Gorham Historical Society & Railroad Museum

Located at 25 Railroad St., Gorham, NH 03581
Mailing address is P O Box 351, Gorham NH 03581.

2024 Museum Schedule: Open from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 AM-3 PM. If planning a trip specifically to the museum, it is recommended to please text or call Reuben beforehand at (603) 723-1455.

Grand Trunk Railroad Station, Gorham, NH early 1900s, from an early 1900s postcard. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

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, a few stores and stables. The arrival of the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad (later to be known as the Grand Trunk Railway) in 1851, had a profound and lasting impact upon this part of the Androscoggin Valley. Suddenly, other White Mountain towns that had enjoyed the bulk of the fast growing tourist trade found their stagecoach connections eclipsed by Gorham and its railroad. Tourists from the East coast and Canada flocked to the railroad owned White Mountain Station House (later known as the Alpine House), to the nearby Glen House, the summit of Mt. Washington, and other scenic spots.

The Grand Trunk Railway, which later became known as the Canadian National and, more recently, the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad, opened the area to tourist trade, which is now the principal industry of the community. At first, Gorham, midway between Montreal and the Portland, ME, was a major rail yard and repair center, but, gradually the significance of Gorham to the GTR diminished, as did the importance of the railroads to the country. Logging for timber, exemplified by the once famous Libby and Peabody lumber companies, has likewise declined though trees are still harvested for the paper mills in Gorham and Rumford, ME, chip burning energy plants and sawmills.

In 1973, the existing railroad station (built in 1907) was saved from destruction by the Gorham Historical Society. The architecturally unique building, contains displays on area and railroad history. The GHS continually works to expand museum exhibits about the railroads, tourism, the forest products industry and it's residents. The White Mountains are a most scenic and interesting part of New England!

Come visit our unique Model Railroad, located in a boxcar. The special Quinn-Crocket Railroadiana steam era collection, is also in a boxcar. GT-CN Historian John Davis, from Maine, was one of four former railroad employees who created the exhibit.   Unfortunately, the original wooden sheathing on the Railroadiana is in bad condition and an earlier repair done by others, with 1/4” luan plywood, has not held up.  Work on the diesel restoration project needs a boost, to finish the conversion of B&M locomotive into a picture gallery and movie theater, dedicated to diesel engines, with a simulator in the cab. Donations and a NHDOT grant helped us complete phase 1 work some years ago. The caboose needs a roof repair and windows replaced, as well as paint.  The Russell snowplow is in decent shape but needs some minor repairs and a new paint job.  The green boxcar, painted once years ago, needs to be pressure washed and painted.  We have a quote of $14K, well beyond our resources.  The other two aged wooden boxcars need a better, longer lasting exterior, as we are unable to gut these and rebuild as was originally done 100 years ago.

Reuben Rajala donated $5000 towards a formal historic preservation assessment of the museum in 2026.  This assessment, once completed, will then guide us in applying for a larger NH Historic Preservation Grant or an LCHIP Grant to undertake various important exterior repairs to the unique 1907 GTR depot. This includes some repairs to the eaves, priming and repainting the clapboards and trim, rebuilding the deck and repairs to the foundation, especially on the south side where we have a drainage issue. 

Gorham Historical Society

See More About the History of Gorham

2026 Officers of the Gorham Historical Society:

President - Reuben Rajala
Vice President - Tim Sappington
Secretary - Gail Wigler
Treasurer - Karla Leandri Rider
Membership Director - Anne Griffen Rodgers
Model Railroad Volunteers:  Andrew Card and Connor Welch
GHS Facebook Coordinators: Reuben Rajala, Nathan Corrigan and Ann Evankow

If you wish to become a member or supporter, have questions about our museum or wish to donate a family story, photo or artifact, contact us by mail, call us at the museum (603) 466-5338 and in the winter months contact Reuben at 603-723-1455 cell or email us at gorhamhistoricalsociety@gmail.com

2026 is the 53rdt Anniversary of the Gorham Historical Society!

And 2036 will be the Town’s Bicentennial!

Whales on the Railroad T-Shirts Available - Your purchase supports GHS.

We welcome the donation of artifacts or funds to support our work. You can also volunteer or become a member or corporate sponsor. Contact us for details.