Bethel Historical Society

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Bethel Historical Society Calendar of Events

2010	* Includes program in 2010 BHS Lecture Series, "Vignettes of the Maine Past"
January 23 to 31	WinterFest Skiing Heritage Exhibit at Bethel Historical Society Visit the Bethel Historical Society's Robinson House (10 Broad Street) to view our newest exhibit, "Sunday River, Mt. Abram and More! Celebrating the Skiing Heritage of the Bethel Area." This exhibit commemorates the 50th anniversaries of the Mt. Abram and Sunday River ski resorts, as well as the rich skiing heritage of the Bethel area in general. Exhibit hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM; Sunday, 1 to 4 PM (open weekends during WinterFest only). Funding for this exhibit has been provided by the Mt. Abram Ski Club and Sunday River Ski Resort.
January 30*	Book Signing - Sunday River: Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future On December 19, 1959, Sunday River Skiway opened, mostly through the work of a dedicated group of volunteers and business people from Bethel. Since opening with a rope tow and T-bar and just a handful of runs, Sunday River has grown into one of the largest and busiest ski resorts in New England. Author and former Sunday River Ski Patrol director David Irons will be on hand at the Society’s Robinson House from 1:30 to 3:30 PM to sign copies of this new book, which explores the establishment and evolution of one of the Northeast's most celebrated and time-honored recreational attractions. The 112-page book, which is priced at $19.95, features numerous historical and contemporary photographs, as well as period marketing pieces. (Available from our Museum Shop.)
February 15*	Winter Recreation Heritage Day In conjunction with our newest exhibit commemorating the 50th anniversaries of the Mt. Abram and Sunday River ski resorts, the Society will offer a full afternoon of presentations and activities. Among the FREE programs that will take place will be snow shoeing for children, talks about Maine Handicapped Skiing and sled making by the Paris (Maine) Manufacturing Company, and the showing of the 1950s film, Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates.
March 27*	Women's History Month Program: "Bethel Area Women in the Military" During this special oral history event, several local women who have served in various branches of the military services will be discussing their careers, some extending back to World War II. The role of women in the military has changed dramatically since the 1940s, and this forum is designed to capture first-hand accounts of the challenges women have faced since that time. Mason House exhibit hall; 2:00 to 4:00 PM
April 24	Symposium: "The Good Old Days—They Were Terrible!" The period of U.S. history from the end of the Civil War into the early 20th century has often been called "the good old days." However, the commonly held image of a carefree, happy society enjoying the charms and fun of the Gilded Age / Gay Nineties hides the widespread existence of turmoil, suffering and neglect experienced by many Americans living during this time. Taking a realistic approach to this era's more unpleasant aspects, several professional historians from the Bethel area will examine such subjects as crime, corruption, unemployment, addiction, pollution and the "urban plight." Mason House exhibit hall; 1:00 to 4:00 PM; free, but donations accepted
May 22*	Program and Book Signing to celebrate the publication of “Write Quick”: War and a Woman’s Life in Letters, 1836-1867, a book based on Civil War era documents and artifacts in the collections of the Bethel Historical Society. Co-authors are Roberta (“Bobbi”) Gibson Pevear of Exeter, New Hampshire, who is descended from Eliza Bean Foster, the main character of the book, and poet and author Ann Chandonnet of Vale, North Carolina. The book is based on nearly 200 letters written by Roberta’s and Ann's Bethel area ancestors and their extended kinship network in New England. During the talk and book signing, a sampling of the letters, photos and artifacts used in creating the books will be on display. Mason House exhibit hall; 1:30 to 3:30 PM
May 29	Faye Taylor Art Show This annual art show features the work of students in Grades 1-6 in S.A.D. #44. In keeping with the Society's new exhibit celebrating the history of skiing in the Bethel area, the Art Show theme for 2010 will be "Winter Sports." Each student who enters the show is requested to submit a finished painting in any medium (crayon, oils, tempera, watercolors, chalk, etc.) no larger than 12 inches by 18 inches. Paintings must be at the Dr. Moses Mason House exhibit hall by 3 PM on Friday, May 28, 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 3:00 PM
June 26*	Tour of the 1910 Hall House and "Historic New England" Program Join us as we celebrate the 100th anniversaries of Bethel's Hall House—a most interesting Craftsman style residence in Bethel, recently added to the National Register of Historic Places—and "Historic New England" (formerly the "Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities") From 1:00 to 3:00 PM, enjoy a tour of the 1910 Hall House on Kilborn Street (off Chapman Street; watch for signs). Following the tour, there will be a presentation in the Mason House exhibit hall by Peggy Konitzky, Maine Site Administrator for Historic New England, entitled “Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities/Historic New England, 1910-2010: A Centenary Perspective.” free, but donations accepted
July 1 - Sept. 5	Summer Season Guided Tours of the Dr. Moses Mason House 1:00 to 4:00 PM, Tuesday through Sunday through September 5; 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 3 - Sept. 4	Historic Bethel Hill: Guided One-Hour 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 will take place Saturdays at 11:00 a.m. through September 4; meet at the bell tower on the north end of the village common.
July 4	Fourth of July Community Picnic This free event begins at noon on the side lawn of the Dr. Moses Mason House (14 Broad St.). 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 concert and picnic will be held in the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse (1816) on Intervale Road, approximately four miles down river from Bethel Hill village.
August 13 & 14*	Bethel Heritage Festival (formerly "Sudbury Canada Days") The Society's 2010 heritage festival will include the Hall Memorial Lecture (Friday evening, August 13th, at 7:30 PM); old-time crafts; an art show; historical films; period house tours; an "antiquarian supper" and much more! This year's Hall Lecture, entitled "Unbuttoning New England: Peyton Place and the Undocumented Past," will be presented by Ardis Cameron (Ph.D., Boston College), Director and a Professor of American and New England Studies at the University of Southern Maine. Cameron was named a Fellow by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowships in 2002 and received a National Endowment for the Humanities Senior Research Fellowship in 2001. Both were for her project "Tales of Peyton Place: The Biography of a Big Book." She is the author of Radicals of the Worst Sort: The Laboring Women of Lawrence Massachusetts, 1880-1912, (U. of Illinois Press, 1994) and Looking For America: The Visual Production of People and Nation (Blackwell Publications, 2004). Professor Cameron is the author of numerous articles about women, cultural politics and working class history.
September 5	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	BHS Annual Meeting More information forthcoming
September 18	Barn Tour Held in conjunction with the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce's 13th Annual "Harvest Fest," this self-guided tour a dozen or more local barns will run from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, rain or shine. Tickets, at $10/person, will be available at the Society's Robinson House (10 Broad Street) beginning at 9:00 AM. A map containing photographs and brief histories of each barn will be provided.
October 14*	Lecture and Book Signing: "Cobblestone to Hot Top: A Life in Maine" Author and former Bethel school administrator Charles Heino will discuss his years in the community, as well as his recently published memoir, Cobblestone to Hot Top: A Life in Maine. Mason House exhibit hall; 4:00 PM
November 4*	Lecture: "An Engine for Economic Development: The Lewiston and Auburn Railroad" Douglas I. Hodgkin, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at Bates College, will discuss the Grand Trunk branch line that was opened to Auburn and Lewiston, Maine, in July 1874, thanks to a total of $300,000 in capital stock raised by local businessmen and residents after a charter for the "Lewiston and Auburn Railroad" was granted by the Maine Legislature in 1872. Until New England's position as a leader in the textile industry was displaced by the New South, the cotton mills located here made extensive use of this railroad route to ship their products, and thousands of French Canadian immigrants passed through the doors of Lewiston's Grand Trunk depot (1873), which survives today. The 5.43-mile branch line maintained passenger service until 1956. Mason House exhibit hall;
December 9	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! 6:00 to 8:00 PM; free, but donations accepted

Each year, the Bethel Historical Society sponsors an on-going series of lectures, exhibit openings, conferences, seminars, demonstrations, and other educational activities for members and friends of all ages. Event dates and times are subject to change. Please call in advance (207-824-2908 or 800-824-2910) or email us at info@bethelhistorical.org for confirmation and/or more information.

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