History of Hampden Historical Society
On April 29, 1970 a group of nineteen people met with the purpose of recording and preserving information and artifacts of the town of Hampden. This was the beginning of the Hampden Historical Society which was incorporated in that first year. Until June of 1981 the group met at many different locations. It was then that they purchased the Kinsley House on the Main Road in Hampden. The Kinsley House was put on the National Register of Historic Places in May of 1983.
. To continue to meet their objectives the society moved and remodeled a shed into the archives where materials are preserved and made available to interested researchers. In 1988 Hannibal Hamlin's Law Office was acquired and moved to the property. Also another building to be used as a blacksmith shop was moved to the property. On the property with the Kinsley House was a large barn . With the help of many people a section of this building has been turned into a summer kitchen.
Since that beginning the society has worked at maintenance and renovations in the Kinsley House. The latest has been the rebuilding of the porch and brick pathway on the outside and the painting and stenciling of the dining room on the inside. To achieve these goals a lot of work by a lot of people has been put into applying for grants and into fund raising. Christmas fairs, yard sales and meals have all been a part of this effort.
Other activities of the Hampden Historical Society include a yearly scholarship for a Hampden Academy graduate which was started in 1988 , a handbook and quarterly newsletters.
The Hampden Historical Society meets at 7PM the fourth Monday of the month. There are no meetings during December, January and February. The meetings are open to anyone who is interested. There are programs of interest at most meetings. The board of directors meets at 7PM on the second Monday of the month . These meetings are open to all members.