Bar Harbor Historical Society

Bar Harbor Historical Society is the principal historical society of Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island in Maine. It preserves, interprets, and presents material relating to the history of the community and the island, combining museum activity with the stewardship of historical archives and collections. The organization is locally focused rather than a commercial consumer brand, but its name functions as the public-facing identity for a civic and cultural institution. The society was founded on August 19, 1946. Its first physical home was a small room beneath the stairs at Jesup Library, where the organization began the work of collecting and caring for historical materials. As the collection expanded, the society required a dedicated building capable of supporting both storage and public interpretation. In 1997, it purchased 33 Ledgelawn Avenue, the former St. Edward’s Convent. The building enabled the society to consolidate more of its holdings and to operate a seasonal museum on the first floor. A major change came in 2019, when the society acquired La Rochelle, a large brick mansion on Bar Harbor’s West Street. Built in 1902, the property contains 41 rooms and approximately 13,000 square feet. It was designed for George Bowdoin by the Boston architectural firm Andrews and Rantoul. Before becoming the society’s museum, La Rochelle was associated with Ruth and Tristram Colket and with the Maine Seacoast Mission. The society moved its archives and collections from Ledgelawn Avenue to La Rochelle in early 2019, making the mansion its principal museum and institutional home. La Rochelle provides the society with a historically significant setting for exhibitions and public engagement while also accommodating the organization’s archival functions. The move represented more than a change of address: it gave the society a substantially larger and more prominent venue in which to interpret Bar Harbor’s built, social, and institutional history. The organization’s work is therefore closely connected to local heritage preservation, the care of documentary and physical collections, and access to the historical record of Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island. Public information identifies the society primarily through its museum, collections, archival work, and historic properties. Specific admission policies, staffing details, collection statistics, annual budgets, and current exhibition schedules are not established by the supplied reference material. The society’s current public identity remains centered on La Rochelle and on its role as a local historical institution serving residents, researchers, and visitors interested in the history of Bar Harbor and the wider island community.

Bar Harbor Historical Society was established on August 19, 1946, as the principal organization dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island. Its earliest physical base was a small room beneath the stairs at Jesup Library. This modest setting reflects the society’s initial scale, but the organization’s purpose was already defined by the collection and care of historical materials associated with the local community. Over time, the society’s holdings grew beyond what could be accommodated in its original library room. In 1997, it purchased 33 Ledgelawn Avenue, a property that had previously served as St. Edward’s Convent. The acquisition gave the organization a permanent building for its collections and allowed it to create a seasonal museum space on the first floor. The Ledgelawn Avenue period marked the society’s transition from a small library-based historical group to an institution with a dedicated public venue and expanded collection-storage capacity. The next major phase began in 2019 with the purchase of La Rochelle on Bar Harbor’s historic West Street. The property is a 41-room, approximately 13,000-square-foot brick mansion built in 1902 for George Bowdoin. Architects Andrews and Rantoul of Boston designed the house. Before the historical society acquired it, La Rochelle was associated with Ruth and Tristram Colket and with the Maine Seacoast Mission. The society moved its archives and collections to La Rochelle in early 2019. The relocation placed the institution in a substantially larger and historically notable building, allowing the museum and its collections to be presented in a setting that itself forms part of Bar Harbor’s architectural heritage. La Rochelle consequently became the society’s principal museum and public identity. The organization’s historical role encompasses preservation, archival stewardship, museum interpretation, and public access to materials concerning Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island. Its institutional development has been shaped by the need to provide increasingly suitable facilities for a growing collection: first the room at Jesup Library, then the former convent on Ledgelawn Avenue, and finally the large La Rochelle estate. The available reference material does not identify the society’s founders, current officers, staffing structure, detailed collections, or exhibition calendar. Those areas require further verification from the organization’s own publications or current official records.

• 2019

  La Rochelle acquired

  [1]Bar Harbor Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The society purchased La Rochelle, a historic 41-room brick mansion on West Street in Bar Harbor.

• 2019

  Archives and collections moved to La Rochelle

  [1]Bar Harbor Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The organization relocated its archives and collections from 33 Ledgelawn Avenue to its new La Rochelle facility.

• 1997

  Acquisition of 33 Ledgelawn Avenue

  [1]Bar Harbor Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The society purchased the former St. Edward’s Convent at 33 Ledgelawn Avenue, providing space for its growing collection and a seasonal first-floor museum.

• 1946

  Society founded

  [1]Bar Harbor Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Bar Harbor Historical Society was founded on August 19, 1946, to serve as the principal historical society for Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island.

• 1946

  First location established at Jesup Library

  [1]Bar Harbor Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The organization established its first physical location in a small room beneath the stairs at Jesup Library.

A community-based historical institution focused on preserving and interpreting the heritage of Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island through a museum, archives, collections, and historic property.

• Museum · 2019

  La Rochelle Museum

  The society’s principal museum is housed in La Rochelle, a 41-room, approximately 13,000-square-foot brick mansion on West Street in Bar Harbor. The building was constructed in 1902 for George Bowdoin and designed by Andrews and Rantoul of Boston. La Rochelle serves both as a historic property and as the public setting for the society’s exhibitions and interpretation.

• Archives · 1946

  Historical archives and collections

  The society maintains archives and historical collections relating to Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island. These materials form the foundation of its preservation and research role and were moved to La Rochelle in 2019. The supplied references do not specify the collection’s size, formats, or detailed subject divisions.

• Exhibitions · 1997

  Seasonal museum exhibitions

  The society has presented historical material through museum exhibitions, including a seasonal museum space established at 33 Ledgelawn Avenue after the 1997 building acquisition. Current exhibition titles and schedules are not identified in the supplied sources.

• 2019

  Move the society to La RochelleStrategy

  Background

  The organization sought a larger and more historically significant setting for its museum, archives, and collections.

  Action taken

  The society purchased La Rochelle on West Street and relocated its archives and collections from Ledgelawn Avenue.

  Aftermath

  La Rochelle became the society’s principal museum and public home, combining a historic estate with the organization’s preservation and interpretation work.

  Source

• 1997

  Acquire a dedicated museum and collection facilityStrategy

  Background

  The society’s collection had outgrown its early accommodation in a room at Jesup Library.

  Action taken

  The organization purchased 33 Ledgelawn Avenue, the former St. Edward’s Convent, and used it to house collections and operate a seasonal museum.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition gave the society a permanent institutional base and expanded its ability to display and preserve historical material.

  Source

• 2019

  Bar Harbor Historical Society acquires La Rochelle and relocates its collections[1]Bar Harbor Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The society purchased La Rochelle, a 41-room historic mansion on West Street, and moved its archives and collections there from 33 Ledgelawn Avenue. The property became the society’s principal museum location.

1. 1Bar Harbor Historical Societyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Bar Harbor Historical Society official websitebarharborhistorical.org