On this page members of the Maitland and District Historical Society are sharing their research into a variety of aspects of the history of our locality. New stories will be added as they become available.
Use search to find stories about the person, place, topic or keyword you are interested in.
Nineteenth century race relations: a sad story
Relations between Europeans and Aboriginal people were sometimes cordial in the early days of European settlement of the Hunter Valley, but they soon deteriorated.
Names of early Maitland
Many place names in the Maitland area, current before Europeans arrived and afterwards, have disappeared but some remain in use.
Half a century ago …
In the 1890s the Maitland Mercury republished items from its early editions to describe how the area and people’s lives had changed over the years. Here a focus is on the first item in the series.
Ploughing matches
Ploughing matches were once important to the agricultural economy of the Maitland area and were well attended by the public as sporting contests.