Looking south down Lansing Street to Mendocino Bay. (Gift of Carl A. Moore) "Before the names and faces of the many unforgettable characters in Mendocino have been erased from my memory or lost to the obscurity of time, I want to tell you about the people who made my hometown a memorable place to live during the war years of the 1940s.” - Buddy [...]
July 10, 1909 - The Beacon reported on an automobile trip made to Ukiah in the brand new Studebaker touring car owned by Mendocino Lumber Company Superintendent J. S. Ross. Mendocino Beacon editor and proprietor Auggie Heeser, Woods Superintendent Ed Boyle, and Miss Irene McLeod accompanied Ross on the journey. A 1909 Studebaker 5-Passenger Touring Car. (Photo courtesy of John M. Daly. More antique auto [...]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_sdm0_70Iw Take a photographic journey through time featuring iconic Mendocino water towers from the 1880s to 2023. (Video created by Robert Dominy) Discover the beauty, ingenuity, and architecture of these unique structures in the Kelley House Museum’s summer exhibit, “Water Tower Wonderland.” Using historic photographs, original pieces from local artists, and small-scale models, the exhibit explores the majesty and functionality of many well-known water [...]
Mendocino Presbyterian Church, c. 1873 -1890, from the Kelley House Archives. (Gift of Donald Tucker) This week, the Mendocino Presbyterian Church celebrates the 155th anniversary of its sanctuary on Main Street. Officially dedicated on July 5, 1868, it is the oldest Presbyterian Church in continuous use in the State of California (and it enjoys the status of California Historic Landmark No. 714). The origins [...]
Mendocino Fourth of July Parade, 1883. Photograph taken by Ira C. Perry, Mendocino City, California. (Gift of Emery Escola) Uniformed men mounted on horses advance eastward on Main Street, followed by a marching band and then ranks of other walking people. Above the street are many large flags waving in the breeze atop very tall "liberty poles.” Both sides of the street are lined [...]
Chester Ford, accompanied by his wife Almeda Adeline Ford, driving a carriage at a Fourth of July celebration in Mendocino, c. 1901. The Jarvis & Nichols building (today’s Gallery Bookshop) is in the background. (Gift of Emery Escola) Chester Ford, the eldest child of Jerome B. and Martha Ford, was born in Mendocino in 1856. His father was one of the founders of the [...]
In celebration of the Fourth of July… Excerpted from Mendocino Historical Review, Number 8, June, 1981. Written by Beth Stebbins. Barbara Carpenter, although quite ill for eight years, had talked about having a flagpole at Kelley House. She wanted to give us her father’s large 5’x8’ flag. We could never afford a pole... but after Barbara’s death, memorial gifts came into MHR for her. Michael MacDonald [...]
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 [...]
New in the Kelley House Store! WATERCOLOR WATER TOWERS BY SUZI LONG - Own a Suzi Long original watercolor, and a piece of Mendocino history! These 5″ x 8″ water colors depicting iconic local water towers are signed and framed. Suzi is generously donating all proceeds to the Kelley House Museum. $100. About Suzi - A native Californian from Santa Cruz, Suzi has slowly moved up [...]
June 24, 1893 - The Barry Building was relocated from its site on Main Street to the corner of Albion and Howard Streets. Henry McKenzie moved the three-story building down Main Street to its new location on large wooden rollers. In the 1970s, local historian Nannie Escola shared that her mother had let her go down to Main Street to watch the horses pull the building [...]