In 2026, the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society and partnering organizations will join communities across the nation in marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. Our regional activities are organized under the banner of Independence 250: Engage With Our History. The project has been developed by a coordinating committee that began its work in the spring of 2025, and includes trustees and staff of MBHS as well as individual community members and representatives of organizations including the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce, MSAD #44, the Rotary Club of Bethel, Bethel Library Association, Rumford Public Library, Bethel Area Arts and Music, the Mahoosuc Land Trust, and Western Mountains Senior College.
On our new website, 250Bethel.org, you’ll find a full calendar of events which have been planned so far, including lectures, a book discussion series, programming for families and children, and our expanded Fourth of July Community Celebration, which will feature our annual concert by the Portland Brass Quintet, as well as a parade, games and activities, and a reading of the Declaration of Independence.
In addition to the events listed on the calendar, several special projects are underway. Our skilled “sewer-in-residence,” Donna Gillis, is leading a statewide commemorative quilt project that will bring together quilt guilds from across Maine to create a patchwork celebrating each of the sixteen counties. We are also partnering with local schools to involve students in projects, including on an oral history project, and preparing two special exhibits: a showcase of centennial- era quilts, and a look back at how Bethel and the surrounding region celebrated earlier national milestones.