Guest House Museum

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Guest House Museum Learn about local history. Tuesday-Friday: 11:00-2:00; Saturday: 10:00-4:00; Sunday: 11:00-2:00

Top of the hill in downtown Fort Bragg, the Guest House was built primarily of coast redwood in 1892 by the Fort Bragg Redwood Company as a private residence of the Johnson Family, the company owners. It was also used a guest house for visiting senior company officials from the San Francisco headquarters and VIP visitors to the mill and logging sites. In 1905, the Fort Bragg Redwood Company became Union Lumber Company, which was subsequently sold to Boise-Cascade Corporation, and then sold to Georgia-Pacific Corp. Georgia-Pacific used the building as a specialty boutique to its department store Sea Fair, and then turned it into a museum. On July 24, 1957, the Guest House was registered as California Historical Landmark No. 615, with a plaque placed in front of the house on September 2, 1957. In 1985, Georgia-Pacific donated the museum to the City of Fort Bragg. The Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Historical Society assumed responsibility for the building in 1999, and now uses the Guest House Museum as its headquarters.

September 29 is Silent Movie Day, so let’s highlight 1924’s “The Signal Tower,” which includes scenes filmed along the N...
09/28/2026

September 29 is Silent Movie Day, so let’s highlight 1924’s “The Signal Tower,” which includes scenes filmed along the Noyo River. Back in 2017, we showed the film at Town Hall, with our own Kevin Bunker sharing interesting trivia. If you’re interested in that trivia, Kevin manages Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Historical Society’s Archives, so feel free to email him: [email protected] In case you missed the showing, here’s a link for you to enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8g9DatnJls

Before it became City Hall, this building was created to serve as the Community Club, with its Opening and Dedication oc...
09/24/2026

Before it became City Hall, this building was created to serve as the Community Club, with its Opening and Dedication occurring April 27-30, 1922. Kingslow Brothers Monument Co. of Santa Rosa donated the corner stone (about 2-feet granite, weighing close to half-a-ton). The celebratory event included boxing, basketball, wrestling, and swimming matches. Although the swimming pool still exists within the building, it is no longer used.

On September 9, 1850, California became the 31st state. Did you know … the first state capital was located in San Jos...
09/08/2026

On September 9, 1850, California became the 31st state. Did you know … the first state capital was located in San Jose, followed by Vallejo, Benecia, and finally, permanently, in Sacramento.

Speaking of baseball, on July 27, 1919, Fort Bragg played Willits at Willits’ field. Al Haarby of the Albion team play...
07/24/2026

Speaking of baseball, on July 27, 1919, Fort Bragg played Willits at Willits’ field. Al Haarby of the Albion team played center field for Fort Bragg. (It was not unusual for players from other teams to periodically play on our town team.) In the Advocate’s report on the game, “Cavanagh made a freak one-handed catch on a drive over second.” With a final score of 13-5, Fort Bragg left the victor.

Cartoon on left: “Utschig Gets A Pretty Two-Bagger”
Cartoon on right: “Manager Smith Shining Up for next Sunday’s Game”

Today there is a CVS, but back in the days of town baseball, the Fort Bragg Loggers had their own "Loggers Field," as se...
06/12/2026

Today there is a CVS, but back in the days of town baseball, the Fort Bragg Loggers had their own "Loggers Field," as seen in the lower right hand corner of this 1953 photo. It was razed to make way for Safeway, which later moved again to its current location.

Initially, Fort Bragg only had “reading rooms” available in different locations in town. As the population grew, it...
04/19/2026

Initially, Fort Bragg only had “reading rooms” available in different locations in town. As the population grew, it eventually became clear that the town needed a public library. So, Union Lumber Company donated a lot just south of the bank building on Main Street (below the Guest House lawn), on the condition that the lot only be used for a library. The structure was completed in October 1912. Galvanized pipes ran from the mill provided steam heat. Later, there was a wood stove, then an oil stove, and then a butane furnace. There was a mezzanine, and historical items were on display.

Tragically, on September 20, 1987, the building became one of the targets of an arsonist. Needing a new location, the building on the northwest corner of Laurel and Whipple (formerly Cannarr-Fairlee Funeral Home) was purchased on May 3, 1988, where it remains. Today, there are plans to expand its space into the empty lot directly behind it, to offer more books, computers, and a gathering area.

Locals simply called it “The Company Store,” but its official name was Union Lumber Company Department Store. In 1962, U...
03/16/2026

Locals simply called it “The Company Store,” but its official name was Union Lumber Company Department Store. In 1962, ULCo decided that due to its ongoing issues (including mail and freight erroneously delivered to the plant) it was time to move forward with a shorter name, so it created a contest which drew 400 entries. The winning name was “Sea Fair,” suggested by Katy Peterson (who won a $50 store gift certificate). She said, “The store is near the sea – that explains the sea part of it. Merchandise is displayed at a fair – just as it is in your store. Then, I thought of the World’s Fair in Seattle, where the finest merchandise is displayed – the word ‘fair’ stayed with me. “

In 1984, the name changed again to Daly’s, when Jack Daly leased the store from Georgia-Pacific.

If you were in the market for a new car in 1955, Popular Mechanics' February 1955 issue highlighted a few options which ...
02/18/2026

If you were in the market for a new car in 1955, Popular Mechanics' February 1955 issue highlighted a few options which could be found locally.

In February 1976, Toni Syfert won the Grand Prize of a Valentine box full of about 10 pounds of handmade candy from The ...
02/02/2026

In February 1976, Toni Syfert won the Grand Prize of a Valentine box full of about 10 pounds of handmade candy from The Flying Bear candy store. She guessed there were 1,021 jelly beans in a jar, and there were 1,020. Flying Bear manager Fred Costedont presented Toni with the prize. The store, located at 356 N. Main, now houses Edgewater Gallery.

Rexall's 1966 Family Almanac offered a variety of information (including Horoscopes) for the upcoming year.
01/01/2026

Rexall's 1966 Family Almanac offered a variety of information (including Horoscopes) for the upcoming year.

Address

343 N Main Street
Fort Bragg, CA
95437

Opening Hours

Thursday 11am - 2pm
Friday 11am - 2pm
Saturday 11am - 2pm
Sunday 11am - 2pm

Telephone

(707) 964-4251

Website

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