Bethel Historical Society

Events

2012 Bethel Historical Society Calendar of Events

	The 2012 Bethel Historical Society Lecture Series* "War, Wilderness and Wonder"
January 17	History Book Discussion Group Now in its second year, this monthly program at the Bethel Historical Society offers local readers an opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions on a variety of books. Facilitators: BHS President William D. Andrews and BHS Associate Director Stanley R. Howe. Free; registration encouraged but not required (207-824-2908); Robinson House, 4:00 PM
March (date tba)*	Women’s History Month program “Women in the Civil War,” in collaboration with Western Mountains Senior College
April 14*	Annual History Symposium "Don’t Let the Truth Get in the Way of a Good Story: Myths, Lies and Other Traditions of Local and Regional History" 2:00 to 4:00 PM (location tba). More information coming soon.
May 26	Faye Taylor Art Show This annual art show features the work of students in Grades 1-6 in S.A.D. #44. The Art Show theme for 2012 is "The Woods Around Us," one of the themes explored in the Society's upcoming exhibit on outdoor recreation in western Maine. Each student who enters the show is requested to submit a finished art work in any medium (crayon, oils, tempera, watercolors, chalk, etc.) no larger than 12 inches by 18 inches. Entries must be at the Dr. Moses Mason House exhibit hall by 3 PM on Friday, May 25, in order to be considered for a cash prize, ribbon, or certificate of commendation. Mason House exhibit hall, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM St. Nevers Day Sale The Society's annual fundraising sale of "treasures" donated by members and friends. Hastings Homestead lawn (corner of Mason and Broad streets); 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
May 30	Exploring White Mountain History This six-session course is designed to provide an introduction to, and overview of, the colorful (and sometimes tragic) history of the White Mountain region of Maine and New Hampshire. Subjects discussed will include Native Americans, explorers, early settlers, tourism, transportation, literature, art, logging, conservation and outdoor recreation—to name just a few. Three classes starting at 7:00 PM, and lasting approximately 1½ hours each, will take place on consecutive Wednesday evenings: May 30, June 6 & 13) at the Society's Mason House; three field trips will depart from Bethel at 12:30 PM on consecutive Saturday afternoons, beginning June 2. The course will be coordinated by Randall H. Bennett, BHS Executive Director, who has lectured and published widely on White Mountain subjects. Course fees, due at the first session, are $25 for BHS members and $30 for non-members. To register, please call 207-824-2908 or send an email to info@bethelhistorical.org.
July 3	Exhibit Opening “They Took to the Woods” Mason House exhibit hall, 1:00 – 4:00 PM. More informing coming soon.
July 3 - August 31	Summer Season Guided Tours of the Dr. Moses Mason House 1:00 to 4:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday; tours may be arranged during the remainder of the year by calling 207-824-2908; Adults, $3.00 / Children, 6 to 12 years, $1.50 (under 6 free) / Family special, $7.00 / Bethel Historical Society Members, free
July 4	Fourth of July Community Picnic This annual event begins at 11:30 AM on the side lawn of the Dr. Moses Mason House (14 Broad Street). Bring your lunch and after the presentation of colors and the National Anthem, enjoy a two-hour concert by the Portland Brass Quintet. Dr. Mason began this Fourth of July tradition in the 1850s and the Bethel Historical Society carries it on today. In case of rain, the picnic and concert will be held in the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse (1816) on Intervale Road, approximately four miles downriver from Bethel Hill village. Free (donations appreciated)
July 7*	Lecture & Book Signing by James Witherell, author of L.L. Bean—The Man and His Company: The Complete Story. Because his feet got wet and sore on a hunting trip, L. L. Bean developed his famous boot and started the mail-order company that would change the sleepy town of Freeport, Maine, into a huge outdoor mall. The story begins with the Bean family (who lived for a time in Bethel), young Leon Leonwood Bean's love of the outdoors, his first forays into sales (butter, men's clothing), and then his development of "the boot" and the beginnings of an outdoors outfitting company that ran on a card file system and resisted change. The story of L.L. Bean, Inc.'s phenomenal growth under grandson Leon Gorman is replete with Preppies, MBAs, infighting, and even parodies of a company that would eventually get its own Zip Code. This program celebrates the 100th anniversary of the L. L. Bean company; the author will be available afterwards to sign copies of his 576-page book. Mason House exhibit hall, 1:30 PM.
July 7 - August 25	Historic Bethel Hill: Free Guided Walking Tours Bethel’s first settlers logged, farmed, sawed timber and built houses and barns. By the 19th century, though, they wanted more: the services and amenities of a town. Doctors, shopkeepers, lawyers and tradesmen began to establish themselves on Bethel Hill. Owners of small mills and factories joined them, and in 1851 the railroad came to town, bringing with it a boom in manufacturing and tourism. By the late 19th century Bethel was an economic hub for its region and a major tourist destination offering scenic views of the surrounding White Mountains, health-giving springs, hunting and fishing, New England hospitality in large summer hotels, and, at the turn of the 20th century, world-renowned opera singers and a clinic for the treatment of those with nervous disorders. The historic buildings and landscape of Bethel Hill village can help us picture all this today. Led by our summer student intern or a Society volunteer, tours lasting approximately one hour will take place each Saturday at 11:30 AM through August 25; meet at the bell tower on the north end of the village common. Free (donations appreciated)
August 2	Second Annual Stanley Russell Howe Lecture "The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies," by Pulitzer-Prize-winning historian Alan Taylor, professor of history at the University of California. Dr. Taylor is well known for his contributions to microhistory, best exemplified in his Pulitzer-Prize-winning history of William Cooper and the settlement of Cooperstown, New York. Using court records, land records, letters, and diaries, he painstakingly reconstructs the economic, political and social history of New England and the settlement of New York. Dr. Taylor is also part of a generation of historians committed to the revival of narrative history, rejecting the method-driven, quantitative work of the previous generation of "new social historians" and the theory-laden work of more recent "new cultural historians." In addition to writing books for a wide public readership, he is a regular contributor of book reviews and essays to The New Republic. Dr. Taylor's appearance is supported by the "Stanley Russell Howe Lecture Fund" of the Bethel Historical Society.
August 31	Last Day for Regularly Scheduled Tours of the Dr. Moses Mason House Tours may be arranged during the remainder of the year by calling 207-824-2908.
September 4	Exhibit Opening (topic tba); Robinson House, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
September 6	BHS Annual Meeting A 6:30 pot-luck supper will precede the Society’s Annual Meeting, during which officers and trustees will be elected, committee reports given, and a progress report on the Society's Strategic Plan presented.
September 15*	Program & Field Trip Charles Kellogg, “The Nature Singer" Coinciding with the Bethel Chamber of Commerce's “Harvest Fest,” this afternoon program will explore the fascinating character and career of Charles A. Kellogg (1868-1949), an American vaudeville performer who developed the remarkable ability to perfectly imitate bird son reproduced bird song, and who, at one time, operated a "Nature Camp" at North Newry, Maine. A campaigner for the protection of the redwood forests of California, Kellogg was born on a ranch in Susanville in that state and grew up in the 1870's observing the animals and birds of the forests. He constructed a mobile home, called the "Travel Log," out of a redwood tree and drove it around the country to raise awareness of the plight of the California forests. By the time he was 22, Kellogg was performing his bird songs on vaudeville tours around the country, and by his forties he was traveling outside of the United States, performing for audiences throughout Europe. In 1911 Victor Records signed Kellogg to his first recording contract. He recorded with the company until 1919, mostly singing classical and light classical pieces. More information coming soon.
October 13*	Hall Memorial Lecture "Capt. Charles A. J. Farrar (1842-1893): Wilderness Entrepreneur," by William B. Krohn, wildlife research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey stationed at the University of Maine and author of Joshua Gross Rich (1820-1897): The Life and Works of a Western Maine Pioneer and Wildlife Writer, available from our Museum Shop; Mason House exhibit hall, 2:00 PM; free and open to the public.
December 1	Christmas at the Mason House Enjoy music and refreshments in the 1813 Mason House period rooms, decorated in traditional mid-nineteenth century style and illuminated by candles! 3:30 to 6:00 PM; free (donations appreciated)

Each year, the Bethel Historical Society sponsors a variety of programs, events and exhibits for members and friends of all ages. Event dates and times are subject to change; please call 207-824-2908 / 800-824-2910 or feel free to email us at info@bethelhistorical.org to confirm date and time, or for more information.

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