Old York Historical Society

Name

Old York Historical Society

Legal name

Old York Historical Society

Website

https://oldyork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Museum and Heritage Preservation Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Libraries and Archives (51921)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Historic Preservation & Landmarks Conservation (BPAGAHAE), Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC), Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

Keywords

• Historical museum operations
• Heritage preservation services
• Educational programming
• Archival research services
• Cultural institution management

Headquarters

HQ city

York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission and Tour Fees: Revenue from general admission tickets ($20), walking tours ($10), Perkins House guided tours ($10), and special tour experiences. Children 18 and under and members receive free admission.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership program with multiple tiers from Individual ($50) to Benefactor ($5,000), providing free admission, guest passes, event invitations, and discounts on programs and purchases.
3. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, including Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), appreciated securities, and Donor-Advised Fund contributions. No town, state, or federal funding.
4. Group Tours and Services: Group tour fees ($15 per person), step-on guide services ($250/hour), private tours ($50/person), and History of Chocolate demonstrations ($5).
5. Facility Rental: Rental of historic properties including Jefferds Tavern for private events and gatherings.
6. Special Events and Fundraisers: Annual fundraising events including the 250 at Old York benefit party ($125/person), trivia nights, and benefit auctions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Old York Historical Society preserves, interprets, and provides public access to nine historic buildings and properties in York, Maine, including the National Historic Landmark Old Gaol. It sells museum admissions, guided walking tours, school field trip programs, membership subscriptions, and archival research services, and it operates the Research Center at Beech Ridge for genealogical and scholarly research. The organization also rents historic properties for private events and runs fundraising programs such as the 250 at Old York benefit party.

Product overview

Old York Historical Society operates as a multi-property historical museum and research institution in York, Maine. The organization manages a portfolio of nine historic buildings and properties open to the public, including the National Historic Landmark Old Gaol Museum, the Remick Gallery, Jefferds Tavern, the York Corner Schoolhouse, Perkins House Museum, Emerson-Wilcox House Museum, Donnell-Hancock Warehouse, and the George Marshall Store gallery. The Society provides immersive educational programming through school field trips, homeschool visits, and the Stories at the Old Schoolhouse children's program. Its Research Center at Beech Ridge houses extensive archive and library collections for scholarly research. Walking tours covering colonial history, the Revolutionary War, and slavery in York County are offered seasonally. The institution is supported by a tiered membership program, facility rentals, and an annual fundraising benefit event. The 250 at Old York program commemorates the nation's Semiquincentennial through 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• George Marshall Store Gallery: A contemporary art gallery space operated by Old York, currently directed by Kate Rasche.
• Old York Museum Center

Products and services

• Old Gaol Museum A National Historic Landmark dating to 1656, offering self-guided tours of Maine's first prison and the last remaining stone-walled jail from the colonial period. Open to general visitors with paid admission.
• Remick Gallery Old York's main gallery featuring the finest objects from the museum's collection, including Revolutionary War artifacts and regional artistic and historical objects. Open as part of general museum admission.
• Jefferds Tavern A colonial tavern building originally built in 1750 and moved to York in 1941, serving as a museum program center and events venue available for facility rental and general admission visits.
• York Corner Schoolhouse One of the earliest surviving 18th-century schoolhouses in New England, built in 1745, used for educational programs including the Stories at the Old Schoolhouse children's program and school field trips.
• Perkins House Museum Historic home of ferrymen and sea captains, later the summer residence of Mary Perkins and her daughter Elizabeth, featuring original family interiors and possessions. Open for guided tours June through October at $10 per person.
• Emerson-Wilcox House Museum A 250-year-old former general store, stage tavern, tailor shop, and post office in Georgian architecture. Currently closed pending exhibition funding.
• Donnell-Hancock Warehouse The last remaining colonial-era commercial building on the York River, originally warehousing goods for shipping between York and the West Indies, preserved as a historic structure.
• George Marshall Store Gallery A historic 1867 store building housing a contemporary art gallery directed by Kate Rasche, featuring rotating exhibitions open to the public.
• Research Center at Beech Ridge Archive collection, reading room, and object storage facility housed in a former church building (acquired June 2022). Open year-round by appointment for genealogical and scholarly research inquiries.
• Historical Walking Tours Guided and self-guided walking tours of historic York Village covering colonial history, the American Revolution, slavery in York County, and wartime service. Offered Tuesday through Friday at 1:00 p.m., June through October, at $10 per person.
• School Field Trips Educational field trip programs for students grades 1-12, featuring hands-on activities and guided tours at Old York's properties including the Old Gaol, York Corner Schoolhouse, and Remick Gallery. Programs range from one to three hours with Spring (April-June) and Fall (September-October) scheduling.
• Library and Archive Collections Research collections including over 7,000 printed books and pamphlets, 600 rare books from the 17th-19th centuries, 5,000+ processed manuscript items (diaries, correspondence, account books, scrapbooks, ships' logs, architectural drawings), and 10,000+ photographs focused on York history and Southern York County.
• Museum Membership Program Tiered annual membership program with seven levels ranging from Individual ($50) to Benefactor ($5,000), offering free admission, event invitations, guest passes, discounts on programs and museum shop purchases, and exclusive tours of historic properties.
• Facility Rental Rental of Old York's historic properties including Jefferds Tavern for private events, receptions, and programs. Booked through the Programs and Events Coordinator.
• Group Tours and Step-on Guide Services Organized group tours for bus tours and groups of 10+ adults at $15 per person, step-on guide services for narrated tours of York and York Beach at $250 per hour, and private tours at $50 per person with a minimum of two people. Accommodates groups up to 45 adults.
• Perkins Fellowship Program Fellowship program for graduate and post-graduate researchers providing hands-on museum and archive experience, alongside Collections Intern and Research Center Intern positions for students at the Old York Historical Society.
• 250 at Old York Program Semiquincentennial commemorative program featuring special events, exhibitions, and walking tours highlighting York's role in the American Revolution, including the 250 at Old York benefit party and partnerships with Historic New England.
• Stories at the Old Schoolhouse Weekly children's program featuring stories that bring history alive, recommended for ages 4-10, with related activities and visits to the historic York Corner Schoolhouse, supported by a Kennebunk Savings grant.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission provided to over 10,000 visitors annually through Blue Star Museum and Museums for All programs

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Historic New EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2026Co-presenting joint tours and programming including the '250 at Old York: The Rising Tide of Revolution' tour that combines Historic New England's Sayward-Wheeler House with Old York's museum campus and walking tours. Programs highlight York's Loyalist and revolutionary politics and economic ties to Great Britain.
• Kennebunk SavingsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Generous grant supporter of the 'Stories at the Old Schoolhouse' program, which provides free story time and activities for children ages 4-10 at York Corner Schoolhouse.
• York River Stewardship CommitteeminorOthers · 23 September 2025Awarded funds as one of six organizations through the York River Stewardship Committee, supporting environmental and stewardship initiatives.
• York Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2024Joint proposal to transfer ownership of Steedman Woods to the Town of York, demonstrating collaborative land conservation efforts.
• Blue Star Museum ProgramcoreOthersParticipating museum offering free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families.
• Museums for AllcoreOthersParticipating museum in the Museums for All initiative offering free general admission for SNAP/EBT cardholders and their families to increase accessibility.
• SoMe Brewing CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal brewery partner referenced for Tuesday Trivia at the Tavern event as a recommended B.Y.O.B. option for participants.
• York Beach Beer Co.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal brewery partner referenced for Tuesday Trivia at the Tavern event as a recommended B.Y.O.B. option for participants.
• Wiggly Bridge DistilleryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor providing signature cocktails ('Wiggly Founding Father') for the 250 at Old York benefit party.
• Williams Realty PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor providing complimentary trolley service between York Middle School parking and Perkins House for the 250 at Old York benefit party.
• Ellis Insurance AgencyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for 250 at Old York benefit party.
• Nappi DistributorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor providing wine and beer for the 250 at Old York benefit party.
• York Harbor InnminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for 250 at Old York benefit party.
• Harvest & Plate CateringminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCatering partner providing hors d'oeuvres for the 250 at Old York benefit party.
• Fiddling ThomsonsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLive music entertainment at the 250 at Old York benefit party.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library: Large museum and decorative-arts research library in Delaware featuring a historic house collection, gardens, and academic programs. Comparable in combining a historic property, exhibitions, and a substantial research library/archive with fellowship programs.
• Peabody Essex Museum: Major New England museum combining historic houses, art collections, and regional history programming. Shares the historic-properties-plus-curated-collections model, but with substantially broader programming and endowment.
• Colonial Williamsburg: Largest living-history museum in the U.S. interpreting 18th-century colonial and Revolutionary-era Virginia. Same core product category (immersive colonial-era history) and education programs, but at vastly greater scale and national reach.

Direct peers

• Historic New England: Regional historic preservation organization operating 36+ house museums across New England, including the co-presented Sayward-Wheeler House. Directly comparable in scale, mission, and asset model, and an active programming partner.
• New Hampshire Historical Society: State-level historical society operating a research library, museum, and educational programming. Directly comparable mission, archival scale, and programming, and listed in Old York staff bios as a fellowship/training connection.
• Plimoth Patuxet Museums: Living history museum complex in Plymouth, MA focused on 17th-century colonial history. Closely comparable in interpreting early American colonial and Indigenous heritage through costumed interpretation, exhibits, and education programs.
• Maine Historical Society: Statewide historical society for Maine operating the Maine Historical Museum and MHS Research Library, with comparable archival, membership, and educational programming serving a Maine audience.
• Strawbery Banke Museum: Outdoor living history museum in Portsmouth, NH operating 10+ colonial-era buildings with comparable education, walking tour, and preservation programming. Directly mentioned in Old York's management team bios as an internship/training ground.

Regional players

• Sagamore Hill National Historic Site: National Park Service historic house museum (Theodore Roosevelt's estate) in New York. Comparable in operating a single preserved historic property with tours and education programming, though federally funded and at a different scale.
• Settlement House Association (York Land Trust): Adjacent local nonprofit in York, Maine with overlapping historic-preservation and stewardship mission. Not a direct museum peer, but a frequent local partner (Steedman Woods transfer) in conserving York's cultural landscape.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MuseumsofOldYork
• Facebookfacebook.com/OldYorkHistorical
• Instagraminstagram.com/oldyorkhistorical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/old-york-historical-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Old York Historical Society