In collaboration with Mendocino’s Kelley House Museum, MendoFever will be publishing their “This Day in Mendocino History” Facebook posts. The Kelley House Museum works hard to document and curate Mendocino County’s rich history and can be visited in the seaside town of Mendocino.
On this day in Mendocino history…
June 18, 1887 – Town citizens met to further their plans to form the first Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department. Members of the fire company executive committee included William H. Kelley, Eugene Brown, Jerome C. Ford, William Heeser, Henry H. Jarvis, John D. Murray, and Jack Frodsham.
A fire station was built on the south side of Main Street across from the Central Hotel (today’s Mendocino Hotel). The fire bell arrived on the schooner W. S. Phelps on June 25. The first fire engine, a hand pumper, was purchased for $1,835 and arrived on the schooner Bob-O-Link on July 1. The fire equipment also included a hose cart, 500 feet of hose, and a hook and ladder apparatus.
By 1938, the old firehouse on Main Street had fallen into a state of disrepair. The 700-pound bell was lowered from the bell tower, and the 1887 fire station was demolished. The original bell is now on display outside the current fire station at 10461 Lansing Street.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘴: 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘰 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘔𝘤𝘒𝘦𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘴𝘰𝘯 – 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 1870, 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 1887 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺. $15 https://www.kelleyhousemuseum.org/store/
