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Referred to as "the area's best-kept secret", the Matthews Museum of Maine Heritage has been acclaimed as one of New England's finest museums. This excellent museum has something for people of all ages; to wonder and learn about lifestyles in the 18th century.

Map of Union, Maine

Directions

The museum may be approached from all directions. Below are driving directions to visit MMoMH.

From the East or Camden/Rockland area:
Travel west on Route 17 approximately 12 miles to Common Road. On the North side (right) of Rt. 17 you will see the Union Farm Equipment, the Maritime Farms service station and the Hammond Tractor. On the South side (left) of Rt. 17 the Common road begins. Turn left onto Common road for a few hundred feet and then turn right (west) onto the Fairground lane of the Union Fairgrounds. The museum complex will be on your right hand side starting with the Hodge One-Room schoolhouse and the Moxie Museum at the far end.

From the West – Route 295 or Augusta area:
Travel east on Route 17 (approximately 25 miles from Augusta) to Common Road just beyond Route 131 North on your left. Turn left onto Common road for a few hundred feet and then turn right (west) onto the Fairground lane of the Union Fairgrounds. The museum complex will be on your right hand side starting with the Hodge One-Room schoolhouse and the Moxie Museum at the far end.

From the South or Towns along Route 1:
Travel north on Route 1 through Waldoboro, past Moody’s Diner, to Route 235. Turn left onto Route 235 and travel approximately 9 miles to the Union Common, where Route 235 becomes Depot Street, to a stop sign at the Post Office. Turn left onto Common Road and follow it to the Fairground lane of the Union Fairgrounds. The museum complex will be on your right hand side starting with the Hodge One-Room schoolhouse and the Moxie Museum at the far end.

From the North/Northeast, Belfast area:
Travel west on Route 3 from Belfast to Belmont. Make a slight left turn onto Route 131 and travel south approximately 15 miles to Route 17. Turn left onto Route 17 then make an immediate right onto Common Road across from Union Farm Equipment. Travel on Common Road to the Fairground lane of the Union Fairgrounds. The museum complex will be on your right hand side starting with the Hodge One-Room schoolhouse and the Moxie Museum at the far end.

About Matthews Museum of Maine Heritage

The Museum has as its purpose the presentation of programs of interest and exhibits for the education of the public and preservation of antiquities relating to the history of Maine culture since colonial times.

The Museum is available, when open and by appointment, and has resources available for research and limited loans to local groups with shared interests. There are field trip opportunities available to travel groups, local schools and community service organizations. Contact the Museum for details.

Generally availability is during July and August with special arrangements possible during June and September.

The Museum is open during the months of July and August annually, from Wednesday to Saturday, 12 noon to 4:00 pm. (except holidays).

We are also on Union's Founders Day, which is the Saturday closest to July 18.

During the Union Fair/Blueberry festival starting on the 3rd Saturday in August for a whole week, the Museum is open free of charge to the fair ticket holders between 8:00 in the morning to 8:00 at night.

Special visits can be scheduled in June and September as well. For more information send us an email.

Merchandise is available 24/7 throughout the year. Make your selection from the Products page and mail your order to

We accept only personal checks at the moment, but we will be able to accept Pay pal transactions soon. We are unable to accept credit cards.

Museum Officers

The museum is operated strictly by volunteers. Following are the officers:

George R. Gross, President
Clark Hooper, Vice-President
Ron Hawes, Treasurer
Gay Bogard, Secretary
Irene Hawes, Curator
Nick Santorineos, Webmaster
Judith Gross
Martha Hooper
Sherwood HIlt
Jerry Carr
Angie Burns
Wilma Jackson
Donna Edelbaum
Cathy Keiran

Becoming a Museum member helps us maintain buildings and exhibits, as well as mailing to you our Newsletter 3-4 times a year. Please join us and help in a great cause. Becoming a member after September credits your membership to the following year.

A contribution is the life's blood of non-profit organizations. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, items pertinent to the Matthews Museum of Maine Heritage, emergency or humanitarian aid items. The Museum has been blessed with many contributors, local and from all over the world, individuals, families and businesses. A great number of people donated or left to our custody artifacts that make us proud to display. Others donate their time and efforts to assist in the several events the Museum participates. We are grateful!

The Museum thrives to be one of the best in the country. We constantly try to improve our exhibits, displays and facilities. A few years ago, the one-horse shay, one of the two in existence, was taken to be restored. Our Kitchen exhibit was recently renovated. Moxie now has its own museum in an extension to the west of the complex, tall enough to enclose the largest existing Moxie Bottle in the world (33 feet).

The Carriage House, ruined by weather conditions, was rebuilt from scratch. It is now level with the Museum and handicapped accessible. The Hodge one-room school house was lifted for repairs of the foundation and the door was replaced.

But there's always more to be done. The Carriage House replacement was necessary due to the collapse under snow load in 2009. The project was originally slated for 2013 but was moved up due to emergency. This did not allow us enough time to raise the needed funds. We have been blessed with generous contributors and volunteers. If it was not for them, nothing would have been accomplished. But your donations are still needed.

Any donation is greatly appreciated. If you would like to be recognized as a sponsor of the Carriage House, please complete the following form attaching your check and mail it to us at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your continuing support.

Please Cut Here
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Donation Form

I (we) would like to have our name listed as _____________________________________ and enclose our check for $____________.
Name _________________________________________ eMail _________________________________
Address ______________________________ City ____________________ State _____ Zip ____________

And here
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So far, we thank the following for their contribution to the Carriage House to date:


Please note that these names were available at the time of this posting. If your name is not here when it should, please accept our apologies.

The Museum usually participates in several local activities as well as organizing its own.

The Maine's Antiques Festival The largest Antiques Festival in Maine, featuring dealers from across the US and Canada offering for sale a wide variety of affordable antiques. It is held annually at the Union Fairgrounds. MMoMH occasionally opens for festival guests, provided that there are volunteers willing to offer their services.

The Conservation Fair Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District provids assistance in conservation of land and water resources for our community through proactive efforts, actions, and education. The District offers educational programs throughout the year for students in all grade levels, whether in public, private, or home-school environments. The Conservation Fair is held annually on the last Thursday in September at the Union Fairgrounds. Although the Fair is held every year, even-numbered years are reserved for early elementary students and odd-numbered years are for middle school students. The Museum is open on that day for the various student groups.

The Union Founders Day celebration Founders Day is an annual celebration honoring the early settlers of Union held each year on the Saturday in July closest to July 19th. The usual celebrations include a picnic suuper on the Common sponsored by the Union Area Chamber of Commerce on Friday afternoon, a Saturday morning parade with vendors on the Common, an historical area bus tour sponsored by the Union Historical Society, a canoo trip, supper on the Common sponsored by the Masons, a silent movie with live piano accompanyment at the Old Toan House sponsored by the Union Historical Society and a Sunday morning worship at the Common sponsored by the People's United Methodist Church. The Museum is usually open on Saturday, and schedules an "event" on the Common, like ice cream making, old tools usage, organ music, etc..

The Union Fair/Blueberry Festival is the biggest event in the area. The Museum remains open free of charge from 8:00 am. to 8:00 pm.

The Moxie Day is celebrated on the Wednesday of the Union Fair at the Moxie Museum, a part of Matthews Museum and offers free Moxie samples to visitors. Occasionally the Moxie-mobile and other Moxie vehicles and celebrities attend. For more information visit our Moxie page.

Several Special Events are scheduled every year, such as Antique Car Club visits, Colleges, Scouts, 4H, etc.. The Museum is usually open for these events.

The original 900-piece collection was purchased from Union native, Edwards  A. Matthews in the early 1960s (in the picture Matthews is examining one of the many artifacts purchased in 1964. It included antique tools, vehicles and kitchen utensils dating back more than 100 years. Included is a Cameragraph, a 35 mm silent motion picture film projector which was first operated at the old Union Town Hall. Included are many more innovative, homemade inventions which lend credence to the term "Yankee ingenuity". Since that time additional items have been loaned or donated, creating a well-rounded collection of over 10,000 artifacts relevant to colonial Maine.

Interior space is sectioned into booths displaying artifacts having similar uses. Accented by background of weathered board walls, an 18th century Blacksmith Shop, Laundry Room, Country Kitchen, and Weaving area are displayed as they may have been 100 years ago. A Cooper shop, a Folding  tin bathtub (complete with heater unit), cradles, sleighs, sleds (a twelve-foot long  sled used at Union in winter taking six or more riders down the hill across the common to Depot Street and on to the cemetery), carts, wagons. carriages, a horse-drawn  hearse, clothes, film-making equipment, rope beds, stoves, an organ (played regularly during Union Fair and on special occasions), jewelry, and dolls are only a few items that take the viewer back in time.

The Museum has as its purpose the presentation of interesting programs and exhibits for the education of the public and preservation of antiquities relating to the history of Maine culture since colonial times.

The Museum is available, when open and/or by appointment, and has resources available for research and limited loans to local groups with shared interests. There are field trip opportunities available to travel groups, local schools and community service organizations. Contact the Museum for details. Generally availability is during July and August with special arrangements possible during June and September.

This year (2011) MMoMH completed the construction of the new "Carriage House" on the north side of the museum. The old structure succumbed to multiple severe weather exposures, resulting in complete destruction of the building. Friends and members of MMoMH undertook the the task of building a new structure from scratch in the place the old one stood. With a lot of hard work, and a lot of donations, the new Carriage House was erected and completed before the 2011 Union Fair. The carriages were moved to a nearby building while the construction was in progress, giving us the opportunity to offer some TLC to the old exhibits.

The new CH is compliant to handicapped requirements and is on the same level of the museum, unlike the old one which was 5 steps lower. In addition, the new building has excellent ventilation and wide-door access to the largest carriage.

We have many new exhibits on display this year. If you haven't visited the museum lately, make sure you do so this year. You will be pleasantly surprised.

The Hodge one-room school house has lifted and the foundation was repaired. New electrical circuits and a new door replaced the old ones. A new soda fountain was installed in the Moxie annex. A governors desk was installed in the "Barber Shop". There are many other new exhibits too many to list here.

All these innovations cannot happen without considerable expense. We were fortunate to have many friends who appreciate or efforts and help us in our endeavors. Nevertheless, we are always in need of more money. Please consider a membership to the museum and or a donation to our cause. Please visit our "Donations" and "Membership" sections.

Looking for a unique gift as well as a way to help Matthews Museum? Visit our web site at MatthewsMuseum.org, scroll to the "Merchandise" page and order one or more gifts throughout the year. All of these items help to support the Museum. Orders are usually shipped within a few days of receipt. Additionally, all items are available at the Museum throughout the summer. Shop on line or at the Museum during July and August and help us grow.

Help Matthews Museum of Maine Heritage continue its important work of presenting and preserving Maine history and heritage; educating the public by making available an outstanding collection of artifacts; making known the history of rural Maine; and ensuring the continuation of our efforts. Sign up a new member today!

Gift Memberships help Matthews Museum to improve forever. Give a gift membership to a friend, family member or neighbor this year. Membership dues renewals for 2012 may be paid now. Our year ends on October 1st. You will receive our Museum Musings newsletter before fall. If there is an '12 on your address label you have paid your dues! Otherwise, your dues are due.

Matthews Museum received several checks for funds raised through igive.com as proceeds from purchases made by members and friends of the Museum. Matthews Museum is an active recipient of funds from purchases made, on-line, through the more than 600 merchants participating on igive.com.

Go to the igive.com web site, register, naming the Matthews Museum as your donation recipient, go to the merchants listing and shop through the contact listed. Matthews will receive up to 15% of the amount spent, usually 3-4%, with no added cost to you. Merchants such as Sears, Barnes & Noble, Expedia, Home Depot, JC Penney, Coldwater Creek and Cabelas all participate. This is another way to help Matthews Museum raise funds. An extra $5 is donated the first time you shop.

Shop at igive.com and support Matthews Museum at no extra cost to you. Another way to contribute to our growth and success!

MMoMH is working to offer our visitors the opportunity to pay for merchandise, membership, or donations through Pay Pal online transactions. Very soon we will be able to receive monies through Pay pal, expediting and facilitating payments from our friends and members. Look for announcements on our front page.