The schooner Electra was built in the mid-1870s at Little River, California, by shipbuilder Thomas Heinrich Petersen. A two-masted, single-deck lumber schooner, she measured 89 feet in length and displaced just over 92 tons. With her home port in San Francisco, she was part of a vital fleet of coastal vessels that carried lumber from the redwood forests of Northern California to the growing cities of [...]
Kelley House docent and book sale curator Katy Tahja shows some of the books awaiting buyers Save the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (May 25th) for a visit to the Kelley House Museum in Mendocino and their Historic Book Sale from 10AM to 3PM. Due to the donation of some excellent art and history books, a great selection will be available on the east [...]
Murder, She Wrote Festival 2025 Was a Success Thank you to all the fans who journeyed from across the globe to celebrate all things Jessica with us! Folks came from all over the States, and as far away as Holland, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. For those who couldn't be with us, here's a quick recap: Fans were delighted by our surprise guests, Michael Horton [...]
When the April 1906 earthquake struck Northern California, its damage reached far beyond San Francisco. In Mendocino, the lumber mill was hit hard. The massive brick smokestack, built in 1864 and standing nearly 100 feet tall, collapsed under the force of the quake, crushing parts of the boiler room and the machine shop. While the boilers themselves escaped serious harm, the mill’s 15-ton flywheel cracked—an essential [...]
Look Tin Eli in traditional Chinese dress, circa 1890. Born in 1870 on Main Street in Mendocino, Look Tin Eli helped set the precedent for birthright citizenship in the U.S. and later became a successful businessman and community leader. Over eighty years after his death, Congress designated May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Month (changed to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander [...]
If there’s one thing Murder, She Wrote fans have in common, it is a deep and abiding respect for Angela Lansbury and the fictitious character, Jessica Fletcher, that she portrays on the television show. When Lansbury died in 2022, local fans placed wreaths on the Blair House Inn, which appears as Jessica’s home in the show. The following year the Kelley House Museum held a reception [...]
Toll Bridge over Big River, c. 1881. (Gift of Margaret Kelley Campbell) An elevated view of the first bridge over Big River taken by Ira C. Perry, who worked in Mendocino from about 1880 to 1895. The bridge was built by the Big River Bridge Company, composed of Spencer W. Hill, a Mendocino rancher; Isaac P. Smith, a trader living in Little Lake Township; [...]
Angela Lansbury in front of the Kelley House, 1988. Kelley House Collection. The first weekend of May marks the second annual Murder, She Wrote Festival, bringing hundreds of fans of all ages to Mendocino. The series aired from 1984 to 1996 and has been in syndication since, contributing to its lasting popularity. In her 2025 book Murder, She Wrote, Bridget Kies investigates this popularity, [...]
The spring exhibit at the Kelley House Museum is titled Don’t Panic * Eat Organic: 50 Years of the Corners Collective. It features the history of the business and the Kelley church building, photos of collective members, and memorabilia. Included in the exhibit are copies of The Scoop, the newsletter written by collective members from 2009 to 2013. The Scoop included articles on health and wellness, [...]
Angela Lansbury superfans, known as “Fangelas” are preparing to flock to the Mendocino Coast the first weekend in May for the sold-out Second Annual “Murder, She Wrote Festival.” The TV series is one of the most watched shows in syndication, and Mendocino was used as a filming location for nine of the episodes. Many locals have fond memories of the days the production company came to [...]