History
The Society was established on 4 October 1968, by a small group of community members concerned about the fate of the historic police cells built from local sandstone.
In Bacchus Marsh the Police were originally stationed at the Police Paddocks south of the Werribee River in Maddingley. The sandstone Police Cells were moved from there to 119 Main Street, around 1857. They were reassembled by the newly formed Public Works Department. Numbers on the stone blocks are evidence supporting the movement of the cells.
The two cell lock up built from dressed local sandstone with sawn plank lining are the oldest on the heritage Victoria Register
Bacchus Marsh & District Historical Society Inc collection
The Society has a simple set of Objectives, they are:
- The object of the Society is to promote the study, collection and preservation of Bacchus Marsh and District’s history, historical places and objects.
- To promote and support historical research and publication of the same.
- The Society shall elect three members of the Association to administer the Mona Denny (Bacchus) Memorial Trust and the terms of their appointments will be in the accordance with the charter of the said trust.
Members conduct the following activities and projects that support our objectives:
- Answering enquiries on our pioneering families and local history
- Creating indexes which allow information to accessed more quickly
- Maintaining a Collection of historical artefacts, documents and photographs
- Publishing a periodic newsletter and books about the area, organisations and people
- Promoting local history and heritage on our Facebook page and Blog
- Organising historical displays and tours for the community
- Conducting historical research
We are a volunteer organisation made up of more than 50 members, working to preserve, protect and provide historical information to the public and members. To enable us to sustain our activities and maintain research services we charge modest fees to cover our ongoing operational costs.
Rules
To join you must read and agree to be bound by the Rules of the Society.
Joining
The annual membership fee for the Bacchus Marsh and District Historical Society Inc. is:
- AUD $20 – Individual
There is no joining fee and subscriptions are due annually from the 1st of June each year.
To apply for membership download the Membership Application form, read the information provided, complete and sign the form, then:
- Hand in at the Archive during opening hours
- Post it to the Society
- Email a scanned copy to the Society
All enquiries are welcome.
Affiliations
The Society currently maintains annual subscriptions to the following state and national history organisations:
Royal Historical Society of Victoria
RHSV is the state body and has a set of objectives that align closely with our Society. They have a comprehensive collection and provide numerous publications, lectures, and workshops to assist regional historical societies in meeting their own aims and objectives.
Federation of Australian Historical Societies
The Federation of Australian Historical Societies was established in 1977. It has eight constituent members, one in each state and territory, and is the national peak body representing the interests of about 1,000 historical societies and about 100,000 members throughout Australia.
Support
The Society is incredibly lucky for the support it receives from several key organisations and individuals in the pursuit of its key objectives and projects. Many projects would not have been started without this assistance. Check out our valued Supporters.