Plan your visit
Opening hours
Wednesdays, 2–4 p.m., May through October.
Visits are also available by appointment.
Where: Sybil Lamb Archival Room, Old Town House, 53 Bell Hill Road, Otisfield, Maine.
Appointments and research questions
Contact Maureen Mooney-Howard, Archivist, at jimandmoe@gmail.com or (207) 409-7153 to arrange a visit or discuss your research. Jean Hankins serves as assistant archivist.
You can also send us a message or email otisfieldhistorical@gmail.com.
Using the archives
The archives can be used on site only. Copies of most photographs or documents can be made.
Browse the collection or explore photographs and media before your visit.
What you can find
At present the archives contain 75 separate collections, all housed in document boxes. In addition to the major collections, the archives contain about 200 “small collections,” which typically consist of only one or two folders. In addition to a limited number of important artifacts, among them Nathan Nutting’s planer, Hester Patch’s cross-stich sampler, and a friendship quilt made by ladies in the community, the collections consist of maps, deeds, record books, diaries, genealogies, letters, account books, newspaper clippings, some town records, and much more.
Newspaper articles and obituaries
Collection 17, named the Vertical File, contains photocopies of newspaper articles pertaining to Otisfield, some going back to the late 19th century. The obituaries in this collection are particularly important sources of information.
Pottle family letters
Collection 40, the Pottle Family Collection, is one of our largest. It contains 10 boxes of letters written to and from Annette (Kemp) Pottle (1875 – 1958), who spent her entire life in Otisfield. The letters, which contain family news, comments on daily activities, and gossip about the neighbors, provide a fascinating glimpse of everyday life in Otisfield in the early 20th century when it was still a very small farming community where everyone did know everyone else.
Donate to the archives
If you have an item you would like to donate, contact us or email otisfieldhistorical@gmail.com to discuss it.