Fern Cottage

Step Back in Time with a tour through the Historic Home of Joseph & Zipporah Russ in the Victorian Village of Ferndale.

Fern Cottage is the 30-room home of pioneers Joseph and Zipporah Russ, built for their growing family in 1866. Architect/Builder George Fairfield designed Fern Cottage for the cattle-ranching family and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.  The home is a slice of life of Humboldt and Eel river history. You will find a collection of Victorian era furnishing and artifacts alongside more modern Arts and Craft pieces. Nearly all of the furniture and furnishings in Fern Cottage are original, so visitors will see it much as it was between the 1870s and 1970s when the family lived there.  You will hear a story of a family with a vision for Humboldt County and what that means today.

TOURS: Fern Cottage sits on 4 acres and is surrounded by pastoral fields. The home and gardens are open Thursday-Saturday 11-3pm with guided house tours on the hour 11am, 12pm, 1pm, and 2 pm. You can take a self-guided tour of the grounds and gardens and visitors are encouraged to have a picnic lunch on lawn. Cost is $10 for adults, $8 for adults over 62 and free to children under 18.

Due to private events please call ahead as hours may change. Special events may also be planned here during the course of the year. In addition, the grounds are available for wedding receptions, anniversaries and other outdoor events. For more information, please contact 707-786-4835

Take Ferndale exit off Hwy 101. Cross Fernbridge and drive into Ferndale. Turn on Ocean Avenue almost at the end of Main Street. Ocean Avenue becomes Centerville Road. Fern Cottage is located three miles west of Ferndale.