Maine Memory Network

Le Théâtre

Lewiston, Maine's second largest city, was long looked upon by many as a mill town with grimy smoke stacks, crowded tenements, low-paying jobs, sleazy clubs and little by way of refinement, except for Bates College. Yet, a noted Québec historian, Robert Rumilly, described it as "the French Athens of New England."

Dressing Up, Standing Out, Fitting In

Adorning oneself to look one's "best" has varied over time, gender, economic class, and by event. Adornments suggest one's sense of identity and one's intent to stand out or fit in.

Music in Maine - PLAY

"… is an important communal experience for the performer and the audience. Use the navigation tools on the left to explore the exhibition…"

Music in Maine - Music and Television

"Dave Astor’s weekly episodes featured students from local high schools who performed hit songs from the radio, often lip synching and sometimes…"

Music in Maine - Opera, Orchestras and Stages

"For the militakwat performance, my wife Donna Decontie-Brown and I created this original coat. It is a representation of Wabanaki woodland lichen in…"

Music in Maine - Radio Cowboys and Country Music

"He hired regular show performers, and hosted special guests and teenagers from the Portland region. Ken MacKenzie’s parents were from Cape Breton…"

Music in Maine - Bluegrass Music

"Al Hawkes and Alton Myers started performing as a teenagers in the 1940s. They met while browsing 78 RPM records at a store."

A Parade, an Airplane and Two Weddings

Two couples, a parade from downtown Caribou to the airfield, and two airplane flights were the scene in 1930 when the couples each took off in a single-engine plane to tie the knot high over Aroostook County.

Music in Maine - MAKE

"… traveled worldwide showcasing their talents and performing in operas, vaudeville, and so-called “Wild West” shows."

Music in Maine - Community and School Marching Bands

"During this time period, Indigenous bands often performed in full regalia, both celebrating their Indigeneity and meeting the audiences’ expectations…"

Music in Maine - Music Makers

"… 1942, Schirmer Records in New York recorded White performing songs from her youth. She wrote in her diary, "Oh! My records! These new recordings…"

Lillian Nordica: Farmington Diva

Lillian Norton, known as Nordica, was one of the best known sopranos in America and the world at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. She was a native of Farmington.

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.

Music in Maine - Rock and Roll, Punk, and Elvis

"… Maine got way more than its share of major performers. Bill Haley and the Comets, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Four Seasons, Simon and Garfunkel…"

We Used to be "Normal": A History of F.S.N.S.

Farmington's Normal School -- a teacher-training facility -- opened in 1863 and, over the decades, offered academic programs that included such unique features as domestic and child-care training, and extra-curricular activities from athletics to music and theater.

Back to School

Public education has been a part of Maine since Euro-American settlement began to stabilize in the early eighteenth century. But not until the end of the nineteenth century was public education really compulsory in Maine.

People, Pets & Portraits

Informal family photos often include family pets -- but formal, studio portraits and paintings also often feature one person and one pet, in formal attire and pose.

Music in Maine - Country Music

"… years appearing in town halls and opera houses performing music, dance, and comedy in their act. While the players changed over the years, the…"

Elise Fellows White: Music, Writing, and Family

From a violin prodigy in her early years to an older woman -- mother of two -- struggling financially, Skowhegan native Mary Elise Fellows White remained committed to music, writing, poetry, her extended family -- and living a life that would matter and be remembered.

Indians at the Centennial

Passamaquoddy Indians from Washington County traveled to Portland in 1920 to take part in the Maine Centennial Exposition. They set up an "Indian Village" at Deering Oaks Park.

Student Exhibit: Save the Skowhegan Grange & Granges in General

A brief history of the Grange in Skowhegan, its importance to community history, and a plea to save it from destruction.

Music in Maine - Military Marching Bands

"He wore this uniform during the 1950s. Today, Chandler’s Band members perform in black shirts and black pants."

Music in Maine - Music Education

"… to learn how to play a musical instrument and to perform in front of audiences. Dancing to music helps children build motor skills while allowing…"

Hermann Kotzschmar: Portland's Musical Genius

During the second half of the 19th century, "Hermann Kotzschmar" was a familiar household name in Portland. He spent 59 years in his adopted city as a teacher, choral conductor, concert artist, and church organist.