Brian Franck of Auburn walks past a display in Auburn Hall that features antique dolls from the Androscoggin Historical Society.
AUBURN — Visitors to Auburn Hall this summer can get a reminder of the city's past, thanks to a loan from the Androscoggin Historical Society.
A display in Auburn Hall features antique shoes and shoemaking tools from the Androscoggin Historical Society.
A display in Auburn Hall features antique dolls from the Androscoggin Historical Society.
Brittany DiGuisto of Litchfield, a student at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire and an intern with the Androscoggin Historical Society, arranges antique shoemaking tools in a display case at Auburn Hall on Thursday. The tools and other parts of the society's collection will be on display.
Society volunteers have placed a collection of old shoemaking tools and forms in Auburn Hall's Court Street entrance display cases.
A smaller display of antique dolls owned by the historical society has moved to the third floor near the bridge to Mechanics Row Parking Garage.
"We haven't done a lot of public displays of pieces from our collection," said Doug Hodgkin, a member of the society. "We've put pictures up in Lewiston and Auburn libraries. But this is the first time we've gone outside of our own building. It's always been a question of security, but Auburn Hall seemed like a pretty good place to start."
The society collection includes memorabilia from all parts of Androscoggin County.
"Our strengths are in 19th- and early 20th-century collections, particularly items from the Civil War," Hodgkin said. "We have a large number of household items and tools — farm items and carpentry tools — and an excellent library in terms of genealogical research."
The Historical Society collection is displayed on the third floor of the Androscoggin County Courthouse, across the street from Auburn Hall. It's open to the public from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday.
"We have a variety of things," Hodgkin said. "That's really the name of the game for a group like ours."
Hodgkin said he did not know how long the society would maintain its display in Auburn Hall.
"This is our first time," he said. "We may try to update things a couple times per year."
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