Maine Memory Network

Rocking duck toy, ca. 1920

Contributed by: Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum Date: circa 1920 Location: Littleton Media: Wood

Toy Stove, ca. 1940

Contributed by: Pejepscot History Center Date: circa 1940 Location: Brunswick Media: Metal

Toy Len Goon: Mother of the Year

Toy Len Goon of Portland, an immigrant from China, was a widow with six children when she was selected in 1952 as America's Mother of the Year.

Art of the People: Folk Art in Maine

For many different reasons people saved and carefully preserved the objects in this exhibit. Eventually, along with the memories they hold, the objects were passed to the Maine Historical Society. Object and memory, serve as a powerful way to explore history and to connect to the lives of people in the past.

Historic Clothing Collection - Fashions Far & Away

"… century group of garments brought to Maine by Toy Len Goon. It is anticipated that this currently and predominately Chinese selection will…"

Presque Isle: The Star City - Moving to Maine: There to Here - Page 3 of 3

"Growing up, my mother didn’t have a TV or toys. She grew up poor and moved to seek a new life in the United States of America."

From Chinese Laundress to Mother of the Year
by Dr. Andrea Louie

Toy Len Goon's granddaughter recounts her immigration to the US and becoming Mother of the Year.

Dr Michael Guignard: Passion for research & Franco-American root
by Biddeford Cultural & Heritage Center

A personal journey of life in a Franco-American community with unique insights on adoption

Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride Companion Curriculum

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8 Content Area: Social Studies
These lesson plans were developed by Maine Historical Society for the Seashore Trolley Museum as a companion curriculum for the historical fiction YA novel "Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride" by Jean. M. Flahive (2019). The novel tells the story of Millie Thayer, a young girl who dreams of leaving the family farm, working in the city, and fighting for women's suffrage. Millie's life begins to change when a "flying carpet" shows up in the form of an electric trolley that cuts across her farm and when a fortune-teller predicts that Millie's path will cross that of someone famous. Suddenly, Millie finds herself caught up in events that shake the nation, Maine, and her family. The lesson plans in this companion curriculum explore a variety of topics including the history of the trolley use in early 20th century Maine, farm and rural life at the turn of the century, the story of Theodore Roosevelt and his relationship with Maine, WWI, and the flu pandemic of 1918-1920.