The Summerside and Area Historical Society was formed at a meeting held on 28 April 1983 at the Eptek Centre in Summerside. A proposed constitution and set of bylaws was accepted and Alex B. Campbell became the first president. The Society was formed as a non-profit organization with a purpose "of promoting and encouraging an interest in the history of the Summerside Area". By January 1984, there were 40 individuals and 5 corporate bodies on the membership list. In June of that year, an official logo was adopted for use on letterhead and promotional literature. That same summer, the Society organized a public Historic Homes tour, and repeated the venture in 1985 and 1986. Also in 1984, the group became involved in a Canada Works Project at the Holman Homestead on Fitzroy Street. An outcome of this was the establishment of the International Fox Museum at the Homestead in recognition of the role the Silver Black Fox industry played in the local economy.

The members designed and published 5000 brochures of "A Walking Tour of Summerside" in 1985. A new tour called "Of Merchant, Fox and Sails" was produced in conjunction with an exhibit at the Eptek Centre in 1992 and was reprinted in 1997. An architectural inventory project carried out in 1994 under the auspices of the group then led by President Julie Simmons, was compiled into a proposal for a heritage preservation bylaw and submitted to City Council in October 1995. Members were re-energized again in the year 2000 when the MacNaught History Centre and Archives was opened. Through meetings, lectures, and displays the Society continues to work toward its goals with many community interests such as Eptek Art and Culture Centre, the Royal Canadian Legion, and the Wyatt Heritage Properties.