Welcome to the Kelley House Museum
This historic home and research center is located in Mendocino, California on the scenic north coast. Built in 1861 by William Kelley, the house overlooks the ocean and is surrounded by gardens filled with flowers and lawn. The museum, along with docent-led walking tours of the historic preservation district, invites visitors to step back in time and imagine life in a bustling, 19th century logging town.
Kelley House Museum is open: Thursday–Monday, 11am–3pm.
Historic Walking Tours
Our walking tours have been described as “the perfect way to get a sense of the cast of characters who helped shape the eclectic town of Mendocino.” On our Historic District tour, visit New England-style pioneer homes and learn about Mendocino’s rich cultural heritage. On our Haunted Mendocino tour you’ll stop at the hideouts of Mendocino’s well-known specters, and learn a little of the town’s history along the way. Our Murder, She Wrote tour takes you to over a dozen filming locations from the hit TV show starring Angela Lansbury. Tours last up to 2 hours, depart weekly, and cost $25 per person.
Holiday Celebration
Saturday, November 6th, 2025
3:30pm – 4:30pm: Visit Santa
5:00pm – 7:00pm: Holiday Party
Join us for a Victorian-themed holiday open house at the Kelley House Museum. Enjoy refreshments and small bites provided by Mendocino High School’s culinary students. Hammer dulcimer music by Victor Simon. For those with kids, bring them for a visit beforehand with Santa on the porch from 3:30-4:30pm. Suggested donation: $5. Free admission to the party, but kindly RSVP.
Exhibit Spotlight!
A WOMAN’S PLACE WAS EVERYWHERE
How Working Women Shaped Mendocino
Exhibit Runs through March 29, 2026
While men wielded the axes that built the town of Mendocino, women built the community that made it last. Look beyond the big trees and lumber mills to discover the vibrant world of “women’s work.” Through their own diaries, photos, and oral histories, this exhibit tells the lesser-known stories of entrepreneurs, nurses, artists, teachers, madams, and philanthropists who laid the foundation for the Mendocino we know today.
Fundraiser!
MURDER, SHE WROTE FESTIVAL
Friday, May 1st – Sunday, May 3rd, 2026
2026 FEST IS SOLD OUT! To sign up for waitlist, click on the “buy tickets” button. To learn about future festivals when they go on sale, Sign up for our newsletter. We wish we could host more of you, we know you’d fall in love with Mendocino’s Cabot Cove, home of beloved sleuth Jessica Fletcher.
Featured Item ~ From KHM Store
Experience Kelley House
Book Store. Our wide assortment of local history books delve into topics as diverse as movies filmed in Mendocino, shipbuilding, early architecture, and Native American history.
Research. Search our collections or let our expert staff help. Our climate-controlled storage and research facility is home to over 150 years of Mendocino coastal history.
Newsletter. Stay current and connected with the living history of Kelley House Museum as we uncover new stories, host events, and feature special collections.
Donate. Please join us in our efforts to preserve and share Mendocino’s history. Become a member or make a donation today.
Making History Blog
Elsie Allen, Basket Weaver and Pomo Sage
Elsie Allen, 1972. Born in 1899 near Santa Rosa, Elsie Allen was a fourth-generation basket weaver taught by her mother and grandmother. Elsie’s mother, Annie Burke, was a renowned weaver, and together they would travel to art fairs to show baskets. Tradition dictated that a weaver’s baskets be buried with her or a [...]
The Kelley House Museum is a 501c(3) non-profit educational corporation, tax ID number 94-2277534.