Sullivan County Museum — Attraction in Town of Bethel

It was a rainy day in Sullivan County and I convinced my friends that we absolutely had to go to the Sullivan County Museum and I'm so glad I did. I wasn't expecting much, but I was completely transported. Could've spent hours wandering around the sprawling rooms of the converted c. 1912 high school and browsing the wonderful hodgpodge of artifacts, antiques, and artwork from the county and surrounding area's rich history. The highlight was getting to meet Carol, a talented artist who devotes her time to the museum and curated the astounding collection of photographs from Frederick Cook's expeditions. I was blown away by what I learned, not to mention the crystal clarity of these turn of the 20th century photographs taken when his ship, the Belgica, was stranded in Antarctica from 1897-1899....

Listen if went to Sullivan County and like the area or use to go here when you were a kid and have fond memories then you will want to know about the history of the area and towns. I was really surprised how many room there were in the museum which is also an historic building. All volunteers keep it going so there is no fee but a donation is appreciated. I even found a listing in one of there books with help of one of there volunteers of the place I went to as a kid and no longer exists. I was even showed one of the hidden store rooms that contains hundreds and hundreds of old newspapers going back to the 1800s....

We love small town historical museums and this was one of the best. Excellent exhibits on life in the past in the area, as well as fascinating photos etc of the Cook Arctic expedition. We did some productive genealogical research with the able and enthusiastic help of Fred Fries....