The Town of Gouldsboro Historical Society is devoted to researching, collecting, preserving, and sharing the Town’s historical material, and educating others about the history of our Town and region. The Society serves the community by operating the Old Town House Museum and the Blance Archive; by sharing its collection through its website and other digital resources; by assisting the Town in the preservation of its cemetery and historical Town records; by cooperating with schools, libraries, and local organizations; and by offering numerous events and publications to inform and entertain the public.
The Society was begun in 1982 by Lyda Noyes and Mary Lou Weaver as the West Gouldsboro Historical Society. They quickly discovered there was much interest throughout the whole town in preserving the history of the area. Thus, in 1983, the name of the Society was changed to the Town of Gouldsboro Historical Society and collections of papers and artifacts concerning the early history of the town were donated to the group.
The Society holds monthly meetings on the first Monday of each month, May through October, where speakers present topics of interest concerning early residents, businesses, or specific features of the area. The schedule for this year’s programs can be found on our Programs page. In addition, the Society periodically publishes monographs related to Town history as well as an Annual Newsletter distributed to its members.
Meet Our Board of Directors
- Donald Ashmall, President
- Ray Mathewson, Vice President
- Brianna Mitchell, Secretary
- Andrew Somes, Treasurer
- Charles Booher
- Jay Bricker
- Beatrice Buckley
- Karl Buckley
- Anne Hopper
- Kenneth Kelly
- Jennifer Stucker
- Allen Workman
The Society is a 501(C)(3) and organized as permitted under Title 13-B, Maine Revised Statutes Annotated (non-profit organization) and operates from by-laws overseen by a Board of Directors. Several committees see to the running and up-keep of the Society and buildings. A curator and assistant curator are responsible for the display and handling of all collections.
About our Logo
In 1908, the Daughters of Liberty published a brief history of the Town called Historical Researches of Gouldsboro, Maine. It is the earliest known publication on the subject and the Society reprints it from time to time. The decorative imprint shown above appears in several locations throughout the book, and we adopted it as our logo.
Though the original artwork is long gone, the image we extracted from the book depicts a gaf-rigged sloop skimming below the horizon, the water encircled by a leafy branch, grazing the rays of the setting sun — or is it rising? For most of its history, Gouldsboro has been a fishing and farming community. This tiny, detailed piece of artwork signifies both. Some see the sloop heading west into the sunset. Others see it heading east into the sunrise. How fitting for a Town situated on a peninsula!