The Museums of the Past (and how we got our name)
Back in 1968 the Jack London Square Merchants’ Association down in Oakland hired Russ Kingman to be their Executive Director. At the time, he wrote, “I had very little knowledge of Jack London. It was obvious that if I was going to handle the promotion of Jack London Square I had best know much more about the man.”
And so Kingman began reading everything he could find by and about the author, and as his collection grew he became increasingly inspired by London’s vision and energy. “My office is a veritable museum on Jack London,” he wrote to a friend; “someday I hope to have a Jack London Museum.”
In early 1971 Russ met Charles Beardsley, who had purchased the mill and winery property from the Pagani family a few years earlier and was developing it as the Glen Ellen Mill & Wine Village. Under his direction small shops, historic displays, and small eateries were established, and tourism was becoming encouraged. While visiting Jack London Square in Oakland, Beardsley discovered Kingman’s extensive collection of Jack London memorabilia and, recognizing the opportunity, he persuaded Russ to set up a museum display for weekend festivities at the Village.
The Kingmans came up each weekend while still working in the Bay Area, until finally Russ told his wife Winnie, “This is too much. Let’s move up to Glen Ellen. If we can’t support ourselves selling books, we’ll get part-time jobs to supplement our income.” In July of that year Russ wrote, “I am either going to put a Jack London Museum in Glen Ellen or at the Square. I have enough material for a 6,000 square foot museum but no place to put it. Since I have spent every penny I own to buy it, I have no money to start it.” Later he decided the museum “would be in the old Chauvet Grist Mill. Jack spent much time in this old building so it would be a good place.”
Soon afterwards “The World of Jack London” occupied the basement of the old mill, and the name of the complex was changed to Jack London Village. It wasn’t until 1974 that Russ and Winnie moved the Jack London Bookstore across the street, where it remained for many years.
Meanwhile, when the London-based beverage giant Diageo purchased the Glen Ellen Winery (the name of Pagani’s winery) in 1993, a tasting room was established at JLV that included a museum of local history. Photographs taken of that installation in 1995 can be seen at the website for the architects that designed the tasting room and museum.
According to that website, “the architect’s task was to create a casual, comfortable and functional visitors center from the historic collection of wood and concrete buildings... The history center, now a favorite Sonoma County visitor’s destination, was created by linking five enormous vats, originally designed to hold wine, to form a rhythm of sandblasted concrete exhibition spaces.”
In 1998 Glen Ellen Winery was sold to The Wine Group, and the tasting room and collection of historical archives was moved from JLV to downtown Glen Ellen. A few years later Navillus Birney Winery purchased that building, along with the museum, and established their own tasting room there on July 1, 2003. Their website described the archives as featuring “an expansive historic exhibit devoted to Glen Ellen’s rich history. Included are numerous photographs and memorabilia of famed Glen Ellen authors Jack London and M.F.K. Fisher.”
This year the building was sold, and the archives have been turned over to the Glen Ellen Historical Society. They have brought them back to Jack London Village, where they are being sorted and indexed in preparation for being put back on display. Then, once again, they will be available to inspire an appreciation of the steps our community has taken to become what it is today.
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This article originally appeared in The Jack London Villager April 2007.