Happy Valentine’s Day from the Kelley House Museum! Vintage postcard addressed to Ethel Silveria of Mendocino, 1907 - 1921. (Gift of Sandra Hawthorne) Walking Tours of Historic Mendocino - Join our expert docents for a stroll and lively commentary. You’ll pass by early pioneer homes, historic meeting places, and buildings that make up the the Mendocino Historic District.
February 6, 1960 - Ethel Nelson died in a Oakland nursing home after a long illness. Born in Mendocino in 1883, she was the daughter of Elizabeth May (Bessie) Carlson and Captain Henry Nelson. Ethel’s grandfather was John Carlson, who arrived in Mendocino in 1852 on the brig Ontario which brought the first sawmill machinery to Mendocino. Bessie Carlson Nelson (center) with her children, Henry [...]
February 4, 1984 - Amati’s Shoe Boutique closed its doors for the last time after operating for more than six years on Main Street. The Main Street Courtyard Buildings, 1977-1984. Buildings on Albion Street in Mendocino at the north end of the Main Street Courtyard. The sign in the yard reads, "Amati's Mendocino." Amati's Shoe Store occupied the lower floor of the building on the [...]
January 31, 1941 - Robert Sutherland graduated from the California School of Mechanical Arts in San Francisco. This school offered a technical junior college course that bestowed an Associate of Arts upon graduation. Robert, a 1938 Mendocino High School graduate, majored in Machine Shop Practice and served an apprenticeship with the Pacific Can Company of San Francisco. The company had recently hired him as an employee, [...]
January 29, 1966 - The Maxwell-Jarvis House on Little Lake Street was heavily damaged by fire. Local builder Albert Maxwell constructed this home for his daughter Ardelle and her husband Henry Jarvis, a Mendocino merchant, shortly after their marriage in 1878. Henry and Ardelle had two daughters, Mabel and Grace, who were born and raised in this house. William G. “Biff” and Marillyn Buckaloo purchased the [...]
On this day in Mendocino history… January 24, 1890 - The Mendocino Lumber Company mill began operating again after a two-month closure. The mill had been in violation of a new state law prohibiting the dumping of sawdust into rivers, as the pollution was killing fish. Sawmills had historically disposed of their waste by dumping it into the nearest stream. According to “Big River was Dammed” [...]
January 21, 1895 - Gladys Chambers was born in Albion, the daughter of John and Adaline Chambers. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Mendocino, where John worked as a blacksmith. After graduating from Mendocino High School, Gladys worked in the office of the Mendocino Lumber Company, where she “became well known and liked by the many employees who came to receive their pay checks.” [...]
January 16, 1968 - The Tuesday Evening Bridge Club celebrated its 39th anniversary at the home of Kate Anderson on Pine Street. Kate, who was 85 years old, was assisted in her hostess duties by her daughter, Lucille Freathy. North elevation of the Packard-Johnson House on Pine Street looking southeast. Master carpenter J. D. Johnson began building this house in March 1891 for the Justin [...]
January 14, 1907 - The steam schooner Sequoia wrecked on the rocks near the north jetty of Humboldt Bay. With a length of 151 feet, this vessel had a capacity of 300 tons and was built near the sawmill at Fort Bragg in 1898 specifically for the lumber trade. The "Sequoia" loading lumber at Grey's Harbor, Washington, 1898-1903. (Gift of Emery Escola) The Sequoia [...]
January 10, 1909 - Joe Lenhares married Mamie Jerome at the Catholic Church in Mendocino. Mamie was the daughter of Portuguese immigrants, Antone and Annie (Thomas) Jerome. She was born in her parents’ home on the northeast corner of Calpella and Williams Streets in 1887. Wedding portrait of Mamie and Joseph Lucio Lenhares, 1909 Joe was born at Santa Cruz, Island of Flores, Azores, [...]