Maine Memory Network

Working Women of the Old Port

Women at the turn of the 20th century were increasingly involved in paid work outside the home. For wage-earning women in the Old Port section of Portland, the jobs ranged from canning fish and vegetables to setting type. A study done in 1907 found many women did not earn living wages.

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.

The Schooner Bowdoin: Ninety Years of Seagoing History

After traveling to the Arctic with Robert E. Peary, Donald B. MacMillan (1874-1970), an explorer, researcher, and lecturer, helped design his own vessel for Arctic exploration, the schooner <em>Bowdoin,</em> which he named after his alma mater. The schooner remains on the seas.

Gluskap of the Wabanaki

Creation and other cultural tales are important to framing a culture's beliefs and values -- and passing those on. The Wabanaki -- Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot -- Indians of Maine and Nova Scotia tell stories of a cultural hero/creator, a giant who lived among them and who promised to return.

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.

Lincoln County through the Eastern Eye

The Penobscot Marine Museum’s photography collections include nearly 50,000 glass plate negatives of images for "real photo" postcards produced by the Eastern Illustrating and Publishing Company of Belfast. This exhibit features postcards from Lincoln County.

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.

In Time and Eternity: Shakers in the Industrial Age

"In Time and Eternity: Maine Shakers in the Industrial Age 1872-1918" is a series of images that depict in detail the Shakers in Maine during a little explored time period of expansion and change.

Memorializing Civil War Veterans: Portland & Westbrook

Three cemeteries -- all of which were in Westbrook during the Civil War -- contain headstones of Civil War soldiers. The inscriptions and embellishments on the stones offer insight into sentiments of the eras when the soldiers died.

State of Mind: Becoming Maine

The history of the region now known as Maine did not begin at statehood in 1820. What was Maine before it was a state? How did Maine separate from Massachusetts? How has the Maine we experience today been shaped by thousands of years of history?

Music in Maine - Music in Maine

"Music reflects the diversity of cultures, influences of historical events, and vast differences in landscape that contribute to the unique soundscape…"

George F. Shepley: Lawyer, Soldier, Administrator

George F. Shepley of Portland had achieved renown as a lawyer and as U.S. Attorney for Maine when, at age 42 he formed the 12th Maine Infantry and went off to war. Shepley became military governor of Louisiana early in 1862 and remained in the military for the duration of the war.

Music in Maine - Sacred Music

"… melodeons use reeds and airflow to create sounds, but the musician pumps the instrument by foot rather than using their arms."

Music in Maine - HEAR

"Dwayne Tomah, a member of the Passamaquoddy Nation from Sipayik (Pleasant Point), discussed the importance of wax cylinder recordings made in 1890 by…"

Music in Maine - Military Marching Bands

"Most military companies had at least two fifes and two drum musicians.Drummers in both the Union and Confederate armies learned different drum calls…"

Music in Maine - Opera, Orchestras and Stages

"… lichen in early spring and the renewal of light, sound and abundance. Handcrafted in torched silk/poly blend, velvet, jersey and accented with…"

Music in Maine - MAKE

"Rattle by Peter Moore, Sipayik, 2018Maine Historical Society In the 19th and 20th centuries, Wabanaki musicians traveled worldwide showcasing their…"

Music in Maine - Country Music

"… it seems to me that the guitar was the most versatile instrument for accompaniment, and I still love the sound of a good guitar well-played."

Music in Maine - Radio Cowboys and Country Music

"In Maine, French ballad traditions added unique sounds to the music. Starting in the 1930s, Maine embraced country and bluegrass music, with Bangor…"

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

"… The Same Band as, “The leading proponents of the punk rock-jazz fusion sound, using adjectives such as ‘overwhelming’ and ‘super talent.’”"

Holding up the Sky: Wabanaki people, culture, history, and art

Learn about Native diplomacy and obligation by exploring 13,000 years of Wabanaki residence in Maine through 17th century treaties, historic items, and contemporary artworks—from ash baskets to high fashion. Wabanaki voices contextualize present-day relevance and repercussions of 400 years of shared histories between Wabanakis and settlers to their region.

Music in Maine - PLAY

"Use the navigation tools on the left to explore the exhibition Caribou Amateur Opera Company, 1898Caribou Public Library"

Music in Maine - Civil War drum, ca. 1861

"On the battlefield, drummers provided a visual location for the unit, helping to keep soldiers close together."

Music in Maine - Music Education

"The original stage, benches, and chairs are in use by the New England Music Camp as of 2024. Walter Damrosch Walter Damrosch conducting at…"