Maine Memory Network

Fire Department running team, Houlton, ca. 1886

Courtesy of Henry Gartley, an individual partner Date: circa 1886 Location: Houlton Media: Photographic print

Young Girls' Race, Squirrel Island, ca. 1915

Contributed by: Stanley Museum Date: circa 1915 Location: Southport Media: Photographic print

Assessor's Record, 235-311 Forest Avenue, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Winslow & Company Use: Clay Runs

Assessor's Record, 2-40 West Commercial Street, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Portland Gas Light Co. Use: Overhead Coke Run

Block for Mr. M.J. Googin, Lewiston, 1893-1915

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1893–1915 Location: Lewiston; Lewiston Client: M. J. Googin Architect: George M. Coombs; Coombs Brothers Architects

Waterford Library, Waterford, 1937

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1930–1937 Location: Waterford Client: unknown Architect: John Calvin Stevens and John Howard Stevens Architects

Presidents and Campaigns

Several Mainers have run for president or vice president, a number of presidents, past presidents, and future presidents have had ties to the state or visited here, and, during campaign season, many presidential candidates and their family members have brought their campaigns to Maine.

Away at School: Letters Home

Young men and women in the 19th century often went away from home -- sometimes for a few months, sometimes for longer periods -- to attend academies, seminaries, or schools run by individuals. While there, they wrote letters home, reporting on boarding arrangements and coursework undertaken, and inquired about the family at home.

Swan's Island: Six miles east of ordinary - Running the Town

"Running the Town Decades went by before a woman served in a municipal office. In 1929 Bessie Joyce was listed as a member of the Superintending…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - P.H. Tilson Death Notice

"… died on July 21, 1861 at the Battle of Bull Run. The goal of the battle was to force the Confederates to retreat to their next line of defense; the…"

2024 Maine History Maker Celebration Event
by Maine Historical Society

Maine Historical Society's 2024 Maine History Maker event, honoring Joan Benoit Samuelson.

Joan Benoit Samuelson: A Maine Story
by Maine Historical Society

Documentary about Joan Benoit Samuelson, created as part of the 2024 Maine History Maker award.

Primary Sources: Healthcare History in Maine

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12 Content Area: Social Studies
This lesson plan will give students the opportunity to read and analyze letters, literature, and other primary documents and articles of material culture from the MHS collections relating to how people in Maine have given and received healthcare throughout history. Students will discuss the giving and receiving of medicines and treatments from the 18th-21st centuries, the evolving role of hospitals since the 19th century, and how the nursing profession has changed since the Civil War. Students will also look at how people and healthcare facilities in Maine have addressed epidemics in the past, such as influenza and tuberculosis, and what we can learn today from studying the history of healthcare and medicine.