The Kelley House Museum has been graciously given space in the Mendocino Beacon newspaper for a weekly column. Beginning in July 2009, articles will be posted as published; past articles will be added as time permits. (All Rights Reserved.)
May 6, 2010: “Big River: The Once and Future River” by Matthew Reed
April 22, 2010: “Four Merchants and a Banker” by Katy Tahja
A Sunday Afternoon panel will discuss what it was like to set up a business along the coast in the 1970s and 80s.
April 15, 2010: “Honoring Our Community’s Dedication to Preservation” by Chuck Bush
Today, the coastline of the Mendocino Headlands and the entire western end of the Headlands are protected as state park land, and will remain preserved in its natural state, hopefully forever.
March 18, 2010: “A Mendocino Immigrant” by Matthew Reed
On November twenty-second, 1896, thirty-two-year-old woodsman Antone Raposo Carvalho was a man ascendant.
March 11, 2010: “Cemeteries“ by Katy Tahja
Down in the archives of the Kelley House I was working on a research project tracing a local family’s name through graveyard records when I found something that answered questions I’d long had about the images on gravestones.
March 4, 2010: “Mitch The Barber’s Photo Collection” by Nancy Freeze
I am sure most of you remember the walls of Mitch Ortiz’s barbershop in Mendocino covered with photographs of many (probably most) of his customers and other people sighting near his shop.
February 18, 2010: “Oh, My Aching Beak” by Rhett, The Kelley House Goose
I really appreciate all the concern expressed by the community over the last several weeks regarding the delicate condition of my beak.
February 25, 2010: “The Meaning of Gravestone Art & Imagery” by Katy Tahja
Down in the archives of the Kelley House I was working on a research project tracing a local family’s name through graveyard records when I found something that answered questions I’d long had about the images on gravestones.
February 11, 2010: “Remembering the Locomotives Molly and Dinkey” by Louis Hough
Fire destroyed the Navarro sawmill in the wee hours of Nov.7, 1902. It was the old Navarro Mill Company, situated at the mouth of the, Navarro River, which had been idle since sold at auction nine years earlier.
January 14, 2010: “What To Do With Those Old Photographs” by Katy Tahja
Often people are faced with the dilemma of what to do with family albums of old photographs they don’t want to save. Well, one woman with a variety of talents came up with a clever solution. She made them into a book.
January 7, 2010: “Ringing in the New Year” by Nancy Freeze
Traditionally, the year-end marks a time to give thanks, reflect on accomplishments and set goals for the year to come. The board and staff at the Kelley House have no shortage of things for which to be thankful.
December 24, 2009: “The Zachas” by Chuck Bush
The lumber business here ended when the mill was closed for good in 1938, and Mendocino became a dead mill town. This article is about the renaissance of our town, and it goes something like this.
December 10, 2009: “Mendocino Schools Homecoming” by Dee Lemos
On October 10, the Mendocino Schools celebrated homecoming at the Mendocino Hotel.
October 1, 2009: “A Good Newspaper Obituary is Hard to Find” by Carolyn Zeitler
In the past, newspaper journalists wrote the obituaries for the local papers – the dead beat, as it was called. They often took more of the form of commentaries and many make for entertaining reading.
July 30, 2009: “Prohibition in Mendocino” by Warren Wade
100 years ago, on Tuesday, July 27 1909, the voters of Mendocino (all male) voted to ban all alcohol sales within the town limits, putting 9 saloons and 5 hotel bars out of business! Prohibition in Mendocino came 10 years before National Prohibition.
August 13, 2009: “Mendocino Historical Review” by Katy Tajha
Lost in the wonders down in the archives of the Kelley House I came across a booklet from 1987 giving an insightful look behind how the Mendocino Review Board makes it’s decisions.
March 30, 2000: “Coasters Named Noyo”, Part One by Louis Hough
Coasting schooner, Noyo, 95 tons built at Eureka in 1861. Her skipper was Captain H.H. Buhne. Hired for regular sailings, hauling eager gold-seekers to Skagway, Juneau and Wrangell, returning to Seattle.