BREWER, Maine — Upon entering the Clewley Museum in Brewer, it almost feels as though you're transported back in time.
"We have family Bibles, maps of the area from back into the 1800s," Michelle Labree Daniels, city liaison for the Brewer Historical Society, said while shuffling through some of the filing cabinets in the building.
For nearly 50 years, the Brewer Historical Society has been using the museum as a home for Brewer's history. But with the building in disrepair and the organization struggling to find volunteers, Labree Daniels said they're shutting their doors and moving all of the historical items in it.
"The building has not been in great shape for a while," Labree Daniels said. "It has some foundation issues and some other issues that were going to be extremely costly to take care of."
But before the museum closes for good, the organization said they're using it as a space where people can buy some of the remaining antiques that aren't being moved for the continued preservation of some of Brewer's most historic items.
"There's been a lot of antique dealers, a lot of Brewer residents, and even just a lot of people who wanted to see what was inside of the museum and what's going on," Labree Daniels said.
While looking at an antique bathtub, one local shopper said he was searching for hidden treasures for himself and for potential buyers.
"This is a handmade galvanized tub," he said. "I appreciate things that come from the past. The items were made with quality, and they took time, and they were skilled with what they did."
While many of the antiques were for sale, the historic society said many of the more "Brewer-centric" items have been relocated to Brewer's public library for safe keeping.
"We have some early maps of Brewer here," Darren French, the library director, said. "You can see property lines of some famous families, like the Chamberlains."
While flipping through a directory of Brewer's oldest recorded library, filled with names of residents from hundreds of years ago, French explained how amazing it has been to learn more about his city through the items he has helped move.
"You can see the brick kilns marked off on the map and just the meaning of that in particular through the ages and what it means to people today," French said.
And while the historical items are in the library's care, French said he will continue preserving them so others can appreciate Brewer's history for years to come.
"You can see the brick kilns marked off on the map and just the meaning of that in particular through the ages and what it means to people today," French said.
According to The Brewer Historical Society and city officials, the goal is to eventually have a museum where people can see the historical items for themselves.
If you're interested in seeing what kind of antique items are still for sale at the Clewley Museum, the estate sale was held Friday and will be open again from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28.