BIG CITY GETAWAY

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BIG CITY GETAWAY

daytrip ideas to get out of the daily grind

MAINE MINERAL & GEM MUSEUM 99 MAIN STREET, BETHEL, MAINE 04217

207-824-3036 • MAINEMINERALMUSEUM.ORG

Over the years we have learned that you can and will nd the most amazing, interesting, and sometimes mysterious people, places, and things when you least expect it and in the most unusual of places.

This day, while enjoying a few days romp in New Hampshire, we made a little side trip just over the border into Maine and the tiny hamlet of Bethel.

Situated in the fertile Androscoggin River valley surrounded by some of the highest mountains in Maine, the town of Bethel traces its origins to a 1768 grant made by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to men whose ancestors had fought in a campaign to conquer Canada in 1690. Originally named “Sudbury Canada,” in honor of these early grantees from the town of Sudbury, Massachusetts, and their campaign against Canada, Bethel was rst settled by people of European descent in 1774.

With the arrival of the Atlantic & St. Lawrence Railroad in 1851, connecting Bethel to Portland and, later, Montreal, manufacturing and tourism became major factors in the economy. Large summer hotels were constructed at Bethel Hill, and the town rapidly became a signi cant way-station for the growing White Mountain and Rangeley Lakes tourist trade.

BACKROADS • OCTOBER 2021

Once called “The Athens of Oxford County,” Bethel has long been a signi cant educational center for the region. Founded in 1836, Gould Academy continues to function as one of the Northeast’s premier collegepreparatory schools. In the late nineteenth century, Bethel became the site of Dr. John George Gehring’s pioneering clinic for the treatment of persons with nervous disorders. (William Bingham 2nd, Bethel’s great philanthropist, rst came here in 1911 as a patient.) Until recently, Dr. Gehring’s elegant Broad Street home was occupied by the internationally known NTL Institute, which was founded at Bethel in 1947 and continues to specialize in the study of human dynamics.

Today, during the winter, it is a great basecamp for skiing and, during the summer, motorcycle riding.

It is a very down to Earth sort of place.

But what we came for was not of this world. But rst a little history. Many do not know that this part of New England is recognized worldwide as one of the greatest resources for precious stones.

Recently the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum reopened its doors and inside you will nd the most wondrous of gems and minerals from this part of the nation and far beyond. The rst commercial gemstone mine in the United States was discovered by accident near the town of Paris, Maine, on a late autumn day in October of 1821.

In October of 1972, one of the largest and most signi cant gem Tourmaline nds in North American history occurred in the mountains of western Maine. Named the Dunton Mine, this discovery created – and still creates – ripples in the American gemstone industry. It was called: “The Big Find.”

Today the MMGM houses the nest collection of Maine minerals and gems. It includes the famous Perham Collection, viewed by generations in a local mineral store that operated for ninety years. Comprising a 15,000 square foot space on three oors, the MMGM was designed by the Paulus Design Group, which counts The Smithsonian among its clients.

It is one of the most enjoyable museums we have visited and they do a superb job of keeping your attention and educating you.

As you roll up you will be greeted by their outdoor Rock Garden made up of some very stunning rocks indeed. Gneiss, Granite with a basalt

dike running through it, Folded Marble, Jasper, and even a large Meteorite from the Seymchan River in Northern Siberia can be seen outside. But when you walk in is when the real show begins. We were fortunate to be waiting for the museum to open with a fellow and his wife. Mark is a gem guru and his comments and explanation made a normal visit to a museum far more unique and interesting. Thank you, Mark!

Inside we found ne examples of Tourmaline and Pegmatite, Opals, Rubies, and an impressive collection of jewelry as well.

The museum houses hundreds of precious stones, gems, and minerals from the local region. And, the hits kept on coming!

One of the world’s greatest meteorite collections is at the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum, and has the world’s foremost collections of extraterrestrial rocks—meteorites from Mars, the Moon, and the Asteroid Belt that teach us about the origins of our Solar System, including the ve largest pieces of the Moon on Earth!

They have more extraterrestrial stones, rocks, and minerals than NASA does. This is why we came.

But, how did they get pieces of the Moon and Mars? Seriously? Yes, Mars indeed. Collisions on the Red Planet knock debris so high up they leave Mars’ lighter gravitational pull and these pieces of Martian rocks sometimes get caught in the gravity of our own planet and plummet to Earth as meteorites, like their Lunar samples.

We spent a good deal of time studying these guests to our planet and then got a real shock. One of the docents asked if we would like to hold a piece of the Moon and of Mars! Would we? Yes, Ma’am!

Amazingly she handed us two large stones that began their journey here thousands of years ago. It was unexpected and truly amazing.

In fact, the entire Maine Mineral & Gem Museum is amazing and well worth seeking out while riding in and around the White Mountains of Maine and New Hampshire. You can nd a route up to New Hampshire in this month’s ‘We’re Outta Here!’. Just head east from Town & Country Inn towards Bethel, ME and the MMGM. ,