Ford House Celebration, 1984

On April 30, 1984, descendants of the Ford family gathered at the Ford House on Main Street in Mendocino for a reunion that brought family heritage together with community history. Organized by California State Parks, the Mendocino Area Parks Association, and Mendocino Historical Research (today’s Kelley House Museum), the event celebrated the completion of restoration work on the historic home. Among the guests were two grandchildren of Jerome and Martha Ford, the original occupants. Alice Earl Wilder, 95, and her brother Guy Earl, 90, joined other Ford relatives and local residents who had worked to preserve the house and surrounding Headlands.

The Ford House was built in 1854 by Edwards C. Williams while Jerome B. Ford traveled east to marry Martha Hayes. The couple became its first residents and raised their family there until 1872, when they moved to Oakland. For decades afterward, the home served as the residence of Mendocino Lumber Company superintendents. By the mid-twentieth century, it had fallen into disrepair, but unlike the rest of the company buildings that once lined the south side of Main Street, it was spared demolition through the efforts of local preservationists.

At the urging of Mildred Benioff, Bob Raymond, and others, the State of California struck a groundbreaking deal with Boise Cascade, which had acquired Union Lumber Company’s holdings in 1969. In exchange for timber in Jackson State Forest, the company transferred the Mendocino Headlands and the Ford House property to the state. This arrangement preserved the dramatic coastal bluffs and secured the future of the Ford House. Restoration began in the late 1970s with extensive structural stabilization and historical renovation, and in 1982 the building opened to the public with exhibits telling the story of the town’s pioneering families and lumbering past.

The 1984 reunion celebrated not just the Ford family but also the power of community action. The day featured remarks from State Parks staff and local preservation leaders, along with a special performance by Park Ranger Ken Huie, who played a guitar rendition of a song written by Jerome B. Ford more than a century earlier. The Mendocino Beacon reported that the gathering drew about 75 people, including 25 Ford descendants and 50 townspeople whose advocacy had made the preservation of the Ford House possible.

The exhibit On Tap at the Kelley House is open until September 29^th! Come learn about the history of brewing on the Mendocino Coast. You can also check out the companion book on sale in the museum and on the Kelley House website. The museum is open Thursday-Monday 11am-3pm.