The Museums of the Mount Desert Island Historical Society in Somesville open for the season with an exclusive exhibit preview, drinks, and appetizers, on Friday, June 20, from 4 to 6 PM. Please register at:
https://forms.gle/jzcMcjvFXS1TNWKGA
Our new permanent exhibit uncovers the under-told stories of MDI’s past—stories of resilience, labor, and life beyond the familiar tourist lens. Explore the lived experiences of the Wabanaki people, early settlers, immigrants in the granite and construction industries, domestic workers, seasonal laborers, and year-round residents who worked in fisheries, boat building, canneries, and more. These narratives connect the island’s towns and villages, showing how MDI is both unique and part of a shared coastal Maine legacy.
Also launching this season is the Historical Society’s new mobile app, featuring a self-guided tour of 15 historic sites across the island. This location-based experience shares local history right where it happened, offering deeper insight into MDI’s landscapes, communities, and landmarks—especially those often left out of traditional narratives.
The Museums open to the public on Saturday, June 21, with regular hours from Tuesday to Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Admission is a suggested $5 donation—members and children enjoy free entry. For more details, visit www.mdihistory.org
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The Somesville Museum sits at the heart of the island’s history. Constructed in 1981, the building overlooks an ancient mill pond and tranquil Somes Harbor with Sargent and Norumbega Mountains in the distance. Beside the Museum, plants of the 19th and early 20th centuries bloom in a lovely Heirloom Garden from late May through October. The garden has become a focus for education about the flowering plants and herbs which have flourished on Mount Desert Island. The Selectmen’s Building is often described as the most photographed site on Mount Desert Island. It was constructed during the 1780s by John Somes, son of Abraham Somes, who settled in the village in 1761. Used at various times throughout its history as a cobbler’s shop, post office, and a museum, the building also served as the Town Office for Mount Desert during the 19th century and until 1911. Crossing the mill stream between the Somesville Selectmen’s Building and the Museum is the Thaddeus Shepley Somes Memorial Bridge, built in 1981 to honor a descendant of Abraham
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