, in honor of his [...]
Eugene Brown, c. 1876. (Bradley & Rulofson of San Francisco (Studio), Gift of Nannie Escola, Nannie Escola Collection, Kelley House Photographs) January 29, 1860 - Eugene Brown and his mother arrived in Mendocino to join his eldest brother Frederick, who was already established on the coast as a woodsman. Born in Oldtown, Maine in 1835, Eugene was the youngest son of Moses and Nancy [...]
Women of Mendocino, c. 1900; unidentified, except for: Mrs. Mamie Nichols (bonnet, shawl and child); Mrs. Elizabeth Chambers (front); Mrs. Laura Lammers (man's clothing); Adelaide Perkins (plaid); and Lulu Ross seated in front. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs) January 28, 1915 - A surprise party was held for Mrs. Mamie Nichols on her 42nd birthday. The front page of the Saturday Beacon described [...]
An event happened during World War II in Oregon that could have easily happened on the Mendocino Coast if Mother Nature’s winds had blown farther south. Unidentified volunteer searching the sky for enemy aircraft and exploding balloons at the Comptche Aircraft Warning Station, c. 1945. According to the Mendocino Beacon, “The service is all voluntary but the best information we have is that there must [...]
Mendocino High School Band marching up Main Street, 1936-1937. Gordon Dixon was the director of the band at that time. They are near the intersection of Kasten and Main Street, in front of Chet Bishop's General Merchandise Store. In the background is the Bank Building. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs) Look Tin Eli: The Mendocino Visionary Who Helped Shape the Chinese-American Experience by Robert S. [...]
Interior photograph of the Jarvis & Nichols General Store, c. 1900. Henry Jarvis stands on the left. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs) January 25, 1937 - Henry Jarvis, one of the coast’s pioneer merchants and a leading Mendocino businessman died in Oakland at the age of 88. Henry, the eldest of 7 brothers, was born on the Jarvis farm near Surry, Maine in [...]
Bever House, c. 1932. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs) Sam and Ben Bever, early day pioneers of Mendocino, purchased this lot on Little Lake Street from William Heeser and built this house in the 1880s. The Bever Brothers were the successful proprietors of the “Central House” hotel on Main Street from 1878 to 1904. This hotel was renamed the “Mendocino Hotel” in 1927. [...]
Portrait of Elizabeth Johnson Clark, c. 1881. (Gift of Wilbur and Robin Grant, The Wilbur and Robin Grant Collection) January 23, 1881 - John L. Clark and Elizabeth “Lizzie” J. Johnson were married at Russian Gulch by Reverend Thomas Kirkland. Lizzie was born in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1863, the daughter of Laughlin and Margaret Elliot Johnson. The Johnson family moved to Mendocino when [...]
Kelley House, c. 1912. The south side of the Kelley House with Eliza Kelley (right) standing by the east porch. The person on the left is identified only as either Mrs. Rose or Mrs. Schurman. The view is looking north. A portion of the MacCallum barn and the water tower belonging to the corner livery stable can be seen behind the house on the right. This [...]