Gifts

The Southwest Harbor Historical Society welcomes gifts of materials relevant to the history of our area of Mount Desert Island. All items that are offered are considered by the Acquisitions Committee and/or the Society Board of Directors before acceptance, as space and ability to care for certain types of material may not be available.

We are interested in paper items (such as diaries; letters; scrapbooks; reports by individuals/businesses/groups; and genealogical papers); electronic and visual media (such as photographs, videos, tapes, computer files, and printouts); and objects (such as tools, home and business artifacts, and toys).

If you are considering a donation, you may contact us at:

P.O. Box 272
Southwest Harbor, ME 04679
or email us at southwestharborhistorical@gmail.com.

Leave your contact information so we can arrange to meet. Please do not leave items on the doorsteps of the Manset Meetinghouse.

We are a 501(c)3 organization, giving our donors the advantage of listing gifts as an itemized deduction on their income tax forms, but any valuation or appraisal is the responsibility of the donors, not the Society.

Every item that is left at the Society by prior arrangement must be documented with the name, address, phone number and email address of the owner.

A Temporary Custody Receipt will be completed and signed. The donor and the Society will each retain a copy. Once it has been determined by the Society whether the item(s) will be accepted into our Archival Collection or used for an Exhibit/Teaching/and or Educational Support item(s), a Deed of Gift will be issued to transfer title to the Society. If the item is not accepted for any purpose, it will either be returned, sold or disposed of as agreed upon by both parties at the execution of the Temporary Custody Receipt.

Rocking chair and tea cup from Frances Hitchcock homestead