About

1205 Russells Mills Road, Dartmouth, MA 02748

While our primary focus here at DHAS is Dartmouth history as defined by our mission statement below, we recognize we are but one part of the greater breadth of all New England history. Dartmouth residents over the years came from many places near and far and a useful research workbench needs the breadth to not stop at the boundaries of the town. Since we are often interested in the lives of people, we need to be able to follow the trail of clues wherever they lead us. Frequently, in colonial days, people came to Dartmouth from Portsmouth RI, Sandwich, MA, other local colonial settlements, Europe and other overseas places. Hence, in support of good research, we need to provide access to the pieces needed to complete the puzzles we continually seek to put together to fill out a full story. We are also, of course, interested in knowing about the details of their lives and the culture of the times in which they lived. Therefore, we are providing access through our website to a rich base of historical information which extends out to a greater geography.

Mission statement

The Dartmouth Historical & Arts Society’s mission is to support, promote, preserve, and disseminate the historic and cultural diversity of Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The DHAS will seek to collect significant objects and artifacts that document the material culture of Dartmouth. It will also nurture and sponsor visual, literary, and performance art in the community.
The DHAS has leased the 1871 Schoolhouse in Russells Mills Historic District as the Dartmouth Historical & Arts Society, with programming that includes, but is not limited to the following:

Conserve, document, and teach the history of Dartmouth
Preserve and rehabilitate the 1871 Schoolhouse (the former Russells Mills Library)
Provide living history programs for children and adults about the 1871 Schoolhouse and Russells Mills Village
Sponsor and promote exhibitions, including those of art and history
Sponsor and host meetings, programs in the visual and performing arts, and various interest groups in our community