Welcome to the Presque Isle Historical Society

NEW Tour coming Spring 2020

In partnership with Presque Isle Air Museum, Presque Isle Historical Society will be offering a Guided Tour aboard Molly the Trolley of the former Presque Isle Army Air Field/Air Force Base to include the Air Museum.  Seats on the one hour tour will be $10.00.  Stay tuned for more details.

4th Annual Victorian Christmas at the Estey

December 13 and 14

 It’s that magical time of year again, which means it is time for Presque Isle Historical Society’s 4^th Annual Victorian Christmas.   The Society’s 1875 Vera Estey House Museum is “magically” transformed into a Victorian Christmas showcase. Each room in the small, two-story Victorian era house is adorned with hand-made Victorian era inspired decorations and live florals including a beautiful evergreen gown. There are costumed “interpreters” in each room performing various tasks from the period. In addition, visitors can sample Wassail, a hot cider punch, while listening to live music being played on Vera’s 1908 piano and children of all ages can participate in a scavenger hunt based on “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. 

Each year, the event brings Victorian Christmas traditions to life and always includes new hand-made decorations AND a new exhibit in the middle parlor. This year, in addition to sampling Wassail, visitors can sample a “Peppermint Pig”, one of the only Victorian Christmas traditions from the U.S., and Sugar Plums. The new exhibit for 2019 features interesting and unique Victorian Slang terms.

The Victorian Christmas tours are quite different from the summer tours of the house.  In addition to having the house decked out in beautiful hand-made decorations and florals adding a very festive ambience, the Christmas tours are self-guided and focus on yuletide traditions still observed today that originated in the Victorian era rather than on the history of the Estey family that is covered in summer months.  The event is a unique way to get in the holiday spirit and has even been written up in AAA’s New England Journey and Downeast magazines.

Victorian Christmas at the Estey will be held on Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14 from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door with on-street parking (or around the corner in the public lot across from City Hall).   The 1875 Vera Estey House Museum is located at 16 Third Street in Presque Isle.