It’s been a hoppy summer at the Kelley House due to our current exhibit, On Tap: The History of Brewing on the Mendocino Coast. The same can’t be said for the summer of 1909, because voters in Mendocino passed prohibition that year on July 27. This law banned all alcohol sales within the town limits, putting 9 saloons and 5 hotel bars out of business. Caspar, [...]
Bette Davis and Ford Rainey dancing on the set of "Strangers" in Noyo Harbor. Kelley House Collection. In November and December of 1978, the Mendocino Coast was transformed into a picturesque New England fishing village for the filming of Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter, a made-for-TV movie starring Hollywood legends Bette Davis and Gena Rowlands. The story centered on a woman [...]
In the early 1900s, Mendocino was known for more than just lumber; the town had a reputation for apples, too. In 1911, local farmers organized the first Apple Fair inside the Odd Fellows Hall (now Highlight Gallery, at Kasten and Ukiah Streets), featuring displays of local produce, games, and entertainment. The event was such a success that the Farmers & Apple Growers Association decided to build [...]
Edited by Averee McNear The Mendocino Music Festival is back! To celebrate another year of great music, let us look at how the music festival began in this 2005 article written by Chuck Bush. Allan Pollack and Susan Waterfall both grew up in the Chicago area and attended the same high school, although not at the same time. They met in 1983, when both were living [...]
Early on Monday morning, April 17, 1939, a caravan consisting of two 35-passenger school buses, five cars, and a luggage truck departed Mendocino with 100 Mendocino High School students, teachers, and several adult chaperones. In addition to the faculty, the group included Miss Chilquist, the school nurse, along with Mrs. Chester Bishop, Mrs. Vernie Brown, George Lamb, and William Conley. Their destination was the San Francisco [...]
The Girlie Mahoney breaking through the wharf in Albion Bay, 1919. On December 23, 1919, the steamer Girlie Mahoney, loaded with 360,000 feet of lumber, was wrecked in Albion harbor after stormy seas and a series of failed rescue efforts doomed the vessel. Originally built in 1904 as the James S. Higgins and later reconstructed and renamed, the Mahoney had long served as a [...]
Justin Nelson and Chester Barry at Ocean View Bottling Works, 1908 - 1913 In the early 1900s, young James Peirsol and his gang of local boys found a way to turn summer swimming excursions into soda-fueled adventures with a mischievous twist. Their favorite spot was Griffin’s Pond, a high tide pool carved into the rocky cliffs just south of Mendocino. Sheltered from the waves [...]
Threshing Time on the Coast, 1899. (Gift of John Paschall, Sr. and the Virginia Lycan Estate) Men gathered around a threshing machine somewhere on the Mendocino coast. Two young boys sit atop bags of grain. Work horses are gathered in the background. "Trashing (sic) Time" written on back of photograph. Walking Tours of Historic Mendocino - Join our expert docents for a stroll and [...]
On July 14, 1971, Mendocino was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This achievement was made possible by many hard-working individuals that sought to protect Mendocino’s unique charm and history. In honor of this 54-year anniversary, enjoy the words of Chuck Bush from April 2010. In the late '50's when the Zacha's were developing the Mendocino Art Center and adding a new dimension to [...]
Mendocino Hospital Building, c. 1900. (Gift of Bruce Levene) The Mendocino Hospital Company, founded in 1887 by Dr. William A. McCornack, marked a major milestone in healthcare for Mendocino and the surrounding coastal region. It was a cooperative enterprise aimed at providing reliable, affordable medical care for working men, particularly those laboring in the woods and mills, where injuries were common and often financially [...]