The Old Bristol Garden Club was first organized in 1929 by a small group of women from Bristol, South Bristol and Damariscotta. 

In 1930, a call went out to the nine known garden clubs in Maine, inviting members to attend a meeting to consider a garden federation. The Garden Club Federation of Maine was organized June 3, 1931 at Camden, with eight charter clubs.  Today there are 42 clubs. OBGC remained a member until 1968. 

In 1932, the Garden Club Federation of Maine affiliated with National Garden Clubs, Inc. at their third annual convention in Boston. 

Flower shows are an integral part of Federated Clubs and OBGC’s flower shows began in 1930. In 1936, three hundred people attended the annual flower show at Lakehurst Lodge, Damariscotta. The Silver Anniversary Flower Show opened August 8,1956 at the Bristol Community Building.

Over the years, OBGC has initiated many community projects including the Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker, a beautification project at the Chapman Hall House in Damariscotta (1966), the line of crab apple trees on Miles Causeway (which are no longer there), and the Secret Garden at Miles Hospital.