Founded in 1901, the Middlesex County Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of Middlesex County and providing programs for adults and children to increase their understanding of the area’s past. Museum exhibits, historic graveyard walking tours, vintage baseball games, and Civil War re-enactments are among its many annual events.

General Mansfield House
The Historical Society is headquartered at General Mansfield House, one of the few residential structures still standing on Middletown’s Main Street . Once the home of General Joseph K.F. Mansfield, a Civil War hero who died at the battle of Antietam in 1862, the Federal brick mansion has been the home of the Historical Society since 1959.

Museum
At the museum at General Mansfield House, visitors can explore the community’s past through major exhibits, which showcase artifacts from the Historical Society’s permanent collection. Recent exhibits have examined Middletown’s 19th century women’s clothing, varied immigrant groups; the rise and fall of manufacturing in Middlesex County; and death and dying from colonial times to the present. A permanent exhibit, Hard Tack, Salt Pork & Faith, movingly explores local soldiers’ experiences in the Civil War through photographs, military gear, diaries and letters home.

Gardens at General Mansfield House
General Mansfield House’s colorful herb garden, maintained by the Middletown Garden Club, is open daily during daylight hours.

Middletown Heritage Trail
In early 2002, the Historical Society installed the Middletown Heritage Trail, a walking tour featuring more than 20 sites of historic significance in the Middletown’s downtown.

About the Board of Directors
The Historical Society is governed by a 15-member board of directors responsible for setting the organization’s policies and priorities and overseeing its fiscal management.
 
Gift Shop
We sell a variety of books, notecards, mugs, and other items that make great gifts.

Membership
Members get a biannual newsletter, as well as reduced or free admission to Historical Society functions.