Broad Street during the mid-20th century. Bethel Historical Society
The Museums of the Bethel Historical Society collect, preserve, display, and share the history of western Maine and the White Mountain region of Maine and New Hampshire through exhibits, lectures, special events, and publications. The museums feature over a dozen exhibit galleries and period rooms spread throughout two buildings: the O’Neil Robinson House and the Dr. Moses Mason House. Also on site is an extensive library and archive of books, manuscripts, photographs, and maps—plus thousands of historic objects that tell the story of the town of Bethel and the surrounding region. New in 2019 will be the opening of the “Twitchell Education Center,” a timber-framed replica of Dr. Moses Mason’s private library that stood beside his Broad Street home throughout much of the 19th century.
Overlooking the Bethel Hill common, the O’Neil Robinson House is the organization’s administrative center and dates back to the early 1820s when it was the private home of a prominent Bethel businessman and his family. Seasonal and permanent exhibits, a well-stocked Museum Shop, a spacious research facility, and extensive collection storage areas are located here. The Robinson House exhibit galleries and Museum Shop are open from Memorial Day to the third Friday in October, Tuesday through Friday, 10 am to 4 pm, and also on Saturday from 1 to 4 pm during July and August. The Research Library & Archives is open year-round by appointment (library@bethelhistorical.org).
The buildings of the Bethel Historical Society. Bethel Historical Society
Exhibits in 2019 will include displays about author and scientist C. A. Stephens of Norway, Maine, the 10th Mountain Division and Mountain Culture after World War II, and major events in Bethel’s past.
The oldest residence at Bethel Hill village, the 1813 Dr. Moses Mason House features a series of fully-furnished period rooms (including one with Rufus Porter School murals) that provide insight into how a prominent Bethel couple lived during the first half of the 19th century. Also located in this building is a spacious exhibit hall which during July and August 2019 will showcase an outstanding collection of White Mountain landscapes. Guided tours of the
Mason House take place Thursday through Saturday afternoons (1 to 4 pm) during July and August, and by appointment at other times.
For more information, including a listing of upcoming events, visit www.bethelhistorical.org, call 207-824-2908 /800-824-2910 or e-mail info@bethelhistorical.org.
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