Macleay River Historical Society (and Kempsey Museum), Kempsey, New South Wales

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Macleay River Historical Society (and Kempsey Museum), Kempsey, New South Wales

• Kempsey Museum, Kempsey, New South Wales
• Macleay River Historical Society Inc

• Community

The Macleay River Historical Society was founded in 1960.
The Kempsey Museum, run by society, is located in South Kempsey. The building was opened in April 1983. Prior to this the museum was housed in Elbow Street, West Kempsey.
The museum has three areas:

• Collections and displays of historic artifacts, relating to the Macleay district.
• The Research Department. There is an extensive collection of local history and family files in the library and record room. This service is available for anyone wishing to research local families, locations and topics.
• The Photographic Section. The collection includes more than 40,000 images and photographs. This world-class asset is made up not only from local donations but also from several major collections of professional quality.

Kempsey is in the mid-north coast region of New South Wales in the Shire of Kempsey. It is 15 kilometres inland, on the Macleay Valley Way near where the Pacific Highway and the North Coast railway line cross the Macleay River.

For the constitution of the society, see http://www.kempseymuseum.org/default.asp?iId=GFGDED

Officer in charge of the society: President

The Society focuses on Macleay River District local history - people, land, buildings and life styles.

The Macleay River Historical Society's award winning Kempsey Museum is housed in the unique Glenn Murcutt Building adjacent to the Visitor Information Centre in South Kempsey. The Settler's Cottage is in the museum courtyard. It was built in about 1910 and had been moved several times before being acquired by the museum in 1990.

There is an extensive collection of local history and family files in the library and record room, covering:

• Family history
• History of the Macleay Valley
• District history
• Local newspapers
• Photographs
• Cemetery records

More specifically, for example:

• NSW Council of Education: Correspondence, 1875- ; Schools local, 1850- .
• Society files: Aboriginal studies, 1890- ; Shipping, 1837- ; Family histories, 1837- ; Timber industry, 1836- ; John Verge, 1837- ; Articles on Macleay River, 1821- ; Maritime history, 1836- .
• Macleay Argus Newspaper: Files, 1885-1994 (gaps). These files are on microfilm.
• Macleay Chronicle: Files, 1899-1919 complete. Further files available. These files are on microfilm.
• Department of Lands: Parish maps.
• Irvine Davis files: Family and local histories, 1859- .
• Major Lionel Rudder: Enoch William Rudder, 1836- .

The photographic collection, covering history on the Macleay from 1830 to the present, includes more than 40,000 images and photographs, most of which are fully catalogued and cross-referenced.

Entries in National Library of Australia Guide to Collections of Manuscripts Relating to Australia.

The museum is open Monday to Sunday, 10am-4pm. Contact the museum for research appointments.
Closed Christmas Day and Good Friday.

Contact the museum to make an appointment for all research and photographic bookings - see forms at http://www.kempseymuseum.org/default.asp?iId=GFEKLM and http://www.kempseymuseum.org/default.asp?iId=GFEMDD

The museum has disabled access and bus groups are most welcome.

General reference assistance is available. For information and forms, see http://www.kempseymuseum.org/default.asp?iId=GFEKLM

Copying services are available. For information and forms, see http://www.kempseymuseum.org/default.asp?iId=GFEMDD

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Thematic area)
• Education (Thematic area)
• Family / Domestic Life (Thematic area)
• Genealogical (Thematic area)
• Local Studies (Thematic area)
• Social Organisations and Activities (Thematic area)