Museum News
Celebrating Belfast's 250th Birthday!
Belfast's remarkable history unfolds in two pivotal moments: its incorporation as a town in 1773 and subsequent transformation into a city in 1853. While the centenary celebration of its city status garnered widespread acclaim, the earlier milestone remained overlooked, lacking the recognition it deserved.
BHSM Publications
Introducing Belfast, the newest book in Arcadia’ Publishing’s Images of America series available for purchase summer 2020.
Co-authors Megan Pinette and Jane McLean have assembled informative and entertaining text with photographs from the Belfast Museum, Belfast Free Library and Penobscot Marine Museum collections. Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr, Maine State Historian, wrote the foreword.
The book highlights Belfast history from early settlement in 1770 to 1953, the year we celebrated 100 years as a City. Belfast will feature both photographs and text which highlight our history from 1770-1953. Chapters will include "Belfast Views", "Making A Living", "Home Sweet Home", "Celebrations" and more.
Images of America Belfast books are for sale at the museum and local booksellers. Books will be available for purchase at the museum, local outlets, and Amazon.
Watch the video about this exciting release!
Recent Donation
G.A.R. CIvil War Funeral Ribbon
“Honor the Noble Dead” is the sentiment printed on the funeral ribbon worn by Capt. Ephraim W. Wiley as a member of the Thomas H. Marshall, Post 42, Civil War veterans’ organization. This ribbon was donated by the Maine State Museum to the Belfast Museum in February 2024. At the time of the donation all they knew about Capt. Wiley was that he was from Belfast and had served in the Civil War.
The Belfast Museum reached out to Brian Swartz, Maine Civil War historian, to see if he would research Capt. Wiley. Brian provided his enlistment and discharge record found at the Maine State Archives. That document provided us with a history of his wartime service. He enlisted in September 1861 as a corporal in Company H of the 8th Maine Volunteer Infantry. At that time, he was twenty-four years old, born in Belfast, single, stood 5’10,” and had hazel eyes and brown hair. He was recorded as being a seaman, which might explain his “dark” complexion, possibly caused by his “years before the mast.” This record also has a notation, “also Searsmont.”
The 8th Maine was originally active on the East Coast. Capt. Wiley was present at the Port Royal attack in 1861, the Jacksonville, Florida incursion in 1863, the battle of Cold Harbor and the Petersburg siege and assaults in 1864. He and his regiment were in the front at Appomattox on April 9, 1864.
It is most interesting to read that towards the end of Capt. Wiley's three-year enlistment and what should have been his last months of service, he reenlisted on January 1, 1864 as a Veteran Volunteer, serving six months with the Freedmen’s Bureau, a U. S. government agency of early post war Reconstruction, assisting former slaves in the south. Wiley left service with an honorable discharge on February 23, 1866. His progress from corporal, then sergeant, then commissioned as a second lieutenant, and finally made captain indicate he was a good soldier with great leadership skills.
On returning from the war, Wiley first located in Searsmont, but moved to Belfast in 1893 and in the early 1900s returned to Searsmont. Capt. Ephraim W. Wiley died at his home on January 14, 1919. He was 81 years, 9 months and 23 days old. His obituary tells us, “He had a fine war record and was an upright citizen, a kind husband and father.” His wife, the former Elizabeth J. Ross and their six children survived him. Elizabeth passed away in 1930. Both Ephraim and Elizabeth are buried in Hillcrest Cemetery in Searsmont.
The Thomas H. Marshall Post 42, Grand Army of the Republic was founded in 1881 by local Civil War veterans. The post built their Memorial Hall in 1890 and used the upper floor for reunions, meetings, and veteran and widows’ services. They marched in various parades and attended the funerals of their comrades. The two lower floors were rented to the City of Belfast for municipal offices and the police and fire departments. The post disbanded in 1934, deeding the building to the city.
We are indeed fortunate to have such a personal item once belonging to Capt. Wiley. The Belfast Museum thanks the Maine State Museum, Brian Swartz and Rick Davis, for historical and genealogy information.
Historic Snapshot
The Belfast Co-Op History Project
Three Belfast Co-Op board member alumnae, Kate Hanson, Debbi Lasky and Bindy Pendleton partnered with BHSM curator, Megan Pinette, in creating a comprehensive archival history. This has been a multi-year effort to collate, categorize and safely store Board of Directors materials spanning from the mid-1970s to 2017. The goal was to safely preserve the many sides of diversity and passion of the members of the Belfast Co-Op. There are now board governance documents at the Belfast Museum and made available to any wishing to view them.
The Belfast Co-Op is the oldest continually operating cooperative food store in Maine. It first opened as a storefront on upper Main Street in 1976 and incorporated in 1979. As the organization looks toward the future with an extensive expansion project underway, it became important for these records to find a suitable home in the Museum.
Click on images to enlarge and view slideshow.
Belfast's Granite History
In recent years, Gary Stuckey and Douglas Pierce, two museum volunteers, researched the granite industry in Belfast.
Both men are retired geologists and were keen to do research on a subject not often written about. During their exploration, they employed resources found in the museum, these included maps, Belfast directories, photographs and archived news articles.
Download and read the result of their investigations:
Belfast History is Your History!
We need your support to keep the Belfast Historical Society & Museum open and continue to preserve Maine's coastal history. Please consider a small donation.
Thank you!
Your Old House
The Belfast Historical Society is offering Historic House Plaques. The cost is $170.00 and includes a Membership in the Belfast Historical Society. This is an attractive product, and the offer is for everyone not just houses in the historic district.
The museum may be able to help you date your house and identify the original owner. A sample house marker can be seen on the museum building.
Thank You, Volunteers!
Betsey Feeley has been a volunteer at the Belfast Historical Society and Museum for 16 years. She has catalogued over 3000 photographs from the Museum’s collection; updated information on the 330 houses in Belfast’s Historic House District; created a database and entered information from the Museum’s seven volumes of (1500) obituaries spanning 1885 to 1929; and organizes materials for the display case at the Belfast Free Library.
Betsey received a BA in Art History from Brown University and an MFA in photography from Pratt Institute. She had a 30-year career in New York City as an arts administrator and also volunteers at the Belfast Soup Kitchen and Waterfall Arts.