Who We Are

History of the Society

 The idea for a historical society was conceived in the Frenchman Bay Library one afternoon in 1970. After a few informal meetings at the Sorrento Grammar School, the growing number of interested people decided to combine Sullivan and Sorrento into one Historical Society.

Thirteen members of the newborn “Sullivan-Sorrento Historical Society” from Sullivan, Sorrento, and Lamoine attended the first informal meeting on December 15, 1971, despite snow fall. The first official meeting took place on January 12, 1972 with 14 Charter Members and one Honorary Member. The group elected the following officers: Sturgis Haskins, President; Ruth Clark, Vice President; Selena Gerrish, Secretary; and Elizabeth Buell, Treasurer.

Several grants allowed the Society to set up an exhibit in the Frenchman Bay Library. In 1976, the Society first rented out space in the Sorrento-Sullivan Recreation Center and remains there to this day!