Campfire Girls at Big River, 1926. (Kelley House Collection, Kelley House Photographs) On this day in Mendocino history… June 23, 1926 - The Camp Fire Girls returned to Mendocino from their camping trip on Big River. They had spent two weeks camping near the Lumber Company’s Lower Ranch. The longest hike taken was up the river to Two-Log. Each girl carried her own food and blankets. [...]
Following hot on the heels of our wonderfully fun and successful “History and More” book sale, here's another chance to capture a bit of Mendocino history. And if you're a local from a long-time family, you might find your ancestors. Three of the twenty-six volumes of the Mendocino High School Yearbooks that Kelley House Museum would like to find new homes for. These covers reflect the [...]
The Kelley House has two postcards with photographs of the now gone Southside Hotel in Albion. Until recently, that’s about all we had to remember the once popular complex of buildings that Bob Kerr and Joe Rushing started in 1903. The Southside Hotel on the south side of the Albion River in 1904, with its dance hall under construction behind it. (Kelley House Museum Photo Archives) [...]
Fundraisers are always appropriate for a small museum when coming out of tough times. So, Kelley House will host a HISTORY & MORE book sale on Saturday, May 29th, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the east porch of the museum. Find unusual books this Saturday at the Kelley House Book Sale, May 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on our East Porch. Parking on [...]
Everett Racine’s photograph of the Mendocino Grammar School and its neighborhood, taken between 1921 and 1929 before it burned down. According to reports, the building was situated on the lot's center so as to separate the boys/girls play yards. The first Mendocino High School is the large building at the top with a rounded cupola, replaced with the present building in 1949. The first Saint [...]
Kelley House docents David and Katy Tahja are rockhounds. Their idea of a perfect day is being out in the middle of no place with interesting rock samples peeking out of an easily accessible creek bed. Sliced Coprolite, or paleo feces. The Tahjas have coprolites from their collection on view at the Kelley House (Attribution 2.0 Generic CC BY 2.0, Flickr) Their explorations have taken them [...]
Hello All! Here are a couple of intriguing photos we want to know more about. Help us identify the ladies in these portraits, taken at Mendocino coast photographic studios – one at Hazeltine’s in Mendocino and the other at Frederick’s Studio in Fort Bragg. If you can provide any information, please email us at [email protected]
An archaeology dig of a Native American camp site on Albion Head? Yes! Of course, it was 40 years ago, but the late Dr. Richard White wrote about it in a short feature story called Prehistory of Albion, found in issue 42 of his “Mendocino Medicine and Gazetteer.” An Albion flintknapper used obsidian stone, bottom left, to produce a new projectile point, similar to artifacts found [...]
So, I walk into the Comptche Store and owner Belinda Pollack hands me a sheet of paper with a list of names and says, ”Look what someone gave me! And who was Amanda Newman?” Another local history exploration begins. Belinda and my husband are both multi-generational descendants of old-time Comptche families, so we knew the names on the list. It was titled, “Comptche Friends Floral Tribute [...]
It’s not surprising that many of the Mendocino coastal communities have embraced the concept of little free libraries. On roadsides, street corners, and front yards from Fort Bragg to Gualala, pretty wooden boxes on posts offer books for the taking. Some of the book houses are registered by their builders and sponsors with the Little Free Library organization and some are not, but all operate on [...]