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Category: Government, Politics & Law

Online Exhibits

Your results include these online exhibits. You also can view all of the site's exhibits, view a timeline of selected events in Maine History, and learn how to create your own exhibit. See featured exhibits or create your own exhibit


Exhibit

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.

Exhibit

Protests

Throughout the history of the state, residents have protested, on paper or in the streets, to increase rights for various groups, to effect social change, to prevent social change, or to let their feelings be known about important issues.

Exhibit

Margaret Chase Smith: A Historic Candidacy

When she announced her candidacy for President in January 1964, three-term Republican Senator Margaret Chase Smith became the first woman to seek the nomination of one of the two major political parties.

Exhibit

Land Claims, Economic Opportunities?

The landmark 1980 Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act provided $81.6 million to Maine Indians for economic development, land purchase and other purposes. The money and increased land holdings, however, have not solved economic and employment issues for Maine Indians.

Exhibit

Maine Politicians, National Leaders

From the early days of Maine statehood to the present, countless Maine politicians have made names for themselves on the national stage.

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From Sewers to Skylines: William S. Edwards's 1887 Photo Album

William S. Edwards (1830-1918) was a civil engineer who worked for the City of Portland from 1876-1906. Serving as First Assistant to Chief Engineer William A. Goodwin, then to Commissioner George N. Fernald, Edwards was a fixture in City Hall for 30 consecutive years, proving indispensable throughout the terms of 15 Mayors of Portland, including all six of those held by James Phineas Baxter. Edwards made significant contributions to Portland, was an outstanding mapmaker and planner, and his works continue to benefit historians.

Exhibit

Clean Water: Muskie and the Environment

Maine Senator Edmund S. Muskie earned the nickname "Mr. Clean" for his environment efforts during his tenure in Congress from 1959 to 1980. He helped created a political coalition that passed important clean air and clean water legislation, drawing on his roots in Maine.

Exhibit

The Washburns of Livermore

Members of the Washburn family of Livermore participated in the Civil War in a variety of ways -- from Caroline at the homefront, to Samuel at sea, Elihu, as a Congressman from Illinois, and Israel governor of Maine. The family had considerable influence politically on several fronts.

Exhibit

Student Exhibit: Can You Help Our Free Skowhegan Public Library?

The Skowhegan Free Public Library was built in 1889 with money donated by Abner Coburn and the town of Skowhegan. Mr. Coburn left $30,000 in his will towards the building of the library. In 2005, for the library to fully keep up with their programs need to make some renovations. These changes would allow for more use of technology, more room for children's programs, and provide handicap accessibility.

Exhibit

The Establishment of the Troy Town Forest

Seavey Piper, a selectman, farmer, landowner, and leader of the Town of Troy in the 1920s through the early 1950s helped establish a town forest on abandoned farm land in Troy. The exhibit details his work over ten years.

Exhibit

Shepard Cary: Lumberman, Legislator, Leader and Legend

Shepard Cary (1805-1866) was one of the leading -- and wealthiest -- residents of early Aroostook County. He was a lumberman, merchant, mill operator, and legislator.

Exhibit

Civil Defense: Fear and Safety

In the 1950s and the 1960s, Maine's Civil Defense effort focused on preparedness for hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters and a more global concern, nuclear war. Civil Defense materials urged awareness, along with measures like storing food and other staple items and preparing underground or other shelters.

Exhibit

Redact: Obscuring the Maine Constitution

In 2015, Maliseet Representative Henry Bear drew the Maine legislature’s attention to a historic redaction of the Maine Constitution. Through legislation drafted in February 1875, approved by voters in September 1875, and enacted on January 1, 1876, the Sections 1, 2, and 5 of Article X (ten) of the Maine Constitution ceased to be printed. Since 1876, these sections are redacted from the document. Although they are obscured, they retain their validity.

Exhibit

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - People of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House

"People of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Portland, ca. 1880Maine Historical Society Only two families occupied the…"

Exhibit

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Wadsworth Era: 1786-1807

"The Wadsworth Era: 1786-1807 Silhouette of Peleg Wadsworth, Portland, ca. 1800Maine Historical Society Peleg and Elizabeth Wadsworth lived in…"

Exhibit

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland

"The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland "It is but right that the house should belong to the public… Henry always loved the old home above any…"

Exhibit

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - Streetscape, 1790-1930

"Streetscape, 1790-1930 In 1790: X The Reuben Morton house, at left (northeast corner of Brown and Congress streets), is a two-story, wood-frame…"

Exhibit

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - Researching Your Home

"Researching Your Home Every House has a History Peleg Wadsworth deed of land to Stephen Longfellow, Portland, 1827Maine Historical Society…"

Exhibit

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Longfellow Era: 1807-1901

"The Longfellow Era: 1807-1901 On the evening of January 1, 1804, Stephen Longfellow and Zilpah Wadsworth were married in the parlor of the house…"

Exhibit

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The House, 1786-1960

"The House, 1786-1960 "…but happier is he whose heart rides quietly at anchor in the peaceful haven of home." – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to his…"

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Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - Census, Timeline

"Census, Timeline Pages from the manuscript United States census, taken every 10 years, show the changing nature of the Longfellow household -- and…"

Exhibit

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Privy

"The Privy Brown Street, Portland, ca. 1875Maine Historic Preservation Commission In 2006, while rebuilding the garden wall along the original…"

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Port of Portland's Custom House and Collectors of Customs

The collector of Portland was the key to federal patronage in Maine, though other ports and towns had collectors. Through the 19th century, the revenue was the major source of Federal Government income. As in Colonial times, the person appointed to head the custom House in Casco Bay was almost always a leading community figure, or a well-connected political personage.

Exhibit

Hannibal Hamlin of Paris Hill

2009 marked the bicentennials of the births of Abraham Lincoln and his first vice president, Hannibal Hamlin of Maine. To observe the anniversary, Paris Hill, where Hamlin was born and raised, honored the native statesman and recalled both his early life in the community and the mark he made on Maine and the nation.