A must see in Fort Bragg is the Guest House Museum on Main Street. The Guest House Museum was built in 1892 on the property that had previously been the location of the Fort Bragg Army Post Hospital.
The museum was originally built as a guest house by settler, Charles Russell Johnson. He constructed the building of the choicest old-growth Redwood and Douglas Fir to ensure the comfort of visiting friends and business associates.
The three-story house initially possessed seven fireplaces. However, after the 1906 earthquake it was updated with a more modern heating system. The remaining three fireplaces were augmented by electricity and running hot and cold water. Johnson also installed a wet bar on the first floor and a large billiard room on the third floor.
The museum now contains artifacts from the town’s logging, railroading, fishing, and shipping era. Visitors can go back in time to the days when lumber was being harvested to build San Francisco and other Gold-Rush era communities. Many of the tools used “back in the day” are housed in the Historical Landmark.
Among the interesting artifacts being preserved there are water pipe logs. These logs were hollowed out to facilitate the transport of water. Various types of saws, Paul Bunyan’s axe, and a train whistle are also located in the museum. Announcements and interesting information about the community is posted regularly on the Guesthouse Museum’s Facebook page.