NORWAY — “We’re excited,” exclaimed Sue Denison, president of the Norway Historical Society.

“We are stuffed full of newly discovered treasures of all kinds that we never knew we had, and we want to share them,” she said. “We now have the means and manpower to put together interesting small exhibits, which tell stories about Norway’s history that many people may not know.”

And so the society is having its first exhibit of items never before seen by the public, an important milestone in the organization’s long history.

Trustee and treasurer Ann Siekman, with the help of curator Charles Longley, has created an exhibit showcasing the society’s collection of souvenir china from the late 1800’s. Just as tourists might buy a T-shirt today, early travelers purchased souvenir china as mementos that depicted the scenes and buildings of places they had visited.

These small, beautiful pieces of porcelain depict scenes of old Norway. Accompanying the display is a brief document describing each piece and the four businesses on Main Street that sold them.

“I like seeing souvenir china and representations of Norway in past times such as Norway Hall, the old wooden Opera House,” said Siekman, “When I started to research the china, I found it especially interesting when I discovered the Wheelock family, who first imported souvenir china to the U.S. in the 1890s, had a store selling china and glassware in my hometown of South Bend, Ind.”

A special item of a blue boot painted cobalt and gold was recently purchased on eBay by Michael Cullinan of Norway, who donated it to the society. The little boot is prized because it is unusual and the only one in the collection that shows the boat landing on Lake Pennessewasee. It was accompanied by a letter from a Louisiana antique dealer written to then-Town Manager Donald F. McAllister in the late 1950s. The dealer was inquiring about the Norway merchant who originally sold the piece.

The souvenir china exhibit is the first public view of changes that are occurring behind the scenes at the society. Trustees and volunteers have been working to update, identify and cataloguethe hundreds of items in the collection. This ongoing effort will allow the society to better serve the public with easier access to the collection. It also will make it easier to mount future exhibits such as new car dealers and toys manufactured in Norway, among others.

“The possibilities are endless,” said Denison. “A person may come to the society one month to see an interesting exhibit and come another month to see an entirely different one.”

The Norway Historical Society is on the corner of Main and Whitman streets and is open to the public year-round on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, Tuesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. during the summer, and by appointment. Admission is free and open to the public.

The souvenir exhibit will remain up for three months and also can be viewed on the society’s website, www.norwayhistoricalsociety.org.