Agency - Atwood House Museum

The mission of the Atwood House Museum/Chatham Historical Society is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret the art and material culture of Chatham and vicinity, and, in so doing, to provide a record of the cultures and the people of our past and to inform, inspire and educate succeeding generations.

History:
The Chatham Historical Society (CHS) was established in 1923 to preserve the town's records and material culture. Three years later the circa 1752 Atwood House was acquired. The Atwood House belonged to Captain Joseph Atwood and today contains many original 18th and 19th century artifacts. Modern exhibition space from most recent expansion and renovation in 2005 include: The Joseph Lincoln Room, the Atkins Kent Gallery, the Spencer Y. Grey Maritime Gallery, the Mural Barn, and the Joseph A. Nickerson Portrait Gallery. The galleries have been expanded over the years to accommodate the organization's continually growing collection including the addition of archival space, a library, research space, and a clothing and textiles preservation room. On the grounds are the relocated Chatham twin light lantern house and the Nickerson Camp from Chatham's North Beach.
The Chatham Historical Society is open June through October and welcomes 3,000 visitors annually including school groups, residents, and tourists. Programs are offered throughout the year such as Afternoons at the Atwood Lecture Series, book signings, summer morning children's programs, and an annual antiques show, the Festival of Trees in conjunction with the Chatham Garden Club, and a December Hearth Warming.
In 2009, the CHS exhibit featured never-before displayed artifacts from the collection in "Chatham's Attic". In 2010, the organization will create a hands-on and interactive exhibit "Chatham to China", exploring trade life from 1800 though 1850 in which children and adults of all ages can participate. The organization is also currently involved in a major restoration project for the Atwood House in order to preserve it in a historically accurate manner for years to come.

Contact people:

Kealyn Garner, Operations Manager, (509) 945-2493, (email) Margaret Martin, Office Manager, (508) 945-2493, (email)

Address:

PO Box 709 Chatham, MA 02633

Web Site: http://www.chathamhistoricalsociety.org

Directions:

Take route 6 headed east. Get off at exit 12; at the end of the ramp make a left on to rt. 137. Follow 137 until it ends at route 28; make a left onto rt. 28. Follow 28 all. . . (more)

Miscellaneous Information

Does this agency require a CORI (Criminal Record Offender Information) check of its volunteers?
	Yes

Last updated on April 18, 2012