Maine Memory Network

Debates Over Suffrage

While numerous Mainers worked for and against woman suffrage in the state in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, some also worked on the national level, seeking a federal amendment to allow women the right to vote

Student Exhibit: Historic Buildings on Madison Ave in Skowhegan

Take a tour and see some of the beautiful old buildings that used to be on Madison Avenue, Skowhegan? A few still remain, but most have been torn down.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - A Call to Temperance

"Smith Written by Saco's William Grant Brooks (1869 - ca.1925), this popular song tells of the death of an alcoholic's neglected daughter."

A Tour of Sanford in 1900

This collection of images portrays many buildings in Sanford and Springvale. The images were taken around the turn of the twentieth century.

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.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Taverns, People, and Scenes

"Plan of Ann (now Park) Street, Portland, ca. 1802Maine Historical Society Plan of Ann Street, Portland, ca."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Drinking: Elegance and Debauchery

"… at the corner of Portland's Federal and Temple streets, just below the First Parish Meetinghouse, was a stagecoach depot and popular watering place…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Business as Usual

"… of Fore, York, Danforth, and Pleasant streets) was a largely Irish-American neighborhood with more than its share of kitchen bars."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Politics and Enforcement

"Located at 135 Congress Street, it was a hot bed of recurring corruption, with agents often arrested by local police."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Women Leaders and Temperance

"… Christian Temperance Union marching down Columbia Street in Bangor carrying signs such as "Bread is better than beer". X W.C.T.U."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Quenching the Thirst

"… 1916 and established a barber shop on Middle Street. Wine was a staple in Italian families and at least one Portland priest viewed Prohibition as…"

Music in Maine - Drum, Stockton Springs, ca. 1840

"… umbrellas and musical instruments at 92 Court Street in Boston from 1820 to 1844, specializing in bass drums for militia units."

Music in Maine - Community Music

"… added a club crawl, closing down Rockland’s Main Street, putting bands on the street and into local clubs featuring Maine blues bands."

Music in Maine - Bluegrass Music

"Event Records Streets of Laredo/Foggy, Foggy Dew, Westbrook, 1956Maine Historical Society Musician and television repair man, Al Hawkes…"

Home: The Longfellow House & the Emergence of Portland

The Wadsworth-Longfellow house is the oldest building on the Portland peninsula, the first historic site in Maine, a National Historic Landmark, home to three generations of Wadsworth and Longfellow family members -- including the boyhood home of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The history of the house and its inhabitants provide a unique view of the growth and changes of Portland -- as well as of the immediate surroundings of the home.

Farm-yard Frames

Throughout New England, barns attached to houses are fairly common. Why were the buildings connected? What did farmers or families gain by doing this? The phenomenon was captured in the words of a children's song, "Big house, little house, back house, barn," (Thomas C. Hubka <em>Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn, the Connected Farm Buildings of New England,</em> University Press of New England, 1984.)

Great War and Armistice Day

In 1954, November 11 became known as Veterans Day, a time to honor American veterans of all wars. The holiday originated, however, as a way to memorialize the end of World War I, November 11, 1918, and to "perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations." Mainers were involved in World War I as soldiers, nurses, and workers on the homefront aiding the military effort.

Maine Eats: the food revolution starts here

From Maine's iconic lobsters, blueberries, potatoes, apples, and maple syrup, to local favorites like poutine, baked beans, red hot dogs, Italian sandwiches, and Whoopie Pies, Maine's identity and economy are inextricably linked to food. Sourcing food, preparing food, and eating food are all part of the heartbeat of Maine's culture and economy. Now, a food revolution is taking us back to our roots in Maine: to the traditional sources, preparation, and pleasures of eating food that have sustained Mainers for millennia.

Strike Up the Band

Before the era of recorded music and radio, nearly every community had a band that played at parades and other civic events. Fire departments had bands, military units had bands, theaters had bands. Band music was everywhere.

Field & Homefront: Bethel during the Civil War

Like many towns, Bethel responded to the Civil War by sending many soldiers and those at the homefront sent aid and supported families. The town grew during the war, but suffered after its end.

Making Paper, Making Maine

Paper has shaped Maine's economy, molded individual and community identities, and impacted the environment throughout Maine. When Hugh Chisholm opened the Otis Falls Pulp Company in Jay in 1888, the mill was one of the most modern paper-making facilities in the country, and was connected to national and global markets. For the next century, Maine was an international leader in the manufacture of pulp and paper.

Biddeford, Saco and the Textile Industry

The largest textile factory in the country reached seven stories up on the banks of the Saco River in 1825, ushering in more than a century of making cloth in Biddeford and Saco. Along with the industry came larger populations and commercial, retail, social, and cultural growth.

Washington County Through Eastern's Eye

Images taken by itinerant photographers for Eastern Illustrating and Publishing Company, a real photo postcard company, provide a unique look at industry, commerce, recreation, tourism, and the communities of Washington County in the early decades of the twentieth century.

Designing Acadia

For one hundred years, Acadia National Park has captured the American imagination and stood as the most recognizable symbol of Maine’s important natural history and identity. This exhibit highlights Maine Memory content relating to Acadia and Mount Desert Island.