Bethel Historical Society

Giving Opportunities

Your support counts!

Your donation supports our mission to collect, preserve and share the history of western Maine and the White Mountain region. Click on "Donate" (below) to donate with a credit card or PayPal using PayPal's secure servers. Please note the purpose of this gift by using the "Add special instructions to the seller" link on the last online page

PDFs of The Courier (BHS history journal), plus articles from back issues about Bethel and the surrounding region

Online exhibits:
Bethel: A Historic Town
Molly Ockett and Her World
NEW! A River's Journey

Printable Self-Guided Walking Tour of
Bethel Hill Village (PDF)

Bethel's Antiquarian Suppers

Gilead, Maine: Exploring Its Past

Mission BHS History Trustees & Staff

Business Partners Program

Business Partners Contact Us

Hours
Robinson House Exhibit Galleries, Museum Shop & Society Office
January through April: Tuesday through Thursday, 10 AM - 4 PM;
May through December: Tuesday through Friday, 10 AM - 4 PM;
Saturday, 1 - 4 PM, during July & Aug.
Closed Sunday and Monday
Admission by donation

Dr. Moses Mason House Museum
July & August: Tuesday through Saturday, 1 - 4 PM
September - June: by appointment (207-824-2908)
Closed Sunday & Monday
Admission: $3.00 adults / $1.50 children 6-12 (under 6 free) / members free

Research Library (Mason House)
June through Oct.: Thursday & Friday, 1 - 4 PM and by appointment;
Nov. through May: by appointment (207-824-2908)
Admission: Members and high school / college students, free; Non-members, $5.00 per day

Exhibit Hall (Mason House)
July & August: Tuesday through Saturday, 1 - 4 PM
September through June: see
exhibits page
Admission by donation

WELCOME TO THE BETHEL HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Founded in 1966, the Bethel Historical Society is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, preserves and interprets the history of western Maine and the White Mountain region of Maine and New Hampshire. Visitors to the Society's O’Neil Robinson House (1821) and Dr. Moses Mason House (1813) can view more than a dozen period rooms and exhibit galleries, while genealogists and other researchers can avail themselves of the Society's outstanding collection of artifacts, and library & archival materials. Throughout the year, the Bethel Historical Society provides a full calendar of lectures, courses, exhibit openings, craft demonstrations, and educational activities for people of all ages. We invite your support by becoming a member of the Society!

The Bethel Historical Society's Regional History Center campus is located just off Route 2, at 10-14 Broad Street in Bethel, Maine, twelve miles east of the Maine/New Hampshire border. Bethel lies at the junction of Routes 2 and 26; the latter highway provides easy access from the Portland area via Exit 63 of the Maine Turnpike. Bethel can also be reached on Routes 5 and 35. Click here for a map of Bethel Hill village showing our location.

Honoring the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War . . .

“Write Quick": War and a Woman’s Life in Letters, 1836-1867
Transcribed and edited by Ann Fox Chandonnet and Roberta Gibson Pevear, and published by the Bethel Historical Society, this captivating book is based on Civil War era documents, letters and diaries donated to the Bethel Historical Society by Mrs. Pevear in 2005. Impressively narrated and edited, it tells the story of one New England family's daily experiences on the Civil War home front and battlefield, through never before published primary source materials. To read a more detailed description about the book and its major characters, click here. Over 50 photographs, illustrations, and maps, plus an index. 572 pp., softcover, $34.95. Order from our Museum Shop.

Read here about Write Quick co-editor Ann Chandonnet's November 2011 visit to the Old Mint in New Orleans, where Civil War soldier Henry C. Foster wrote many letters to his wife, Eliza Bean Foster, the book's major character.

Click here to read William B. Lapham's "Bethel in the War of the Rebellion,"
featuring Bethel Civil War enlistment and service records

2012 Bethel Historical Society High School History Internship

For information and an application form, click here

Currently on view at the O'Neil Robinson House!

The White Mountain Club of Portland
Exploration and Adventure in the "Crystal Hills"
1873 - 1884

Founded in 1873 as the second mountaineering organization in North America (pre-dating the Appalachian Mountain Club by three years), the "White Mountain Club of Portland" was instrumental in exploring and describing many hitherto unfamiliar sections of the White Mountain region of northern New Hampshire and western Maine. This new exhibition highlights the significant accomplishments of this important but short-lived group, including the first recorded exploration of famed Mahoosuc Notch, northwest of Bethel.

(above) Mahoosuc Notch, by George Frederick Morse, 1880 (private collection)

Visit The Bethel Journals to explore the history of Bethel and nearby communities

Thanks to our Business Partners for their support!

Hours & Facilities | New & Noteworthy | Events

Exhibits | House Museum | Research Library
Museum Shop | Membership