This article was originally published in the Mendocino Beacon on May 29, 1975. We reprint it here to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kelley House. The first open house at Kelley House last weekend was an auspicious occasion in the sense that it surely was a good omen for the future. The sun shone, the Mendocino High School Band played, the American Flag was presented [...]
November 7, 1963 - Mendocino resident Jim O’Donnell, 74, thwarted a trio of scam artists who tried to take advantage of him. About 2pm that afternoon, a station wagon pulled up at Jim’s home on the northwest corner of Williams and Covelo Streets. A man approached Jim's door with a story – he claimed to be a stove repairman from Sacramento who regularly made trips to [...]
November 4, 1961 - The fifth Big River Bridge officially opened with a dedication ceremony. The bridge had already been in use for two weeks so that workmen could begin demolishing the old bridge which had been in service since 1924. Unlike previous Big River bridges, the new bridge was elevated with a 47-foot clearance above the water, while the approaches to the earlier bridges were [...]
Kelley House Board Member, Jane Tillis, leading a walking tour through Mendocino. As a kid watching “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show,” I was captivated by Mr. Peabody and his Wayback Machine. Sherman set the controls to a year and place in history, he and Mr. Peabody walked into the machine and closed the door, and they were magically transported back in time. I knew [...]
Hazel Nimela by the water tank in Caspar, c. 1920. (Gift of Mae Johnson) October 29, 1899 - Hazel May Helm was born in Caspar to Thomas and Ella (Kuhn) Helm. Hazel’s mother was also a native of Caspar and lived her entire life there. Tragically, Hazel’s father, a brakeman on the Caspar logging train, was killed a month before Hazel’s first birthday while [...]
These two images, taken about 143 years apart, show the south side of the Kelley House on Albion Street in Mendocino, and provide a glimpse into the past and present of this historic landmark. South Side of the Kelley House, c. 1880. (Gift of Margaret Kelley Campbell) South Side of the Kelley House, 2023. (Photographer: Robert Dominy) The first image, taken [...]
Graduation photograph of Raymond Nicholson, Class of 1941. (Gift of Linda Mechling) October 20, 1942 - Raymond Nicholson joined the U. S. Navy during World War II. Born in Mendocino in 1923 to Alfred and Anna Ellison Nicholson, Ray grew up in the Daniels-Nicholson House (today’s Nicholson House at Beaujolais) near the east end of Ukiah Street. He attended the local schools, where he [...]
The following excerpts originally appeared in the Mendocino Beacon on April 17 and May 1, 1975. The authors are unknown. April 17, 1975 The Kelley House began its new life as Mendocino Historical Research, Inc. (MHRI) headquarters on April 5, 1975. That was the day Robert O. Peterson presented the deed to the board of directors. [MHRI was founded by Dorothy Bear and Beth Stebbins and [...]
Cammie King Conlon served as the first executive director of Kelley House Museum when she moved to Northern California in 1980. She worked closely with the museum's founders, Beth Stebbins and Dorothy Bear, and tells stories of early days at Kelley House and 30 years of changes on the coast. Event occurred on 28 June 2009. Filmed by Julia Larke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96H_I03uKKo New Exhibit! Celebrate the 50th [...]
October 15, 2003 - A dying Monterey Cypress tree on the Kelley House lawn was cut down. "We are very sad about it coming down, but we can't afford to endanger anyone,” local historian and long time resident Dee Lemos said. Rich and Jack Lemos estimated the tree to be 100 to 125 feet tall, making it the third-largest cypress on the Mendocino Coast. Although there’s [...]