Mitch Ortiz posing in his barbershop with his collection of photographs, c. 2008. (Gift of Mitch Ortiz, The Mitch Ortiz Collection, Kelley House Photographs) Mitch Ortiz owned the barbershop on the northeast corner of Lansing and Ukiah Streets from 1975 to 2009. He photographed all his customers and pinned the photographs on his wall. His collection, which is now housed at the Kelley House [...]
Mendocino Fire Department Chief, Eugene "Foggy" Gomes, 1990. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs) November 20, 1956 - Mendocino Volunteer Fire Chief Foggy Gomes added another achievement to his credit, other than being “a mere fire chief.” The Fire Department’s Ladies Auxiliary declared him the Champion Pie Eater of the department. When the ladies gave their annual pie feed to the volunteer firefighters, Foggy [...]
Reconstruction of the Mendosa Water Tower, 1976. The Deli Building, originally Homer’s Market and currently Flow Restaurant, is on the left. (Nicholas Wilson (photographer), Gift of Barry Cusick) In January 1976, the old water tower behind Mendosa’s general merchandise store was dismantled after it was found to be structurally unsafe. Barry Cusick, Jim Coupe, and Gus Costa salvaged what they could, transported the materials, [...]
Photograph taken in the mid-1960s by Dutch photographer Gerrit Nagtegaal of what is now the Headlands Inn, located at 44950 Albion Street in Mendocino, on the corner of Howard Street. (Gerrit Paul Nagtegaal (photographer), Gift of Bill Brazill) The Barry Building began as a barber shop on Main Street, on the lot just east of the Jarvis & Nichols store (today's Gallery Bookshop). In [...]
November 15, 1860 - Twelve lives were lost in a terrible maritime disaster in Mendocino Bay. The brig J. S. Cabot had approached the loading chute to take on a cargo of lumber. Seeing the chute was currently in use, the captain attempted to turn back to sea but a sudden gale brought in a heavy sea from the south. Although anchors were dropped, the ship [...]
Portrait of David F. Lansing, c. 1870. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs) November 14, 1877 - Captain David F. Lansing died in Mendocino. Born in Albany, New York in 1809, Lansing came to the California coast in 1849 with his wife and two oldest children. He sailed on several successful whaling voyages, and then, in 1852, Captain Lansing arrived in Mendocino in command [...]
Jennie Blair, Daisy (Kelley) MacCallum’s San Francisco socialite cousin, wore this elaborate gown when she was presented to the Court of Saint James in England. The gown features ivory silk with lace, fine embroidery, and ribbon-work wrought into flowers, baskets, and scrolls. The slashed appearance of the fabric is an unfortunate byproduct of the practice of soaking silk fabric in mineral salts to increase its heft [...]
The original house, built by J. D. Johnson in 1881, was smaller and located farther north on the lot. After her husband, Alexander MacCallum, died in 1908, Daisy Kelley MacCallum returned to Mendocino from San Francisco, where they had been living. In 1908, she had the house moved to the center of the lot and had Alexander Carmichael build a large addition on the north side. [...]
The Brooklyn towing a four-masted barkentine from Big River. (Gift of Emery Escola, Emery Escola Collection, Kelley House Photographs) November 8, 1930 - The wooden steam schooner Brooklyn sank while crossing the Humboldt bar at the entrance to Humboldt Bay. Seventeen crew members were lost; only the first mate survived. The Beacon reported, “The sea was extremely rough as the vessel attempted to cross [...]
The Jarvis & Nichols general merchandise store on the northeast corner of Kasten and Main Streets in Mendocino, 1907-1916. Jim Nichols is center and Henry Jarvis stands to the right on the wide concrete sidewalk and step in front of their store. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs) November 7, 1907 - August “Gus” Johnson was installing concrete sidewalks around town. The Beacon reported [...]