19th Century Willowbrook Village

A great way for students of all grades to explore 19th century Maine, New England & United States history!

Guide-led tours of the museum may be scheduled May through Columbus Day. Be sure to reserve early for the best date selection. In May, programs are offered on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday through Memorial Day. After that, programs are offered on Monday, Thursday and Friday through the end of school in June

Willowbrook offers a multi-station interactive program that addresses Maine Learning Results and New Hampshire Curriculum Framework. During May and June, on-site programs are based on grade-appropriate themes in a “station” format. Each program is about 3 1/2 hours in length and includes time for lunch and a stop at the Student Shop.

K, 1, 2    Families Then & Now
Durgin or Trafton House; Durgin Barn (creamery/farm animals); Schoolhouse and toys/pastimes

3, 4, 5     Trades, Trading & Transportation
Durgin or Trafton House; schoolhouse and print shop; Carriage House, Blacksmith Shop, Durgin Barn

6, 7, 8    Clues from the Past
Architectural details of 19th century historic structures; primary and secondary sources (cemetery, pictures, newspapers, maps); Durgin House tour ”Emails from the Past.”

During the summer and fall, a guided tour format is provided. Outreach programs to schools are also available. 

Student groups of 10 or more must be accompanied by a Village tour guide. The program fee is $5 per person - students and chaperones alike. One educator is admitted free with each class or youth group. The $5 fee represents a substantial discount for adult chaperones.

To make a reservation for a field trip, complete the online field trip reservation form and click on submit. Staff will contact you to confirm your reservation.

Pre-visit packets will be available to download by educators approximately two weeks before their visit. Our tour guides can modify the program for multi-age groups such as home schools and for other grades, and we will adjust program lengths if time is an issue. Our programs address Maine Learning Results.

Each program includes a lunch period. Spring programs include a visit to Willowbrook's Student Store (above).