Kelley House Museum ~ Themed Collections
We have several themed collections available to assist with your research. Materials in our archives can be easily accessed online by clicking on any of the topics below.
Mendocino and the Movies
From 1916 to 1994, Hollywood studios filmed 58 films (17 silent and 41 sound) on the Mendocino Coast, including East of Eden starring James Dean. Local resident and author Bruce Levene donated his collection of movie posters, from The Island of the Blue Dolphins to Pontiac Moon. Twenty nine movie and television scripts are also included in this collection. This topic is also covered extensively in Bruce Levene’s book Mendocino and the Movies, available for purchase from our bookstore.
Point Cabrillo Light Station Collection
Architectural drawings, photos, maps and correspondence related to the construction and maintenance of Point Cabrillo Light Station, from the records of the Point Cabrillo Lightkeepers Association (PCLK). The history of Point Cabrillo Light Station is also available as a book, Point Cabrillo, available from the bookstore.
Nannie Escola Collection
Nannie Escola, together with her son Emery, collected hundreds of handwritten notes and newspaper clippings about ships and logging on the Mendocino Coast. Included are historical photographs of people who worked here, lumber camps and mills, and other related events and commerce.
Perley Maxwell Collection
Glass negatives created by Mendocino photographer Perley Maxwell in the early 1900s, as well as approximately 250 other historical photographs taken on the Mendocino Coast. There are charming scenes of early Mendocino life, social occasions and the people who lived here. Maxwell also photographed ships, rivers, and the Point Cabrillo Light Station. Also available as a book, Perley Maxwell’s Mendocino, available for purchase in our bookstore.
Leonard Cirino Collection
The Leonard Cirino Poetry Collection donated to the Kelley House Museum by Ava Hayes, represents a nearly complete collection of poetry by Albion resident, Leonard Cirino, 1943 – 2012. Cirino lived on the Mendocino Coast from the late 1970s until the late 1990s. He was the author of 20 chapbooks and 16 full-length collections of poetry. While in residence, he established Pygmy Forest Press, which published his own work and that of his contemporaries.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Created in 1890 for William Heeser, the Sanborn Map Collection lays out the commercial, industrial, and residential sections of Mendocino. The maps were designed by surveyor D.A. Sanborn to assist fire insurance agents in determining the degree of hazard associated with each particular property.
