Museums of the Bethel Historical Society facts for kids
The Society's Dr. Moses Mason House museum
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| Established | 1966 |
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| Location | 10 Broad Street, Bethel, Maine 04217 |
| Founder | Eva Bean |
The Museums of the Bethel Historical Society is a cool place in Bethel, Maine, where you can learn all about history! It's actually two old buildings: the O'Neil Robinson House, built in 1821, and the Dr. Moses Mason House, built in 1813. Both are in Bethel's historic Broad Street area. The museum works hard to save and share the stories of western Maine and the beautiful White Mountain region, which covers parts of Maine and New Hampshire.
How the Museum Started
The Bethel Historical Society started on May 31, 1966. A group of people met at the Bethel Library to make it happen. Eighteen people were there, including Eva Bean. She wrote a book called East Bethel Road and became the society's secretary. Many people see her as the person who really got it started.
Later, Margaret Joy Tibbetts became one of the first presidents. She was even a United States Ambassador to Norway before that! The museum got early help from the William Bingham II Trust for Charity. This trust helped fix up the Dr. Moses Mason House and gave it to the society in 1974.
With this support, the society was able to hire its first paid staff member, Dr. Stanley R. Howe. Over the years, the society grew from a small local group to a bigger museum that covers history for a whole region.
What the Museum Collects
As a regional history museum, the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society collects items from the wider Bethel area. This includes all of western Maine and the White Mountain region in both Maine and New Hampshire.
- Artifacts: These are old objects that tell us about the past.
- Research Library: The museum also has a special library. It's filled with books, old letters, diaries, photos, maps, and even old recordings. These items help people learn more about history.
Since 2014, the society has also taken care of the old records from Gould Academy, a nearby school. In 2015, a big grant helped the museum make its research library and storage space much bigger. That same year, they hired their first librarian and archivist to help organize everything.
Fun Programs and Exhibitions
The museum offers many different programs for people of all ages and interests. They have had cool exhibitions in the past, like:
- A display about Molly Ockett, a local Native American woman.
- The history of the Grange in Maine.
- Maine's skiing history.
The museum often shows off "White Mountain art." This art includes paintings by famous artists like Benjamin Champney and Aaron Draper Shattuck. They also show art by artists working today. One of the most popular events is the yearly community picnic and concert. This free concert by the Portland Brass quartet happens outside on the museum's lawn every Fourth of July.
