The Wilson Museum’s early collections reflect the interests of the founder Dr. John Howard Wilson and his family—geology, anthropology, archaeology, and local and maritime history. Started from the personal collections of Wilson family members, they have grown over the past century through donations and purchases from local families and Dr. Wilson’s colleagues. All seven continents are represented in the collection, and the time span encompassed includes not just the European Paleolithic to current day Castine, but reaches back hundreds of millions of years to the early Paleozoic. The collection also includes a significant archive of local history material.

Exhibits are spread throughout the campus. The main exhibit spaces are in the brick Wilson Museum building and the Perkins Gallery. Regular tours are scheduled for the fully furnished historic John & Phebe Perkins House. There are small exhibits in several of our outbuildings, including The Village Blacksmith, Antique Boat Shed, and the Bagaduce Engine Company House. The Hutchins Education Center sometimes hosts temporary exhibits. Also on the grounds is the sculpture for Castine from the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium.

A Collecting Plan with a long-term vision for the Wilson Museum’s collection is in development.

For inquiries about the collection, information on how to make a collections donation, or to schedule a research visit, please contact Abby at collections@wilsonmuseum.org.