February 25, 1945 - Henry Gordon, pioneer Mendocino woodsman, died at the Redwood Coast Hospital in Fort Bragg from cancer of the esophagus at the age of 76. He had been receiving treatment in the hospital for about two months. Born in Canada in 1868, Henry was the fifth of eight children born to Archibald and Susanna Gordon. He immigrated to the United States when he [...]
Nathaniel Smith, pioneer and stagecoach driver in Mendocino County, circa 1880-1900. (From the Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection, Open UCLA Collections) The Kelley House Museum’s upcoming exhibition—March 1st through May 27th— will illuminate the life and times of Nathaniel Smith. This exhibition was researched, and this article written by, Guest Curator, Alexander Wood. His work was made possible by a grant from California Humanities, a [...]
February 19, 1945 - Former Mendocino resident Joseph “Joe” Lawrence died in Oakland at the age of 50. Born in 1894 to Joseph and Mary (Farro) Lawrence, early-day residents of Mendocino, Joe grew up in his parents’ home on Ukiah Street and attended the local schools. Mendocino Grammar School Second Grade Class, c. 1900. They are posed on the steps of the first schoolhouse located [...]
February 16, 1983 - Longtime Mendocino resident Joe Recardo died at the Ukiah Street home of his great-niece Joyce Corvin following a long illness. Joe was born in Santa Cruz, Island of Flores, Azore Islands on October 30, 1899, the son of Joao Jose Coelho and Conceicao Leonor Ramos. He immigrated in 1920, landing in Providence, Rhode Island and traveling by train to California. He worked [...]
Valentine card from the 1880s. (Photograph from the Library of Congress) Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Whether you enjoy the sentimental cards and red hearts everywhere, or you agree with the local reporter from 1898 that the holiday is “a nuisance,” have you ever wondered why we celebrate it each year? Everyone has heard the basic tale about St. Valentine; he was [...]
Mineral water bottle, embossed with "G. M. Henderson's Bonanza Mineral Water Mendocino, Cal.” (Western Bottle News) February 13, 1938 - J. Albert Henderson died at his home on Little Lake Road following a stroke at the age of 72. He was born in New Brunswick, Canada in 1865, and after his mother’s death, he was sent to live with his aunt, Anna Jane Henderson [...]
February 10, 1883 - James A. Severance passed away at the Navarro Ridge Hotel following a stroke just 5 days before his 47th birthday. The hotel was owned by his eldest brother Haskett, and James lived there with his brother’s family. Buildings on Navarro Ridge, c. 1900. The Navarro Ridge Hotel is the two-story building on the right, and to its left is a short [...]
Ruth Bourns Marsan as a young woman, c. 1890. From the Marsan Family Collection. This article was originally published in the Mendocino Beacon on October 9th, 1975. We reprint it here to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kelley House. On October 6, Dr. and Mrs. Allen Marsan of Walnut Grove called at the Kelley House and left a large envelope of historic pictures. [...]
Chatter and Jack Bishoff Sometimes changes to the Kelley House Museum aren’t visible to the naked eye, but they affect our quality of life immensely. Thanks to a generous grant from the Jack T. and Chatter C. Bishoff Fund, administered by the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, we have made some long overdue improvements to the office and museum, including brand new electrical panels [...]
Because the Kelley House is celebrating 50 years of preserving coastal history, we recently looked at the first item that was “saved” by the founders, Dorothy Bear and Beth Stebbins. The Great Register of 1894 is a reproduced copy of the official voters in Mendocino County at that time. A potential voter provided the following information: name, age, height, color of complexion, hair color, eye color, [...]