The town of Gorham was incorporated in 1836 after having been in existence since 1771 as Shelburne Addition. In its early years, the town contained little more than poor rocky farms, small logging operations and a few stores and stables. The arrival of the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad in 1851, however, changed all that and had a strong and lasting impact upon this part of the Androscoggin Valley. Suddenly, other White Mountain towns which had enjoyed the bulk of the fast growing tourist trade found their stagecoach connections eclipsed by Gorham and its railroad. Tourists from Boston and the seacoast regions flocked to the White Mountain Station House and from there to the Glen House, the summit of Mt. Washington, and other places of interest.

The Grand Trunk Railroad, which later became known as the Canadian National and, more recently, the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad, opened the area to tourist trade, now the principal industry of the community. At first, Gorham, midway between Montreal and the Atlantic, was a major yarding and repair center, but, gradually, the significance of Gorham to the railroad diminished as did the significance of the railroads to the country. Logging for boards and building timber, exemplified by the famous Libby and Peabody lumber companies, has likewise declined though pulpwood is still an important resource which is harvested principally for the paper mill in Gorham.

    In 1973, the existing railroad station, which was built in 1907, was saved from destruction by the Gorham Historical Society and now serves as the headquarters of that organization. The building, which is architecturally unique, contains displays on area history and is open to the public. Another addition to the museum is a 1911 Baldwin 0-6-0 Steam Locomotive, which was rescued from the scrap pile in 1986. One of the aims of the society is to expand museum exhibits dealing with the three forces in Gorham's history: railroads, tourism, and logging. By this effort we hope to entertain visitors with a visual history of this interesting and unusual corner of New England.

Several items were donated to the museum, recently the 1948 Maxim Town Fire truck. Other equipment on display includes: 1949 F-7 B&M Diesel Locomotive, two 1929 Boxcars, a 1951 Russell Snow Plow, a 1924 Boxcar and a 1942 Caboose.

Come visit our model Railroad Boxcar and also the Quinn-Crocket railroadiana collection in the Boxcar by GT-CN Historian John Davis.

    
Gorham Railroad Station & Historical Society
Located at 25 Railroad St., Gorham, NH 03581
Mailing address is P O Box 351, Gorham NH 03581.
2008 Officers of the Gorham Historical Society:
President - Violet Hatch, Vice President
Ralph Maxwell, Secretary - Cathy Dick
Treasurer - Mary Jane Ames
Membership Director is Dorothy Eichel

Monthly meetings are held the 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:30 PM in the Vestry of the Gorham Congregational Church unless otherwise noted in news articles. The meeting for March 20th is at the Gorham Resource Center in the Conference Room at 6:30- PM as it is Maundy Thursday and the church facility is not available to us.

Gorham Historical Society Museum and the Model Railroad will be open for the 2008 season Memorial weekend, Friday May 23rd through Columbus Day.
The hours are 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM Wednesdays through Sundays,
and Tuesdays from 5:00 - 8:00 PM.
Other times by appointment.

We value group visitors and would encourage anyone bringing a group to please call before coming so we will be prepared with sufficient guides. Normally we have one guide in the Main Museum, and one in the Model Railroad. Contact information presently is maryjaneames@verizon.net
(603) 466-5338 after May 23rd, OR (603) 466-2085 anytime.

2008 marks the 35th anniversary of the Gorham Historical Society as it was established in 1973.
Anyone wishing to be involved with this historic event, please contact us.
The Diesel Project is in full swing, and it is hoped it might be open for visitors before
the summer is over.