Founded: The Otisfield Historical Society was founded in 1981. To a large degree it was the outgrowth of the survey of Otisfield’s oldest buildings, undertaken for the Oxford County Historic Resource Survey. This survey, together with similar surveys of other towns in Oxford County, eventually resulted in the compilation and publication of Randall H. Bennett’s acclaimed architectural survey, title
d Oxford County, Maine: A Guide to Its Historic Architecture (Bethel, Maine, 1984). Many of the Otisfielders who participated in that survey were the first members of the Otisfield Historical Survey. Ethel Bean Turner provided much of the energy and leadership of the Society during its first years. Mission: According to the Historical Society’s Constitution, the purpose of the Otisfield Historical Society “shall be to bring together those people interested in the history of Otisfield, Maine, to collect and preserve any material which may help to establish or illustrate the history of the Otisfield area. The Society shall make accessible historical information, promote interest in history, provide relevant programs, and acquire and hold property.”
Collections: 75 collections, including letters, diaries, photographs, videotapes, audiotapes, deeds and legal documents, autograph albums, books, scrapbooks, and artifacts. The Society’s Collection Policy states that we will accept and acquire only items which we can store and care for properly. It is also our policy to make these as accessible as possible without putting them at physical risk. Officers:
Derek Dorr, President
Callie Zilinsky, Vice-President
Jessica Dorr, Secretary
Mike Thorne, Treasurer
Maureen Mooney-Howard, Archivist
Jean Hankins, Assistant Archivist
Trustees: Alan Douglass, Jean Hankins
Directors Emeritus: Bruce Baker, Ethel Turner and Celeste Hyer
