If you’re ever enjoying a stroll through Mendocino and see a woman in a bright, fashionable outfit leading a group of people through town, there’s a high likelihood you’ve spotted a walking tour led by Juliet Way. Juliet has led the Historic District tour, the Haunted Mendocino tour, and the Murder, She Wrote tour for years. For Juliet, her work is more than reading a script and hitting each stop, it is telling a story. The following is Juliet’s interpretation of her work, in her own words.
Juliet leading a Murder, She Wrote tour. (Photographer: Nik Zvolensky)
Every storyteller has a journey. Mine began thousands of miles from the California coast, in Calcutta, India, where I was born to British parents. I could never have imagined that one day I would be leading visitors through a tiny village called Mendocino, sharing stories that make people laugh, think, and occasionally wipe away a tear. People often ask whether I prefer history, ghost stories, or Murder, She Wrote. The truth is, I love them all because they share one essential ingredient, a good story.
One ghost story silences every group. It is the documented account of a shipwreck in which no one was expected to survive. Before the vessel was smashed into a cave, an unknown person strapped an infant into a wooden bowl and lowered the child into the sea. We do not know their name. We never will. But that final act of courage and compassion reminds us that history is not only about dates and places. It is about humanity at its very best. A few minutes later we’re laughing over one of television’s most memorable bloopers, the mysterious driverless car rolling into Cabot Cove. Behind that brief scene lies an assortment of filming tricks and happy accidents that prove even television magic doesn’t always go according to plan. Then I ask people to look upward. High above the street is an extraordinary sculpture carved by a master mason. Hundreds of visitors pass beneath it every day without seeing it. Once they understand why it is there and what it represents, they never forget it.
Over the years I’ve learned that people rarely remember every date or every name I mention. They remember how a story made them feel. They remember laughing at a blooper, quietly reflecting on the unknown person who gave an infant a chance to live. If I can send people home with one unforgettable story, one new discovery, and a smile on their face, then I’ve done my job.
The Kelley House Museum is open Thursday-Monday, 11am to 3pm. Visit our event calendar for a walking tour schedule.