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Making History Blog

Water: Our Future and Our Past by Katharine Nelson

By |2023-08-22T12:27:20-07:00August 24, 2023|

August 20th-24th marks this year’s World Water Week, a non-profit conference held annually by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). Since its inception in 1991, World Water Week has become the leading conference devoted to global water issues, featuring a variety of participating organizations, including the United Nations. Each year, the conference seeks to bring together a diverse array of people and professions to develop solutions [...]

Mary Brien Boyle Kenny

By |2023-08-20T15:30:32-07:00August 21, 2023|

Studio photograph of the Kenny - Boyle family, c. 1888.Seated in front, L to R: Thomas Kenny (step-father) and Mary Brien Boyle Kenny, mother of the children.Standing in back, L to R: Mary "Mayme", Charles "Charlie", Francis "Babe", Jennifer "Jennie", and Walter "Fred". (Gift of William and Marie Ferrill) August 21, 1911 - Mary Brien Boyle Kenny died at the age of 69. She [...]

A New Donation: The Wedding Dress of Carrie Costa-Fayal

By |2023-08-15T12:28:58-07:00August 17, 2023|

Manuel Costa-Fayal and wife Carrie Correia-Silva (standing) with Antone Costa-Fayal and Maria Costa-Fayal (mother) seated. From the Annie Silveria Collection. This past week the Kelley House Archives received an exceptional donation from the Costa-Fayal family, the wedding dress of Carrie Costa. This dress consists of a skirt and detached bodice in pale blue with a decorative border of blue and gold sequins and beads, [...]

Columbia Park Boys Club

By |2023-08-13T12:52:00-07:00August 14, 2023|

August 14, 1912 - A large crowd turned out to see the Columbia Park Boys Club perform at the Odd Fellows Hall on the northeast corner of Ukiah and Kasten Streets in Mendocino. This club was founded in San Francisco in December 1895 by Major Sidney S. Peixotto to help at-risk boys in the south of Market Street tenements expand their opportunities through education, theatre, music, [...]

John Deromeri Run Over By Auto

By |2023-08-09T11:27:44-07:00August 11, 2023|

August 11, 1913 - John Deromeri, a Mendocino Mill worker who lived in a cabin on Big River Flat, survived being run over by an automobile at the corner of Lansing and Main Streets. Cars were still a relatively new invention, and the Beacon reported that John had little use for autos. “He don’t like their looks, he don’t like their speed, and in fact he [...]

The Windmill at Heeser’s Sawmill by Wally Smith

By |2023-08-10T10:46:41-07:00August 10, 2023|

The wind-driven sawmill built and operated by William Heeser on Little Lake Road originally published July 2, 1992 One of the strangest windmills erected in the Mendocino area produced not one drop of water for a residence or a store building. It ran a sawmill.  When William Heeser came to Mendocino from Napa County in 1857 to purchase for $6,000 some of the landholdings [...]

An Afternoon with Barry Cusick & Mendocino Water Towers

By |2023-08-06T12:44:27-07:00August 6, 2023|

New! On the Kelley House YouTube Channel - An Afternoon with Barry Cusick & Mendocino Water Towers When the town of Mendocino was first established, water towers operating on the gravity system were the source of fresh water. To this day, water towers remain a signature part of the town's character. After arriving in Mendocino in the 1970s, Barry Cusick and a partner bought, for $1.00, [...]

The World Smelled of Roses

By |2023-08-01T13:59:41-07:00August 3, 2023|

Painting of Wild Roses by Elise Kelley Drexler on display in the museum from the Margaret Kelley Campbell Collection. This weekend the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is hosting its annual Art in the Gardens event, a celebration of flora that makes me think of the largely forgotten artworks of Elise Kelley Drexler. Elise was the second daughter of William and Eliza Kelley and is [...]

THEN and NOW Photos: Ukiah Street, Looking East

By |2023-07-23T11:02:05-07:00July 27, 2023|

Ukiah Street, c. 1930. (Gift of Dolly Efishoff)   Ukiah Street, 2023. (Photographer: Robert Dominy) These two images, taken almost a century apart, show Ukiah Street near the intersection with Kasten Street, looking east. In the 20th century photo, two calves belonging to the Paoli family stand on Ukiah Street in front of the Paoli Hotel, which is just out of sight [...]

Buchanan-Ferrill Marriage

By |2023-07-22T14:15:15-07:00July 23, 2023|

July 23, 1921 - Frances Buchanan and John Harvey Ferrill were married at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. A few family members and friends attended the small ceremony, and Marie Buchanan, sister of the bride, served as bridesmaid. Frances was the daughter of Hugh and Mary (Donahue) Buchanan of Elk. John was the youngest son of Henry and Annie Ferrill, who operated the general merchandise [...]

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