Castine Historical Society

06/01/2026

Thank you to The Rising Tide and writer Emily Baer for chatting with us about Francis Hamabe's Maine: A Life in Art. We are so excited for folks to join us this summer to see this joyful exhibition and to come to a program! Check out our website for more. Save the date for our open house on June 20!

CHS retrospective, dedicated to ‘joyful’ local artist, is first of its kind

05/30/2026

Our dear friends Loi and Tom’s incredible home is featured in Country Living Magazine! If you want to see inside some of Castine’s beautiful homes, join us for our House & Garden Tour on July 24! Link for tickets in the comment ⬇️

Everyone else considered it a teardown, but designer Loi Thai saw the potential for the perfect summer retreat. Take a peek—the link to this Country Living house tour is in the comments ⬇️

05/28/2026

A very different view of the Trinitarian Congregational Church before the installation of its 120 foot spire in 1867.

05/28/2026

The Wilson Museum in Castine has officially kicked off its 2026 summer season. To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, the museum is featuring a new exhibit of an American ship during the Revolutionary War.

05/27/2026

Questions? [email protected].
This year we are looking for four new people to join the MAM board. As an association, MAM is made up of historical societies, museums, and archives from every county in Maine. Our membership ranges from small organizations run entirely by volunteers to large institutions with paid staff. We want our board to better reflect MAM membership, so we especially encourage nominations from smaller or all-volunteer organizations, and from northern, western, and downeast Maine.

For more information and to nominate yourself or someone else, head to https://tinyurl.com/2027nom.

Questions? [email protected].

05/27/2026

Have you seen the work happening at the Wilson Museum on the chimneys of the Perkins House? It is one of the oldest surviving structures in Castine, though like many historic buildings, it has seen its fair share of renovations over the years! You can tour the Perkins House at the CHS's House & Garden Tour on July 24!

This is a photo of the John Perkins House before it was deconstructed and moved to Perkins Street. The photograph also features the accompanying historic sign.

The back of the photograph reads, "The John Perkins House-1779- bought by the Castine Scientific Society, is being torn down and will be reconstructed on the Wilson Museum Grounds- Donations to help with preserving this Revolutionary period house may be sent to the Castine Scientific Association."

📸1998.56.1, (c) Castine Historical Society

05/26/2026

Blue Hill Peninsula area educators are invited to come to the CHS for a special Educator Appreciation Event on June 12, 3:00-5:00 pm, to view Francis Hamabe's Maine: A Life in Art for a special tour of the exhibition. Light refreshments will be served. Registration encouraged but not required.

Did you know the CHS is happy to host field trips? We'd love to host your classes to view and engage with Francis Hamabe's Maine or to engage with our rich archives that chronicle the history of Castine and the Blue Hill Peninsula. Reach out to us at [email protected]

05/25/2026

The CHS office will be closed today, May 25, in observance of Memorial Day. Our museum is open, however! Come visit Francis Hamabe's Maine: A Life in Art, at the Abbott School at 17 School Street today from 10 - 4.

📸Black and white photograph of Memorial Day parade. Shows a portion of the parade with young children holding American flags. Parade located on Court street, (70 Court street visible in the background). Photo was taken on May 31st, 1937.

05/24/2026

Have you stopped by the Abbott School yet? We’re open from 1-4 today! We have a fun selection of gifts for the whole family, and plenty of new merchandise for you to check out. You can shop online, too, at the link in our bio.

05/23/2026

Francis Hamabe’s Maine: A Life in Art opens today at the CHS museum, 17 School St. Castine. We are so excited to welcome you to the CHS this season and we hope you enjoy this joyful exploration of Hamabe’s life and art in Downeast Maine.

Stay tuned for info on our open house on June 20 and other upcoming programs!