BETHEL – An exhibit highlighting the history of the Androscoggin River from its source near Errol, N.H., to the point where it joins the Kennebec River in Merrymeeting Bay below Brunswick is on display in the Bethel Historical Society’s O’Neil Robinson House.
Several months in the making, the exhibit, prepared by Randall H. Bennett, society curator of collections, with assistance from Danna Nickerson, combines historical photographs, woodcuts and maps as well as landscape paintings, prints and commemorative china to provide a view of the river’s history. These are further explained by accompanying text.
One of the largest rivers in northern New England, the Androscoggin drains an area of more than 3,400 square miles on a course that includes rapids and waterfalls on its way to the sea.
With the use of historical and visual resources, Bennett and Nickerson present a vivid picture of the Androscoggin’s past – from its role as a transportation route for Native Americans to a means of shipping logs to lumber and paper mills, to a source of nutrients for agricultural production and water power for industry, and as a popular destination for boaters, fishermen, artists, photographers, and nature enthusiasts.
The exhibit is open throughout the year from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday. During July and August, it will also be open from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday until Labor Day.
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