BETHEL — On Saturday, July 22, the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society and the Northern Forest Center will sponsor a day of programming in celebration of the Northern Forest Center’s acquisition of the Gehring House and the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society’s “Golden Age of the Gehring Clinic” exhibit.
The Gehring House, constructed in 1896, served as both the home of Dr. John George and Mrs. Marion True Gehring and the clinic where Dr. Gehring, a pioneer in the field of psychiatry, would treat patients from all over the United States. In the 1950s, it became the headquarters of the National Training Laboratories, which occupied the building for nearly half a century. The acquisition of the building was announced last December by the Northern Forest Center, which plans to preserve the exterior and essential structure of the building while developing space for middle-market housing.
The July 22 event will focus on the early history of the building. The day’s events will begin with a coffee reception at 10 a.m. in the lobby of the McLaughlin Science Center at Gould Academy. At 10:30, William F. Chapman, Executive Director of the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, will give a presentation on Dr. Gehring and his legacy. This will be followed at 11:15 by walking tours up Church Street and Broad Street and concluding at the Gehring House, highlighting approximately twenty buildings along the way with connections to the Gehring family or with some of Dr. Gehring’s famous patients. At noon, the Northern Forest Center will host a reception on the grounds of the Gehring House, which will feature a presentation by Northern Forest Center staff and a chance to see the inside of the house. Light appetizers will be provided.
The “Golden Age of the Gehring Clinic” exhibit will be on view at the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society’s Robinson House from 1-4 p.m.
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