Portrait of Dr. James Milliken, who favored molasses cookies, c. 1885. (Photographer: Ira C. Perry, Gift of Catherine G. Blosser, Sadie Milliken Blosser Collection) We missed National Cookie Day on December 4th, but it is never too late to celebrate those small, sweet cakes. It is not an official or particularly historic holiday, but cookies do have some interesting history. The word cookie comes [...]
Kelley House founders Beth Stebbins and Dorothy Bear, with Kelley the cat in 1979. (Photographer: Ray Brooks) On September 21st the Kelley House will open a new exhibit—Kelley House Museum: Building a Home—to commemorate its 50th anniversary. The exhibit will follow the origins of the Kelley House Museum from its inception as the Mendocino Historical Research Institute (MHRI), paying tribute to the people who [...]
Manuel Costa-Fayal and wife Carrie Correia-Silva (standing) with Antone Costa-Fayal and Maria Costa-Fayal (mother) seated. From the Annie Silveria Collection. This past week the Kelley House Archives received an exceptional donation from the Costa-Fayal family, the wedding dress of Carrie Costa. This dress consists of a skirt and detached bodice in pale blue with a decorative border of blue and gold sequins and beads, [...]
Painting of Wild Roses by Elise Kelley Drexler on display in the museum from the Margaret Kelley Campbell Collection. This weekend the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is hosting its annual Art in the Gardens event, a celebration of flora that makes me think of the largely forgotten artworks of Elise Kelley Drexler. Elise was the second daughter of William and Eliza Kelley and is [...]
July 22nd from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm Paint the iconic Kelley House water tower on Saturday, July 22nd. Award-winning local artist Suzi Long will be your teacher and guide as you paint your own watercolor masterpiece. With patience and humor, she will show perspective and proportion strategies as well as a few tricks employed by artists everywhere. No experience is necessary. Suzi Long has a special relationship [...]
The Kelley House invites you to join us at our annual Fourth of July Lawn Party on Tuesday, July 4th from 11 AM – 3 PM. The beautiful Kelley House lawn provides the best parade viewing in town and admission is FREE, though donations are greatly appreciated. In addition to an excellent view of the parade route, you can enjoy music and dancing courtesy of DJ [...]
Water Tower Wonderland will be on display from June 8th to September 18th, 2023. Art by Mendocino High School sophomore, Aiden Cruz-Alcantar. There are only a few more days to see the Doin’ a Little Doodlin’ exhibit and add your own napkin art to the Kelley House Collection. Next Thursday, the Kelley House Museum will open our summer exhibition: Water Tower Wonderland. The exhibit [...]
Angela Lansbury in the role of Jessica Fletcher while filming “Murder, She Wrote.” She is standing under the barber pole at Mitch’s Barber Shop on the corner of Lansing and Ukiah Streets. The Kelley House’s new digital exhibit, Angela Lansbury: Muse of Cabot Cove, is a tribute to the beloved actress and her impact on Mendocino. The exhibit examines her illustrious life and career, [...]
With Mother’s Day weekend fast approaching, a brief history of the holiday in the United States is in order. The popularity of the holiday in this country is due to the efforts of three women. In 1858, Ann Reeves Jarvis of West Virginia organized the first of her “Mothers’ Day Work Clubs,” which served as parenting classes for women to learn how to care for their [...]
Starting on Thursday, March 9th , we invite you to chuckle at the humor and admire the creativity of the napkin art on display at the Kelley House Museum’s new napkin art exhibit. During the 1970s-1980s, the Sea Gull Bar & Restaurant was a community hub and the birthplace of Sunday afternoon Napkin Art gatherings. These sessions brought together local illustrators and sketchers, creating a true [...]