OXFORD – Bill and Gretchen Neidlinger are flatlanders, and they know that. Yet that hasn’t stopped them from becoming engaged in Oxford County’s history.

Formerly of Connecticut, the couple moved to Oxford County upon retirement. Then they took up the task of collecting bits and pieces of Oxford County’s history – one fair at a time – as curators of the Oxford County Fair Agricultural Museum.

Since 2002, they have worked to collect artifacts of the county’s history, all neatly displayed in a wooden structure on the fairgrounds.

They rely on donations, Gretchen Neidlinger said.

Their collection is still growing, and Neidlinger is constantly looking for artifacts to add to it.

One of the most recent additions is a herb garden out front and granite steps.

The museum also received a large donation of wood to build an addition from Robert Withee of R.E. Lowell Lumber Inc. in Buckfield. They added an office for museum officials and a undercover porch.

There is a workstation, manned by exhibitors during the fair.

And they have an original table saw.

Neidlinger said she is trying to develop an old farm office. She has all the pieces except for a roll-top desk.

In one of the back corners is a substantial collection of pictures from previous fairs, both old and recent.

In the middle of the museum rests a display meant to model an old one-room schoolhouse, carved by Orrell Linnell. Stuffed bears take the place of students, and museum visitors are encouraged to play with the display, however:

“(Linnell) wants to make sure the little bear is always in the corner,” Neidlinger said.

Resting against one of the walls is a piece of an old maple tree, and instructions how to make maple syrup. A bucket is attached, however there has been some discrepancy from visitors over what size bucket should be displayed. Neidlinger said there will probably be a variety of different buckets out in the future.

Inside a glass case, which Neidlinger recovered from the former Ledgewood Motel, is a display on Finnish culture. Next to that is an old washing machine.

Outside is a wealth of old farm equipment.

Neidlinger said she could not pick out what the single most valuable thing in the museum is. She said monetary value is not an issue when it comes to these items.

“It’s more the stories that go with them,” she said.