A page from John Dennen’s diary, with his enlistment date noted. Dennen Family Collection. While enjoying a barbecue with friends, it might be of interest to consider that a place as remote from the battlefields of Virginia and Pennsylvania as is the Mendocino Coast has ties to the Civil War. The holiday we observe as Memorial Day has its origins in the sadness and [...]
Ravens on the Bettencourt Water Tower, May 2025. (Photographer: Robert Dominy) This enclosed water tower over a gable-roofed barn is located near the corner of Heeser and Calpella Streets in Mendocino. The structure was built by Tony Bettencourt in 1905 as a workshop and to provide water for his home on the property. Wednesday, May 28th @ 5PM! Haunted Mendocino Walking Tour - Wear your sweater [...]
There is still time left to enjoy the Kelley House Spring exhibition, Don’t Panic * Eat Organic: 50 Years of the Corners Collective. Formed in 1975 as a food-buying club in Kellieowen Hall, Corners embarked on a mission to provide healthy and low-cost food for Mendocino. The following year, Corners became a not-for-profit worker collective, where the workers operated and managed themselves without one person acting [...]
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 [...]