Bethel Historical Society

Giving Opportunities

Your support counts!

Your donation makes it possible for us to collect, preserve and share the history of western Maine and the White Mountain region. Click on "Donate" (below) to make a gift with a credit card or PayPal using PayPal's secure servers. Please note the purpose of your gift by using the "Add special instructions to the seller" link on the last online page. Thank you!

Archives:
Selected articles from The Courier
(BHS history journal), plus PDF copies
of full issues starting with Vol. 33 (2009)

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

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

Special Series:
Bethel's Antiquarian Suppers

Gilead, Maine: Exploring Its Past
Western Maine Saints (Mormons)

Mission BHS History Trustees & Staff
Business Partners Program
Business Partners Contact Us

Hours
Robinson House Exhibit Galleries, Museum Shop & Society Office
Year-round: Tuesday through Friday,
10 am - 4 pm; Saturday, 1 - 4 pm, during July & Aug.
Closed Sunday and Monday,
and Nov. 1 through Thanksgiving Day
Admission by donation

Mason House Period Rooms
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

Spidell Research Library
July thru October: Thurs. & Friday, 1 - 4
Nov. through June: by appointment (207-824-2908)
Admission: Members and high school / college students, free; Non-members, donation ($5 suggested)

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's
MUSEUM OF REGIONAL HISTORY
Collecting, preserving and interpreting the history of western Maine
and the White Mountain region of Maine and New Hampshire since 1966

An independent, non-profit organization, the Bethel Historical Society sponsors exhibits, programs, events, and publications that make the region's history meaningful, accessible, and enjoyable. Visitors to the Society's Museum of Regional History can explore more than a dozen period rooms and exhibit galleries, while genealogists and other researchers may avail themselves of the Society's outstanding library holdings and archival materials, as well as historic objects in the museum's permanent collection. Throughout the year, the Society provides a full calendar of lectures, exhibit openings, demonstrations, and educational activities for people of all ages. We invite you to support our work by becoming a member or donor.

The Bethel Historical Society's Museum of Regional History 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. Please click here for a map showing our location at Bethel Hill village

2013 Bethel Historical Society High School History Internship

For information and an application form, click here

On view July 6 through August 31, 2013

Pictures Serene and Sublime

Traditional White Mountain Art Recaptured

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, numerous artists (including many from the so-called Hudson River School) captured the awe-inspiring summits and verdant glens in the White Mountain region of northern New Hampshire and western Maine. Including many of these early landscapes, this exhibit also highlights the work of Erik Koeppel and Lauren Sansaricq, nationally-recognized plein air artists who create masterful works in the Hudson River style based on their love for the expressive potentials of traditional representation. The eight-week exhibition will feature a variety of White Mountain landscapes, including several from the collection of the Jackson (NH) Historical Society. The contemporary works by artists Koeppel and Sansaricq will be available for purchase. (All sales will benefit the Bethel Historical Society.) Shown here: On the Androscoggin River, by Erik Koeppel; oil on canvas, 16" x 24"; Private Collection.

Now available in a limited edition!
The Dr. Moses Mason House Bicentenary Ornament
To purchase, visit our Museum Shop page

»»» Opening May 28, 2013 at the Robinson House «««
In the Field & On the Homefront: Bethel During the Civil War

Honoring the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, this exhibit is the Bethel Historical Society's contribution to the Maine Civil War Trail project. Using rarely seen artifacts and images from the Society’s permanent collection, this exhibit explores the effects, profound and poignant, of the Civil War on the western Maine town of Bethel, once known as “the Athens of Oxford County.” Although the War years resulted in the loss of many of Bethel’s loyal sons, they also witnessed the town’s development as an important inland Maine center of commerce, industry and tourism. Tuesday.- Friday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM; Saturday, 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM (July & Aug.) Through December 27, 2013

William B. Lapham's "Bethel in the War of the Rebellion," featuring local enlistment and service records

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

Thanks to our Business Partners for their support!

A proud member of