Old Berwick Historical Society

Old Berwick Historical Society This is the official site of the Old Berwick Historical Society and Counting House Museum located in South Berwick, Maine

OPEN WEEKEND AFTERNOONS JUNE-OCTOBER AND YEAR ROUND BY APPOINTMENT

The Old Berwick Historical Society promotes public awareness of and appreciation for local and regional history through a variety of activities that explore, preserve, interpret, and celebrate the past, and through stewardship of the Counting House and its collections. We serve history lovers from all over the country, especially

Seacoast New Hampshire and Southern York County, Maine. The Counting House Museum is a regional treasure containing one of northern New England’s last textile mill ballrooms. Home of the Old Berwick Historical Society, it is a repository for documents, photographs and historic curiosities covering a wide spectrum of community life in and around the Berwicks, site of the first permanent settlement in Maine.

How lucky are we to have the South Berwick Community Chorus!
05/31/2026

How lucky are we to have the South Berwick Community Chorus!

Did you know that over 54 million Americans sing in a chorus? 🎼That is more than 1 in 6 adults! Even during our summer break, we love knowing we are part of such a massive musical family. 👪

Our CCSB community is built on the value of inclusivity, where every voice is heard and valued. That's why we have so many long-term members: Everyone is special, and everyone is appreciated 💛💚💙💜

Pun of the day: What do you call a sneaky choir? A group full of treble makers! 😂

05/31/2026

This cloudy Sunday is the perfect weather to explore and inspect the gravestone art in Old Fields Cemetery on Vine Street.

05/30/2026

This c.1900 view from our collection, taken from the South Berwick side of the river, shows the lower impoundment for the Salmon Falls Manufacturing Company that powered Mill No. 1. The impoundment disappeared with the removal of the lower dam for construction of the hydroelectric power plant in the 1920s. It is an interesting view that shows both railroad bridges and the spillway for the upper dam.

Did you know the Old Berwick Historical Society has a number of photographs of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard?This image from...
05/24/2026

Did you know the Old Berwick Historical Society has a number of photographs of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard?

This image from around 1900 shows an area of the shipyard that changed dramatically at the beginning of the 20th century. Taken from a platform on the roof of the “Santee Shiphouse,” it shows a Boathouse\landing (A), storehouses (B), the Franklin Shiphouse (C), and a timber shed (D). On the ground in front of the timber shed are foundations for the marine railway used to pull ships out of a floating dry dock onto land for repairs. Soon after this photo was taken, most of these buildings were destroyed, even the ship house upon which the photographer was standing, and the marine railway was removed after the construction of Dry Dock 2. The only building to survive was the rightmost section of the storehouse.

💀 Happy Halloween from your favorite Munsters at Old Berwick Historical Society 👻🎃
10/31/2025

💀 Happy Halloween from your favorite Munsters at Old Berwick Historical Society 👻🎃

Address

2 Liberty Street
South Berwick, ME
03908

Opening Hours

1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+12073840000

Website

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