BETHEL — The Bethel Historical Society has sponsored a monthly History Discussion Group at its Robinson House facility, 10 Broad St., for the past year.

Topics in American history from the colonial period to the 1840s have been covered, with participants reading a variety of books and the discussion facilitated by professional historians.

The next discussion session will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, in the Chadbourne Room at the Robinson House.

The Jacksonian era will be one of the topics discussed, and participants are asked to read the essay on Andrew Jackson written by Columbia University historian Richard Hofstadter in his classic study, "The American Political Tradition and the Men who Made It."

One of the new themes being introduced to these discussions is a focus on the “wisdom of history.”

New participants are welcome. There is no fee, and reading suggestions are made prior to each session by the facilitators. To register, call the Bethel Historical Society at 824-2908/800-824-2910 or email info@bethelhistorical.org.

Founded in 1966, the society is western Maine’s largest and most comprehensive historical agency, with more than 1,000 members.