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Kennebunk
The Brick Store Museum, Kennebunk
Brick Store Museum, 117 Main St., Kennebunk. A block of restored 19th century buildings. Tuesday–Friday, 10 AM to 4:30 PM; Saturday, 10 AM to 1 PM. Ongoing exhibits. Saturday is “Family Day,” with special family rate of $10, up to six members. “Brick Store Museum at Night” every third Thursday, 5 to 8 PM, through September. Features special behind-the-scenes collections tours. Admission: Family, up to six members, $20; adults $7.50; seniors $6; children, 6 to 16, $3; under 6, free. Free to members. FMI brickstoremuseum.org or 985-4802. www.brickstoremuseum.org
Kennebunkport
Pasco Exhibit Center of the Kennebunkport Historical Society. The society was established in l952 to preserve the history of Kennebunkport. The campus includes the Benson Blacksmith Shop, an old schoolhouse building, where there is a genealogical research library, and the former office of the Clark Shipyard of Kennebunkport, which contains a small maritime exhibit. 125 North St., Kennebunkport. Monday–Friday, 9 AM to 3 PM, year-round. Admission $5; free for KHS members. FMI kennebunkporthistoricalsociety.org or 967-2751.
First Families Museum at White Columns
The First Families Kennebunkport Museum is now open to visitors
at White Columns in Kennebunkport.
The First Families Kennebunkport Museum is open to visitors at White Columns at 8 Maine Street in the heart of the village. Visitors to the new museum, operated by the Kennebunkport Historical Society, can tour the 1853 Greek Revival home (formerly called the Nott House) and view exhibitions covering two centuries of Kennebunkport history. With tours every 30 minutes, local guides will share stories and artifacts from sea captains and shipbuilders to rusticators to Kennebunkport’s most famous summer resident, former President George H.W. Bush and his family.
The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas, is sharing a collection of photographs of the Bush family for the new museum. Former President Bush presented the historical society with some fishing gear and artwork from the family compound.
The museum has programming developed specifically for children. Reuben Moses, a high school senior, helped to create special tour activities for young students. The museum store has a selection of presidential memorabilia, maritime history collectibles and unique Kennebunkport treasures. Open May to Columbus Day; Monday to Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM, with tours every 30 minutes. Admission is $10 per person; children under age 12 are admitted free. House tour includes admission to the First Families Museum. FMI visit www.kporthistory.org or call 207-967-2751.
Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport
Seashore Trolley Museum houses one of the largest collections of electric and railway cars in the United States. It offers trolley rides in authentic cars, educational slide shows, displays of historic trolleys and a gift shop. Guided tours and trolley rides. Open daily, 10 AM to 5 PM, from Memorial Day through October; open weekends in May. Admission is $10, adults; $7.50, children age 6 to 16; $5, age 3 to 5; free, under 3; $8, seniors, age 60 and up. 195 Log Cabin Road, 207-967-2712. www.trolleymuseum.org
Kittery
Kittery Historical and Naval Museum, 200 Rogers Rd. Ext., Kittery. Items and artifacts that reflect Kittery’s rich historical and maritime past, including shipbuilding, toys, archaeological finds and household artifacts. Special programs offered year-round. Open Saturday and Sundays, 10 AM to 4 PM, mid-April through Columbus Day. Adults, $3; children 7 to 15, $1.50; under 7, free. FMI kitterymuseum.com or 207-439-3080. www.mainemuseums.org
Ogunquit
Ogunquit Fire Company Fire Museum, Firemen’s Park, 86 Obed’s Lane, Ogunquit. On view 24 hours a day. View the steam pumper, firefighting memorabilia and memorials.
The Ogunquit Heritage Museum is located in the Captain James Winn House. The restored c.1780 cape retains many original architectural features. Exhibits focus on maritime history, Ogunquit’s famous artist colony, local Colonial architecture. A “Do You Remember?” room is devoted to more recent history. Free admission. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 5 PM, June to October. 86 Obeds Lane, 207-646-0296. www.ogunquitheritagemuseum.org
Ogunquit Museum of American Art
Ogunquit Museum of American Art, founded in l952 by artist Henry Strater, is a privately endowed, nonprofit institution dedicated to the collection, preservation and exhibition of 20th century American art. The property is surrounded by carefully tended gardens and landscaping. The glass-fronted lobby opens to a spectacular view of the sea. Open May 1 through October 31; daily, 10 AM to 5 PM; Admission is $10; $9 for seniors; $9 for students; under age 12, free. Shore Road, 207-646-4909. www.ogunquitmuseum.org
Saco
Saco Museum is a regional museum of fine and decorative arts and historic artifacts. The collection contains more than 10,000 artifacts, including documented local furniture, clocks and other decorative arts such as silver, ceramics, textiles and costumes. Saco Museum features three permanent exhibits that explore the settlement period along the Saco River, immigration, industrialization and conservation in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the natural history of the area. Additionally there are two long term exhibit galleries and a large exhibit hall with frequently changing exhibits that feature the Saco Museum’s collection, regional art exhibitions and community events. The museum’s distinctive red brick Colonial revival building was designed by noted Maine architect John Calvin Stevens. 371 Main St. (Rte. 1), Saco. Tuesday–Thursday, noon to 4 PM; Friday, noon to 8 PM; Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM; also Sunday, noon to 4 PM, June through December. Adults $5, seniors and students $3, children 7 to 18, $2, 6 and under free. Free admission, Fridays, after 4 PM. FMI dyerlibrarysacomuseum.org or 283-3861.
Counting House Museum, South Berwick
South Berwick
Counting House Museum is a brick cotton factory dating back to the 1830s located by the Salmon Falls River. It is the headquarters of the Old Berwick Historical Society, which owns and maintains the property. The building contains one of northern New England’s last textile mill ballrooms and has documents, photographs and historic curiosities covering a wide spectrum of community life in and around the Berwicks, the site of the first permanent settlement in Maine. Open 1 to 4 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, June through October. Admission is free. Main (Route 4) and Liberty streets,
207-384-0000. www.obhs.net
Hamilton House, built in 1785, stands majestically on the banks of the Salmon Falls River. It is owned by the Society for Preservation of New England Antiquities. Restored in 1898, the home is decorated with elegant antiques, murals and country furnishings representing America’s Colonial period. There are lush gardens where concerts are held on Sunday afternons in the summer months. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM, June 1 through mid-October; tours offered on the hour; grounds open dawn to dusk. The property is adjacent to (and accessible by footpath from) Vaughns Woods. Admission is $10 adults; $9 seniors; $5 students. 40 Vaughans Lane, 207-384-2454. www.historicnewengland.org
Jewett House, the Georgian-style home of writer Sarah Orne Jewett, is owned by the Society for Preservation of New England Antiquities. The view from her desk in the second-floor hall overlooks the village of South Berwick and inspired material for her books, such as The Country of the Pointed Firs, which capture the character of the Maine countryside and seacoast. Open Friday to Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM, June 1 through mid-October. Last tour is at 4 PM. First and third Saturdays, November to May. Admission is $8 adults; $7 seniors; $4 students. 5 Portland Street, 207-384-2454. www.historicnewengland.org
Wells
Meetinghouse Museum on Route 1 is the home of the Historical Society of Wells-Ogunquit. Nautical, decorative arts and other exhibits and genealogical research library. Winter hours are 10 AM to 4 PM Wednesday and Thursday; summer hours are 10 AM to 4 PM Tuesday through Thursday. Route 1, across from Wells Plaza, 207-646-4775. www.wellsogunquithistory.org
York
The pillory, Old Gaol, York
York’s Historic District comprises York Village, York Harbor and York Corners. The Old York Historical Society has eight historic museum buildings, including: a Colonial tavern, an old jail complete with dungeons and cells, a riverside estate filled with antiques and a warehouse that once belonged to patriot John Hancock.
The Old Gaol (Jail), a highlight of the Old York Historical Society properties, dates back to 1719. It housed prisoners from 1719 to1860 and is one of the oldest British public buildings in America. A tour of the famous “aol” includes a visit to the gaoler’s quarters, the cells and dungeons. Also on the site are a nature preserve, museum shop, contemporary art gallery and restored gardens.
The visitor center is located in Jefferds’ Tavern, Route 1A and Lindsay Road, in York Village. Open June through September 3, Tuesday to Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM; Sunday 1 to 5 PM. September 7 to Columbus Day, open Thursday to Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM; Sunday, 1 to 5 PM. All-day admission $12 adults, $8 children under 16. One-building ticket $5 adult; children $3. Free to children 5 and under, New England Museums Association Members with ID, and active-duty military personnel. 207-363-4974. www.oldyork.org
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Strawbery Banke
Strawbery Banke Museum is an outdoor history museum with restored furnished houses, exhibits, historical landscapes and gardens and costumed role players. In 1630 the Englishmen who settled on this tidal inlet of the Piscataqua River called their outpost Strawbery Banke because of the profusion of wild berries that grew near the river. In 1958, the founders of the museum chose to use the name (and spelling) of the original community. Strawbery Banke is an authentic neighborhood, with most of the 42 historic buildings on their original foundations. Some of the houses have been restored and furnished to particular periods; some are used for exhibits; others serve as shops for artisans practicing traditional trades. Open May 1 through October; daily, 10 AM to 5 PM for self-guided tours. Admission is $19.50 for adults; $9 for ages 5 to 17. Family and group rates available. The museum parking lot is on Hancock Street, 603-433-1100. www.strawberybanke.org
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