HISTORY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MENDOCINO COUNTY
THE BEGINNING
The Historical Society of Mendocino County (HSMC) was established due to the determination and insistence of Marion Marvin and George Ward. On February 26, 1956, they met at the Ukiah Public Library with others to explore the idea of establishing a county wide historical society. It was determined that there was sufficient interest to go forward and contact others who might be interested in the establishment of such an organization. A notice was published in the Ukiah Daily Journal to notify the public of a meeting to see if enough support could be mustered amongst the public. This meeting was held on May 6th, 1956, at the Palace Hotel in Ukiah, California. At this meeting the Mendocino County Historical Society (later the name was changed to the Historical Society of Mendocino County) was established. The following officers were elected: George Ward, President; Mark Carpenter of Ukiah, vice-president; Marion Marvin, secretary; and Richard Mazzoni, treasurer. By-laws were proposed and adopted with some revisions. Directors to represent each supervisor district of the county were appointed by the board. They were Don McMillen for district 1, Hale McCowen for district 2, John Philbrick for district 3, Frank Hyman for district 4, and Joan Stornetta for district 5.
1960s - 1970s
One of our first projects was restoring the Little Red Schoolhouse located on Highway 20 between Willits and Fort Bragg, California. The restoration was completed in 1963, and the schoolhouse remains standing today.
The Historical Society obtained its first permanent location in 1969 when the family of Judge William Held and Ethel Poage gifted their family home to the organization to use as our headquarters. After a few renovations, we officially moved in the following April and opened a research library. The content of the library covered Mendocino County history and its surrounding counties. Additionally, it held a large collection of resources on many historical topics.
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Almost right away, we started to receive so many donations that we were quickly running out of room in the house, so we set out to create a museum to store and share the history of Mendocino County. After much fundraising, we raised enough money to build the Mendocino County Museum in Willits, California. The museum was dedicated on June 11, 1972, and handed over to the County of Mendocino.
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Little Red Schoolhouse located on Highway 20
Dedication of the Mendocino County Museum, c. 1972
1980s - TODAY
In 1988, the Held-Poage Home was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
By the 2010s, our archival collection outgrew the house and its out buildings. The HSMC decided it was time to build a professional climate controlled archive on-site. After many generous donations from our members, businesses, and the public, we were able to complete our nearly 4,400 sq. ft. archive in 2016. It was at this time that we began the process of professionally cataloging and preserving our collection.
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With the house empty of records, we decided to transform the house into a historic house museum that will tell the story of the Held and Poage families, in addition to the early history of the Ukiah valley and the town. The museum is set to open in 2024.
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In 2021, we built our large format scanning station with a goal of digitizing our entire collection.
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In July 2023, we opened our public research room in the Toney archive.
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Construction of the Toney Archive, c. 2016
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Grand Opening on the Research Room, July 2023
TIMELINE
1961 - The HSMC filed articles of incorporation with the State of California.
1963 - The HSMC restored the Little Red Schoolhouse on highway 20 between Willits and Fort Bragg, California. It was dedicated on July 14, 1963.
1969 - William P. Held (son of William and Ethel) donated their family home at 603 W. Perkins Street in Ukiah to the HSMC for use as their headquarters. After the HSMC renovated the house, it was dedicated on April 5, 1970 in memory of the late W. D. L. Held and Ethel Poage Held and deeded to the HSMC that September.
1970 - The Held - Poage Memorial Home and Research Library began operation.
1972 - The HSMC built the Mendocino County Museum in Willits, California, and turned it over to Mendocino County. The Mendocino County Museum was dedicated on June 11, 1972. The HSMC had been planning and fundraising for the construction of a county museum since 1957.
1988 - The Held - Poage House was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
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2017 - The William J. and Molly Toney Archive is completed. The HSMC headquarters and collections are moved into the new building that was designed with temperature controlled rooms, fire protection, UV protection, protecting all collections in the facility. The “Held - Poage Memorial Home and Research Library” name is retired from use.
2019 – The restoration of the Held-Poage Memorial Home began.
2021 – The Mendocino County Historical Society changed its name to the “Historical Society of Mendocino County”. The digitization project began.
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2023 - A public research room is opened in the Toney Archive.