MOUNT DESERT ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY President's Report Annual Meeting, June 27 , 1960. I am very glad to welcome you all here tonight. Since there are several here who are not yet members of this Society, a short account of the history of the group may not be out of place. The Mount Desert Island Historical Society was legally formed in 1931, a result of many years of consultation and planning, by the energetic and forward-looking ladies of the Women's Literary Club of Mount Desert, at Somesville. The prelimanary plans were to include members from all the Mount Desert towns, and to build a stone building in Somesville to house " such historic, curious, unusual and interesting articles, books, manuscripts, documents, minerals and objects of art as may be acqired by, or placed in the care of the Society." The original plans for building a stone Museun happening to fall on a time of financial stress, the small wooden building( which had served in time past as the first selectmen's office when the town of Mount Dewert offices were situated here in Somesville) was repaired and set up on the site owned by the Society. This was to serve as a, temporary home for exhibiting the articles donated at that time. As you know, after almost thirty years, it is still the Museum. The ladies of the Literary Club sponsored it, through many of those years, until in 1956 it seemed as though the Club was to be disbanded. Therefore, in 1957 a new set-up was made, the by laws revised, and the Mount Desert Island Historical Society stood on its own feet, with membership open to all, men as well as women, who were interested in its purposes. The building fundhas been slowly growing. Many articles have been donated in the past three years, only the smallest of which could find room in the already over-crowded little building. The larger articles, also many papers and some clothing exhibits, are temporarily stored in various attics, garages and barns, awaiting a