This story was the winning entry in the student category Short Story Contest: "Diamond in the Drink -or- How Did the Wedding Ring End up in the Kelley Pond?" Aftan is a 5th grade student. by Aftan Ashford Fifty years ago in Mendocino town a beautiful young lady was getting married. Two big white, strong, gorgeous horses were pulling the special carriage they had hired. Thump, [...]
This story was the winning entry in the adult category Short Story Contest: "Diamond in the Drink -or- How Did the Wedding Ring End up in the Kelley Pond?" By Barry Bryan I heard about the wedding ring found in the Kelley pond and the contest for best story about how it got there. Sometimes the best story is the truth. It is my ring. I [...]
Rex Smith, our Kelley House docent and local taxi driver, was 'discovered' by Dr. Bunny Vreeland, a talk show host at Mercury Broadcasting. Listen to the interview here.
Staff Note: The 2015 Kelley House Annual Historical Review, a benefit of membership in the museum, will be mailed soon. The title of the Review this year is Thomas Petersen: Master Shipbuilder and Louis Hough is the author. Some time ago, he wrote this article as he began his research. The Review will be for sale to non-members at the museum. Formerly of Mendocino, Mr. Hough [...]
The Kelley House Board is pleased to announce Anne Cooper has been hired as the first ever Curator of the organization. Instead of an executive director, this new, full time, position will encompass the job of director and archivist responsible for the development and management of the museum. Instead of the old model of a full time executive director and a part time archivist, the Kelley [...]
Back by popular demand! To wrap up the current exhibit Hippies Use the Back Door, the Kelley House will present a repeat of last month's sold out, standing room only, Sunday Afternoon With...sound slideshow on November 15, 2015 at 4:00PM. Bruce Levene will again present “A Mendocino Review”. This video slideshow with sound features music and photographs from an audio recording made at a 1973 Preston [...]
This photograph was part of the Eleanor Sverko Collection but has no identifying information. Eleanor Feodora Stolpe Sverko was born on August 20, 1920. She was the daughter of Finnish immigrants, Johannes (John) and Regina Stolpe who settled in Greenwood/Elk. Many Finnish settled there as well as Comptche to work in the mills. They probably all knew each other. Perhaps this photograph is of a family [...]
To complement the current Kelley House exhibit, “Hippies Use the Back Door,” we excerpt here Tales of Mendocino: The Way We Were, local author Jay Frankston’s 2006 memoir of life here in the late 60s and early 70s. The exhibit runs Fridays through Mondays until November 30. People came here from everywhere, from the east coast, from Chicago, from L.A. Most were getting away from something like [...]
This portrait of a woman in her late 20’s or early 30’s portrays her as a serious person, with a sensible haircut, glasses and an understated pearl necklace. The name on the photograph says “Hazel Pruett.” We are wondering why Hazel’s photograph is in the collection of the Kelley House Museum. Ancestry.com lists a Hazel Pruett born October 8, 1890 in Ukiah to Robert and Cangrada [...]
This photograph looks as if it was taken in the 1920s. It appears to be a performance or presentation at the Company Store in Fort Bragg. What ARE these women up to? Do you know the answer? Can you identify anyone? [kh_mystery_blurb subject="Coneheads"]