[first published in May 2015] Postcard photograph of the Domestic Steam Laundry’s delivery automobile piled high with bags of laundry, c. 1918 in Fort Bragg. An unidentified man stands next to the car. The laundry offered free washes during the influenza epidemic in 1918 for those who were too sick to do it. (Jeanette Mendosa Hansen Collection, Kelley House Museum) For fascinating reading or listening there [...]
On the 16th of February 1871, a group of Mendocino VIPs launched a determined effort to steal the county seat away from Ukiah. Portrait of William Heeser in the regalia of the Masonic Order of Knights Templar, c. 1900. (from the Biage Quattrocchi Collection, Kelley House Museum) Beacon newspaperman William Heeser was among those present and may even have called the meeting. We don’t know who [...]
Dear Friends and Supporters, It is with regret that the Kelley House Museum has temporarily closed its doors until further notice due to public health considerations. The popular guided walking tours have also been suspended. However, we still have much to offer our patrons! Self-guided audio walking tours can be rented for just $10 per tablet. These are available at the Museum between 10:00 am and [...]
Residence of Mr. Freundt, City of Mendocino (1863), looking north-northeast. This is a copy of a Carleton Watkins image found in the Bancroft Library. Not long after Mendocino was founded, the men who built and owned the Big River sawmill went back east to New England and brought their families here to live. While many of the merchants in town resided above their stores, the people [...]
"The Kelley House offers a window into the past on the Mendocino coast and an open door to the rest of the world. Each day I work as a docent I meet people interested in our history who also have fascinating stories of their own, some from nearby and others from far-flung parts of the globe. As Faulkner said, The past is never dead; it’s not [...]
"I first encountered the Kelley House while researching the history of my Mendocino home. The Kelley House has an awesome treasure trove of historical records, maps, artifacts, and books detailing the amazing history of the Mendocino Coast. I am an electronics engineer in the aerospace and video game industries, software developer, and library research staff. Building my family tree has given me a great love for genealogical [...]
"When my wife and I purchased the Seagull Inn Bed and Breakfast in July 2018, one of the first things we did was to visit the Kelley House Museum to learn about the history of the Switzer House that was built in 1883 originally as a residence. We were greeted with open arms, a wealth of information and tools to research on our own. After our [...]
“Many of you may know me from my past years associated with the Kelley House Museum, also known as Megan Coddington. I was executive director from 1990 to 1996 and again from 2005 to 2007. I had the privilege of knowing Dorothy Bear, one of the founders of the Mendocino Historical Research, Inc and Kelley House Museum. I started visiting Mendocino in the early 1960s and [...]
“I'm here because I love the history of the area. Joining the Kelley House Museum gave me the opportunity to learn local history and impart it to our visitors. We have a number of books, periodicals and articles available at the museum, and they make it so much fun to learn (and it's easy as well). Originally from Brooklyn, NY, I moved to California in 1985 [...]
"I have been a fan of the Kelley House Museum, its archives, and its dedicated staff and volunteers since my first days visiting, then living, on the Mendocino Coast. It provides a friendly and comfortable way to understand the who, what, when, where and why of this special place. My educational and professional training have consistently centered on the relationship of people to the earth we [...]