Pejebscot Historical Society

Purpose: Sustaining Cultural Heritage The Pejepscot Historical Society (PHS) began collecting in 1888. Acquisitions initially focused on documents and manuscripts, but the collecting emphasis has broadened to encompass the area's material culture. In addition to the 32,500 pieces in the PHS collection, the society owns two seasonal historic houses and their furnishings, as well as the main property, which provides year-round space for changing exhibits, research, offices, and storage. In this project, the society will complete an ongoing effort to secure physical and intellectual control of a portion of its collection, namely, the three-dimensional artifacts of the local history collection that form the core of the community's identity. PHS will hire a full-time curatorial assistant for two years who will work with professional staff and volunteers to finish a full inventory, upgrade storage conditions, reconcile accession records with the objects, and catalog them. A portion of the grant will be used to buy a computer and the appropriate software. The result will be greatly improved access to the collection, an essential step toward the highest priority goal in the Society's long-range plan, which is to build capacity for a future capital campaign.