It’s been a really busy year at the Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum (ESSCM) since opening to the public in October of 2011. Docents greet visitors each weekend day from 11:00 to 03:00. The docent pool continues to grow and includes people of many diverse talents. We have woodworkers, seamstresses, floral arrangers, bakers, computer geeks, historians, and barn builders to name just a few. Displays change as new acquisitions are received.

In April, Congressman Mike Thompson visited the museum as part of his Lake County Tour. He saw first hand how all involved with the museum have contributed to preserving a part of Lake County history.

The Museum has become a destination for social and educational events. On separate Saturdays in May the museum welcomed the Lake County Model A Club and a Science and Museum Camp put on by the Lake County Children’s Museum of Art and Science. In June the Lake County Historical Society held its annual picnic on the grounds giving members and guests a special opportunity to learn about the County’s colorful history of highwaymen as well as history of the Ely Stage Stop itself. At the 2011 Lake County Wine Alliance Auction, a Wildhurst Winemaker Dinner using ESSCM as its setting was purchased as a silent auction item. That dinner was held at the Stage Stop on July 22 and proved a huge success.

Partnering with the community took hold this year in three forms. One is with the Clear Lake Trowel & Trellis Garden Club as they have taken the ESSCM on as their newest Civic Beautification project. Phase One has been completed with the construction, installation, and planting of four beautiful planter boxes just off the museum porch. This project will benefit the community for many generations. A second partnering is with this year’s 20th Anniversary of the Kelseyville Pear Festival inside the Pear Pavilion. Our authentic stagecoach will be on display and docents will be available during the day to answer questions about the ESSCM facilities and plans for the future.
The third partnering is with Wildhurst Vineyards as a Fall Farm to Table Winemaker Dinner will be presented on October 20th as a benefit for the stage coach which will be on display for the diners.

And let’s not forget our latest news! Our long awaited barn raising has begun.
Over the weekends since August 18, volunteers have met at the museum site to begin the first display barn. The 2000-square-foot barn will house many of the Lake County Historical Society’s artifacts. The Carpenter’s Star quilt patch, donated anonymously through the Lake County Quilt Trail Project, will don the side of the completed barn.
Come share our excitement!

The docents and volunteers of the Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum are partnering with Wildhurst Vineyards to present a Fall Farm to Table winemaker’s dinner on Saturday, October 20th. The event will be held at the beautifully restored Ely Stage Stop located at 9921 Soda Bay Road (Hwy 281) and is a benefit to help with the purchase price of the newly acquired stage coach that will be on display that evening.

The six course gourmet dinner will be prepared by Chic le Chef and each course will be paired with a Wildhurst wine. Additionally, there will be live music and a storyteller speaking on the history of the stage stop, the people closely related to it – including the infamous highwaymen – and the areas of Lake County served by it.

Seating was limited to 20 people and the event has sold out!

The stage can still be viewed during regular museum hours, Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm. Watch for the announcement of future benefit events to be hosted at the Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum.

Fulfilling a promise made during an April visit to the Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum, Congressman Mike Thompson returned to the museum on October 15 to present a United Sates flag that was flown over the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

As the pictures show, Thompson feels at home at the Ely Stage Stop and fully supports the museum’s efforts to preserve a special part of Lake County’s history, providing a show place for life in the early times of the county. It was an honor to have him in attendance as the flag was raised for the first time at the museum.

The Congressman was impressed with our acquisition of the stage coach now on display at the museum and with the progress being made on the barn raising. Over the weekends since August 18, volunteers have met at the museum site to begin the first display barn. The 2000-square-foot barn will house many of the Lake County Historical Society’s artifacts.

The Ely Stage Stop and Country Museum welcomes visitors on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The museum is located at 9921 Soda Bay Road (Hwy 281) in Kelseyville.