Chester Mullen earned his living as a carpenter, but he is remembered as a photographer. In the small town (Redding, CA) where he lived, the sound of the fire bell was a signal for him to drop his hammer, grab his camera, and dash off to the scene still in his carpenter's overalls.

As an amateur photographer, he took pictures of family and friends, and the occasional exciting event. Chester Mullen's photographs are a significant visual documentation of the daily life of a small town over a span of about 50 years. 1908 is the earliest date of which we can be certain; and his last parade pictures were made not long before his death in 1958. Wanda Grooms, a local amateur photographer, acquired Chester's Hall camera in the late 1950s. For an extra $100, Bertha, Chester's widow, also offered to let her take what she wanted from Chester's darkroom, if she would take the rest to the dump. Wanda salvaged Chester's negatives including hundreds of glass plates. Some (it is rumored) had been used for a greenhouse. In 1977, Wanda offered the glass plates to the Shasta Historical Society for safekeeping.