The Aircraft Warning Service (AWS) was a civilian service of the United States Army Air Force Ground Observer Corps begun during World War II to keep watch for enemy planes entering United States airspace. The Kelley House Museum has a few photographs and one archival item to help us remember those days. This photograph captured the images of Syd Newman, Lena Meshishnek and Faye Lang at [...]
Sunday, June 12th, 2016 the Kelley House presents a talk by Dr. Elmano Costa of California State University, Stanislaus titled "Hooked to America - the Whaling Industry's Influence on Portuguese Immigration." Dr. Costa has been a professor of Teacher Education and the Director of Portuguese Studies at CSU Stanislaus since 1995. Dr. Costa has personal experience as an immigrant, having come to the Central Valley of [...]
We recently received a request from the daughter of this handsome guy, and it represents a switch in that we know who the person is, but we don’t know for certain WHERE he is. The WHEN is also somewhat undetermined, but she thinks the photograph was taken around 1930. This is Clifford Chapman, who attended Mendocino High School and worked in the Mendocino Mill. Clifford’s daughter, [...]
By Katy Tahja There’s nothing I like better than to read old Mendocino Beacons in the archives of the Kelley House. Only problem is that they’re bound in hardback by year and these big books are difficult to handle and fragile with age. The solution? Nannie Escola, an early Mendocino historian, regularly clipped the “25, 50, 75, 100 Years Ago…” columns from the Beacon and wrote [...]
Since the very beginning, back in 1973, the organization which was initially known as Mendocino Historical Research and which evolved into the Kelley House Museum, has been fueled by volunteers. We’d like to thank today’s volunteers, right here and now! They serve in numerous capacities, including, mailing party members, museum docents, walking tour guides, July 4th chefs and servers, research office assistants, web master, newsletter designers, [...]
On the surface of it, there may not seem to be a lot of interaction between the topic of the Kelley House Museum’s new exhibit, immigration, and the lumber industry here on the North coast, however, without an influx of immigrant labor, there may not have been an industry. From the very beginning of the operations of the Mendocino Lumber Company’s mill, immigrant workers were hired, [...]
“Mendocino’s Mirror: Reflections on Immigration” is the title of the Kelley House Museum’s upcoming exhibit, available for viewing during regular museum hours beginning Friday, May 6 and continuing through August 8, 2016. Prior to the public opening, we will host a reception for ‘Members Only’ tomorrow, May 5th, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. If you aren’t already a member, we welcome you to join that evening! [...]
In 1907 and again in 1910, four children trod the boards of ‘Halliday’s Hall’ in Point Arena, during evening ‘Entertainments.’ When comparing the two photographs, it is apparent that the scenery behind the children, in the small space provided for their acting, is the same. Harder to confirm may be the fact that some of the children in each photograph are the same, as three years [...]
Mini-Reunions over Mendocino Grammar School ‘History Mystery’ A few weeks ago (Thursday, March 31st), the Beacon published another Kelley House Calendar ‘History Mystery’ which had the result of bringing together some of the area’s long-term citizens. The first to contact us after publication was Jeanette Hansen. She had a plan to gather with her cousin, Alvin Mendosa, and friends, Henry and Florence Dahl, at the Senior [...]
Brass Bands were huge back in the day. It was a matter of town pride to have at least one, if not more. At one time, Mendocino could boast of a Brass Band and a Ladies’ Brass Band, as well as an orchestra. Our photograph was taken on May 29, 1898, presumably in Mendocino. The men in this photograph were not just band mates. They knew [...]