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Opportunities
Your support counts!
Your donation
supports the Society's mission to preserve 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.

Read
articles
about Bethel
and the surrounding region
from back issues of
The
Courier
Online
exhibits:
Bethel: A
Historic
Town
Molly Ockett and Her
World
NEW! A River's Journey
Printable Walking
Tour of
Bethel Hill Village (PDF)
Bethel's Antiquarian
Suppers
Mission
BHS History
Trustees & Staff
Business Partners
Program
Business Partners
Contact
Us
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BHS
Hours
Robinson House Exhibit
Galleries, Museum Shop &
Administrative Office
January through April: Tuesday through Thursday, 10 AM - 4 PM;
May through December: Tuesday through Friday, 10 AM - 4 PM;
also Saturday, 1 - 4 PM, during July & August
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
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WELCOME
TO THE BETHEL
HISTORICAL
SOCIETY
Founded
in
1966, the Bethel Historical
Society is an independent, non-profit organization providing
members and the general public with a doorway to the past from its
Regional
History Center at Bethel, Maine. The
Society's
museum, library and archival collections
include a wide range of materials documenting the rich heritage of
western Maine and the White Mountain region of Maine and New
Hampshire. The O’Neil Robinson House (1821) and
Dr.
Moses Mason House (1813) offer more than a
dozen period rooms and exhibit galleries where
visitors can discover and explore the area's varied past. Throughout
the year, the Bethel Historical Society provides lectures, courses,
special exhibits,
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 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.
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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. |
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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)
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Visit
The
Bethel Journals
to
explore the history of Bethel and nearby communities
Hours
&
Facilities
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