Kelley House Museum

The Kelley House Museum sits in the center of Mendocino’s historic district, inside a restored 19th-century home built in 1861. Exhibits inside focus on the town’s early industries, including logging, agriculture, and shipping, as well as the contributions of Indigenous communities and African American settlers along the north coast. Artifacts range from household antiques to historical documents, with several items recovered from the pond behind the property. The museum also maintains a collection related to the area's natural history, with early maps, photographs, and tools from Mendocino’s first decades as a coastal hub. Interpretive displays stay factual and timeline-based, following the region’s shifts through the late 1800s into the early 20th century. Guided walking tours extend beyond the house, covering Main Street, local water towers, and preserved homes from the town’s original layout. Tours include second-floor access inside the museum and run on a regular schedule, starting from the main lawn. The Kelley House Museum operates year-round as a historical archive and public exhibit space, with new materials added to the collection through local donations and ongoing preservation work.