The Davistown Museum is a regional tool, art, and history museum with two physical locations in Maine and an extensive website. The Museum and the website provide detailed information on the history of ferrous metallurgy, edge tool manufacturing, the Wooden Age of maritime New England, and the Classic period of American toolmaking that accompanied the advent of the Industrial Revolution. The Museum has also compiled a publication on the Native Americans of the central Maine coast (See Volume 4 of the Publication series) and is sponsoring the three volume Phenomenology of Biocatastrophe publication series (Engine Co. No. 9, Biocalert.org).The main Museum complex, including exhibitions, galleries, libraries, and the visitors’ center, is located in Liberty Village, while the office and sculpture gardens are in Hulls Cove (Bar Harbor). Museum exhibitions include The Art of the Edge Tool, the Annual Art Exhibition, an extensive collection of assemblage art, and work by members of the Maine Artists Guild. Overnight accommodations are available at the Liberty facility for visitors to the Center for the Study of Early Tools. The museum website includes the complete text of museum publications; unpublished essays and bibliographies; photo tours of both museum locations; annotated inventories of holdings, including tools and art (with photos); library books; bibliographies; and the Maine Artists Guild Gallery website. History and tool enthusiasts are urged to support the Davistown Museum by becoming members, making tax deductible contributions to our endowment, or donating tools and other artifacts for resale on our e-stores and auctions. Consignments for our e-stores are also welcome.
Hours of Operation:
Currently open Thursday through Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM
Yearly Hours
Wicked Local Plymouth article on curator Skip Brack's lecture
New Levi Tinkham planes in the Davistown Museum
Monday, May 13, 2013 at 7:00 pm: Lecture/Exhibit at the Plymouth, MA public library
A new issue of our newsletter, Tooling Around, is out for Winter 2012/Spring 2013
The Davistown Museum's environmental history section now has information on severe solar storms
The Davistown Museum is currently seeking a hardness tester for use on metals. Donations welcome!
The Los Angeles Times recently published an article that mentions Liberty.
Many of our MAG artists have announcements of their Spring schedules
Guide to Flat and Round World Resources
Donna Dodson, new MAG artist, visits the museum.
The Liberty Tool Company across the street from the Davistown Museum now has a live streaming webcam.
Tools Teach Program Expansion The Davistown Museum would like to announce both a new publication and a new website, both entitled Tools Teach: The Iconography of American Hand Tools. Both the book and website are currently under construction. The new text will be the first section of the new website. |
The Davistown Museum is mentioned in a video on Etsy about the Liberty Tool Company.
The Davistown Museum is seeking various metallurgical samples, including bog iron, silicon slag, blooms, etc. We are also seeking photographs of certain old metal tools. Please contact us if you can help!
New acquisition: additions from the axe and tool collection of Ed Shaw, including items recovered from the ruins of the 1966 Peavey factory fire by John Kebabian.
A Notebook for Nekesa by Hannah and Sarah Emigh-Doyle added to Publications
The Hulls Cove Sculpture Garden is mentioned in Boston Magazine's "Best of New England."
Special Publication 62: Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Information Handbook released. A sample text may be found here.
A review of this publication by Kirkus Book Reviews may be found here.
Nuclear Disaster in Japan: Accident Blog
New donation: Robert Sullivan Collection
Photo Tour: New Tools Conservation Area (last updated 2-10-11)
Wapanoag Repatriation of the Wapanucket Hoard
Need help? See the museum website directory.
Hulls Cove office: PO Box 144, Hulls Cove, ME 04644 phone: 207/288-5126 Fax: 207/288-2725
