Grace “Gwenlian” MacCallum, c. 1904. (Gift of Linda Mechling, The Nannie Escola Collection) Gwenlian MacCallum Yonce’s story begins with loss, love, and a promise. Born Grace MacCallum, she was only seven years old when her father died in 1904 and her mother became terminally ill. During this family crisis, her aunt by marriage, Daisy MacCallum of Mendocino, stepped in. Daisy wrote a heartfelt letter [...]
On April 26, 2009, the Kelley House Museum hosted Dr. Don Hahn and Dr. Jim Swallow to discuss practicing medicine in Mendocino over the years. The following is Dr. Hahn retelling a few stories about house calls he made in the 1960s and 1970s. To watch the full discussion, visit the Kelley House Museum YouTube page. Dr. Don Hahn in his office. (Photographer: Tobin Hahn) [...]
The Navy dirigible Shenandoah over Mendocino Bay, October 1924. (Gift of Emery Escola) Living on the coast has its advantages and such was the case on the morning of October 17, 1924, when the mighty USS Shenandoah flew over Mendocino en route to Fort Lewis, Washington. The first of four U.S. Navy rigid airships, the Shenandoah was built between 1922 and 1923 in Lakehurst, New Jersey, and modeled [...]
As we close out the summer season and welcome fall, it’s time for a new exhibit at the Kelley House Museum. “A Woman’s Place Was Everywhere: How Working Women Shaped Mendocino” opens at the Kelley House on Thursday, October 2nd. This exhibit celebrates hard working women and their impact on Mendocino history. As a new Mendocino resident, I have learned a lot on my journey to [...]
In recent weeks, the Kelley House has added two new items to our collection, both connected to Murder, She Wrote. The hit television show starring Angela Lansbury filmed nine episodes in Mendocino, and many locals acted as extras during filming. License plate used during Murder, She Wrote filming and the key to Angela’s suite Local Bill Brazill brought us a simple black and white [...]
The Piccolotti Ranch, located fourteen miles up Big River from Mendocino, played an important role in the history of both the Mendocino Lumber Company and the town itself. Established by the company around 1860, the ranch was created to supply fresh food to the logging camps scattered throughout the Big River watershed. Vegetables, fruit, hay, and grain were raised to feed workers and livestock, and the [...]
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 [...]
Lu Robinson and Toni Lemos, circa 1962. Photo Credit: Marcella Robinson. At the Kelley House, we are preparing for an upcoming exhibit celebrating the work women have done to shape Mendocino’s history. There are countless stories to tell of the many working women on the coast, too many to fit into one exhibit. The following is one of those stories, written by William Lemos [...]
Edited by Averee McNear It’s hard to imagine a time when there wasn’t abundant access to books through schools, libraries, and bookstores, if a person could even afford books! In the late 19th century and early 20th century, public libraries began opening nationwide, many boasting the Carnegie name in honor of the Scottish American industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who donated a significant sum of his fortune to [...]
The mill pond near the mouth of Big River was the final destination for the large rafts of logs floated downstream from the Boom to the Mendocino Mill. Central to moving these rafts was the “Maru,” a flat-bottomed scow launched in 1902 and powered by a steam-driven paddle wheel. Before its arrival, men guided the rafts by standing on top of the logs with long poles, [...]