Maine Memory Network

Young women of Millinocket, 1901

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1901 Location: Millinocket Media: Photographic print

John Young Merrill diary, Leeds, 1860

Contributed by: Leeds Historical Society Date: 1860–1861 Location: Leeds Media: Ink on paper

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Young property, W. Side Seashore Avenue, Peaks Island, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Caroline Young Use: Summer Dwelling

Young property, Spruce Avenue, Peaks Island, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Carrie Young Use: Summer Dwelling

Plan for Residence of Pray and Young, Auburn, 1887-1888

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1887–1888 Location: Auburn Client: Pray and Young Architect: George M. Coombs

House for L. C. Young, Portland, ca. 1900

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1900 Location: Portland; Portland Client: L. C. Young Architect: John Calvin Stevens

John Y. Merrill: Leeds Farmer, Entrepreneur, & More

John Y. Merrill of Leeds (1823-1898) made terse entries in diaries he kept for 11 years. His few words still provide a glimpse into the life of a mid 18th century farmer, who also made shoes, quarried stone, moved barns, made healing salves -- and was active in civic affairs.

War Through the Eyes of a Young Sailor

Eager to deal with the "Sesech" [Secessionists], young deepwater sailor John Monroe Dillingham of Freeport enlisted in the U.S. Navy as soon as he returned from a long voyage in 1862. His letters and those of his family offer first-hand insight into how one individual viewed the war.

Early Maine Photography - Human Interest

"… gesture toward Maine’s prohibition laws, two young women with whiskey glasses in hand rest their elbows on a table displaying a liquor bottle…"

Early Maine Photography - Portland Photographers

"McKenney took a picture of a young man in 1860. While most pre Civil War Maine photographers operated studios in cities and towns, some chose the…"

Civil War Soldier comes home after 158 years
by Jamison McAlister

Civil War Soldier comes home after 158 years

Buck Fever
by William R. Hinderer

A young soldier suffers "buck fever" during combat in Vietnam.

Longfellow Studies: The Writer's Hour - "Footprints on the Sands of Time"

Grade Level: 3-5 Content Area: English Language Arts, Social Studies
These lessons will introduce the world-famous American writer and a selection of his work with a compelling historical fiction theme. Students take up the quest: Who was HWL and did his poetry leave footprints on the sands of time? They will "tour" his Cambridge home through young eyes, listen, and discuss poems from a writer’s viewpoint, and create their own poems inspired by Longfellow's works. The interdisciplinary approach utilizes critical thinking skills, living history, technology integration, maps, photos, books, and peer collaboration. The mission is to get students keenly interested in what makes a great writer by using Longfellow as a historic role model. The lessons are designed for students at varying reading levels. Slow learners engage in living history with Alice’s fascinating search through the historic Craigie house, while gifted and talented students may dramatize the virtual tour as a monologue. Constant discovery and exciting presentations keep the magic in lessons. Remember that, "the youthful mind must be interested in order to be instructed." Students will build strong writing skills encouraging them to leave their own "footprints on the sands of time."

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.