BETHEL —A long-held dream for the Bethel Historical Society of proper storage space for collections and a restored rear wing at its Robinson House will come true, thanks to the benevolence of one of its longtime members.

Mary E. Valentine, a dedicated volunteer who passed away in 2012, has bequeathed $200,000 to the society, Randall Bennett, the organization’s executive director, said Thursday in a news release.

“Although the Valentine bequest is unrestricted, the donor’s deep interest in collections has prompted us to dedicate the funds to a project that we feel confident she would have enthusiastically supported,” William D. Andrews, society Board of Trustees president, said.

“And we will honor her memory and support by naming it for her.”

The Valentine bequest — the largest gift from an individual ever received by the society — will go toward a 1,600-square-foot reconstruction of the rear (kitchen) ell of the society’s 1821 Robinson House, Bennett said.

“The new wing will do much to return the Robinson House to its 19th century appearance, while allowing for 21st century state-of-the-art museum design and technology inside,” he said.

The new wing, he said, “will provide space to properly store our collections, provide an area for staff and volunteers to sort and catalog items, and a comfortable place for scholars, students and visitors to examine them.”

For nearly 50 years, the society has collected and preserved thousands of objects relating to the history of Bethel, western Maine and the White Mountain region.

However, since the 1990s the organization has struggled with the problem of preserving its collections while providing public access to the many treasures in its holdings, Bennett said.

Founded in 1966, the society operates year-round from two National Register properties facing onto the Bethel Hill Common.

While the bequest will allow for substantial work on the wing, additional funds will need to be raised to complete it, Bennett said.

Some of the additional money raised for the project will go directly toward construction costs, while other funds will be invested to generate the income needed to maintain the new facility, he said.

The society has already begun the process of applying for foundation support.

“Because of the widely perceived need for the project and the esteem in which the donor of the bequest was held by friends and families, the society feels confident that it can raise the additional amount,” Bennett said.

In announcing the bequest, Bennett voiced the society’s deep appreciation to board member Tineke Ouwinga, saying that she “has been instrumental in the organization’s receipt of this gift.”

“We hope to begin construction this spring and have the structure ready for occupancy by the spring of 2014,” Bennett said.

The addition will be dedicated to Valentine, with a plaque reading, “Named in memory of Mary Emma Valentine (1925-2012), whose exemplary devotion to the Bethel Historical Society’s mission and outstanding support of its museum, library and archival collections will serve as an inspiration to future generations of researchers, scholars and visitors,” he said.

Although not a Bethel native, Mary Valentine was descended from several of the town’s earliest settlers, including Deacon James Grover, for whom the Grover Hill area is named, Bennett said.

Additionally, her grandfather, Charles Valentine, managed a large farm and popular summer boarding place at Northwest Bethel, and her father grew up in Bethel and graduated from Gould Academy.

Valentine was born and raised in Pennsylvania, but frequently visited her relatives in Bethel, Bennett said.

After earning a master’s degree in library science from Columbia University, she worked as assistant library director at the Thayer Public Library in Braintree, Mass.

Eventually, her parents returned to Bethel, and when their health declined she also moved there to care for them., Bennett said.

Then, during the 1970s, Mary Valentine began volunteering at the Bethel Historical Society as a tour guide. She also served on several committees.

In recent years, she focused on the many connections between the early families of the Bethel area and the Mormon movement, Bennett said.

Eventually, her research was published by the society as part of a series entitled “Western Maine Saints.” Her articles and those written subsequently by others are now available on the organization’s website at www.bethelhistorical.org.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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