KENNEBUNK — Nobody wants to admit it quite yet. But it’s an inevitability, a truth now festering in the backs of people’s minds: The summer beach season, that fleeting moment of sand and sun, is on the decline. Shorelines throughout New England are packed with throngs of last-minute beach-goers, clinging to those last vestiges of the season before the tips of maple leaves are tinged with fall’s first gold.

As seasons pass, so too must its entertainments. At the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk, an exhibit examining summer tourism in the early 20th century enters its final full week ”“ and even as museum staff look forward to the changes that autumn will bring to its galleries, those who traverse its halls may still find reason to revel in the images inspired by the history of summers gone by.

After the grandeur of “To Sea: The Maritime Heritage of the Kennebunks,” which pays tribute to the region’s seafaring roots, and the gritty Civil War exhibit, “From the Kennebunks to Appamatox,” visitors making a full tour of the museum’s first floor will now find themselves in a show room dominated by a boardwalk spanning a makeshift beach of rocks and auburn sand. This is “The Tourist of 1913,” and in the spirit of the waning season, it provides a sunny and light-hearted stop on the museum’s ever-shifting historical journey.

The concept first germinated in the mind of museum Registrar and Collections Manager Kathryn Hussey, who found that many of the antique clothing items in storage bespoke of a beach style that’s now a distant memory.

Associate Director and Exhibit Curator Cynthia Walker mused that, while the 1900s don’t seem like a bygone age, the earliest dawn of that period told the story of a vastly different world.

“You don’t realize something in the 1900s was 100 years ago,” said Walker, “so that was pretty eye-opening.”

Mannequins peppered throughout the gallery bear costumes that hint at attire far more formal than the flesh-bearing garb found on beaches in the 21st century. During research, Walker discovered the story of a woman who dared to wear a one-piece bathing suit that terminated midway down her legs; she was fined for being too revealing.

“It really wasn’t appropriate to show anything more than an ankle,” said Walker.

In 1913, propriety was the name of the game. The mannequins decked in women’s clothing, while light in color to deflect the heat of the sun, are as layered and voluminous as what might be imagined in the most formal of society ballrooms. The men’s garb ”“ full suits, with ties ”“ seem impractical by modern standards, but were the duds of choice on Kennebunk’s early 20th century beaches.

Amidst the outmoded dress and reproduced postcard art, however, lies a touch of modernity that hints at the museum’s nod to technology.

On the boardwalk slashing through the beach scene ”“ given authenticity by real sand, trucked in in bags for the exhibit ”“ visitors are encouraged to take their pictures on the makeshift shore, and share them with the museum via Facebook and Twitter. It’s a touch of interactivity that Walker said has been an increasingly prevalent part of the Brick Store’s focus on engaging its audience, and it’s proved popular ”“ especially among the younger crowd.

Archivist Rosalind Magnuson, author of “Quiet, Well Kept, For Sensible People: The Development of Kennebunk Beach from 1860-1930,” on which the exhibit is partly based, keeps an office near the exhibit space, and has seen first-hand how youth tend to flock to the boardwalk.

“Little kids seem to love it,” she said.

The social media component may prove to be a mere drop in the technological bucket. In the future, thanks in part to a generous donation, technology will play an even bigger part in the Brick Store’s mission.

The museum was recently awarded more than $5,000 in a matching grant from the Maine Humanities Council. In order to receive full funding, it had to be matched by cash donations; and while that at first appeared to be a long-term goal, to be fulfilled by the slow and steady process of soliciting donations, the museum’s plans were accelerated by one passionate benefactor who furnished a check for $2,900, the remaining sum that was necessary to meet the grant’s requirements.

That means the future is now.

“We can get started on everything immediately,” said Walker. “(The donations) could be spread out over 10 years, but we got it all at once, which is incredible.”

The first order of business is the creation of an interactive video that would provide those in wheelchairs a handicapped-accessible tour of the museum’s second-story collections.

“They end up missing out on a lot of stuff,” said Walker. “So that’s going to be our number one priority.”

Another goal will be to revamp the museum’s website, enabling it to take donations and sell shop items online ”“ yet another step forward into the digital world.

As summer wanes, the Brick Store’s collective eyes naturally turn to the future. On Sept. 4, “The Tourist of 1913” exhibit will give way to about 80 pastel works by Maine painters, which will sprawl through multiple gallery rooms. And next summer ”“ never too soon to start planning ahead ”“ the museum will sponsor “Local Fest,” spearheaded by intern Lydia Berry, a student at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. Berry envisions an event in which local businesses, artisans and nonprofit groups will convene to share their talents with the community.

“There would be plumbers and carpenters and tradesmen, and we’ll get them involved ”¦ to unite the town more,” said Berry. “People who don’t normally get the chance to talk about their trades will have the chance to.”

And so it goes: As summer slips away, the planning for another begins in earnest.

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 319 or [email protected].