Maine Memory Network

Music in Maine - Bluegrass Music

"Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Hawkes recorded some of the most highly regarded country, bluegrass, and rockabilly songs, including by artists Dick…"

Music in Maine - Community Music

"In 2004 the Commission designated me a Master Artist in traditional French Canadian dance, providing the chance to pass the French dance traditions…"

Music in Maine - HEAR

"… Jesse Walter Fewkes traveled to Calais, Maine in March 1890 to test inventor Thomas Edison’s new phonograph in field conditions."

Of Note: Maine Sheet Music

Of Note: Maine Sheet Music features captivating covers of original sheet music along with stories about Maine connections to the songs. Before people had easy access to popular music from records, radios, and the internet, they played songs of the day on instruments at home, using sheet music purchased at music stores. Iconic Maine subjects like lobsters, pine trees, and winter were perfect for lyrics sung by luminaries like Rudy Vallée of Westbrook, and intricate artwork of Maine’s landscape graced the sheet music covers.

Music in Maine - Drumsticks, 1861

"Drumsticks, 1861 Contributed by Maine Historical Society Description Franklin C. Kimball (1844-1912) used these drumsticks while serving…"

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.

Maine Sweets: Confections and Confectioners

From chocolate to taffy, Mainers are inventive with our sweet treats. In addition to feeding our sweet tooth, it's also an economic driver for the state.

Longfellow: The Man Who Invented America

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a man and a poet of New England conscience. He was influenced by his ancestry and his Portland boyhood home and experience.

Music in Maine - Music Makers

"… Maine Charitable Mechanics Maine Charitable Mechanic Association Click to see all of the Maine Charitable Mechanics Banners Founded in…"

Gifts From Gluskabe: Maine Indian Artforms

According to legend, the Great Spirit created Gluskabe, who shaped the world of the Native People of Maine, and taught them how to use and respect the land and the resources around them. This exhibit celebrates the gifts of Gluskabe with Maine Indian art works from the early nineteenth to mid twentieth centuries.

Music in Maine - Sacred Music

"Beginning in the 1870s, Jewish people arrived in Maine in greater numbers and began setting up synagogues for worship."

Music in Maine - Music Education

"He married Margaret Blaine, Maine politician James G. Blaine’s daughter in 1890. Damrosch acted as guest conductor for the 100-piece camper orchestra…"

Music in Maine - Music stores

"Bull Moose has always worked closely with local musicians and venues, adding millions of dollars directly into the local music economy. Many Maine…"

Music in Maine - Country Music

"Country musicians in Maine were a close-knit group. Curless worked with luminaries of the generation before him, like Hal Lone Pine and Al Hawkes…"

Maine and the Space Age

The small town of Andover landed on the international map in 1962 when the Earth Station that had been built there successfully communicated with Telstar, the first telecommunications satellite.

Pigeon's Mainer Project: who decides who belongs?

Street artist Pigeon's artwork tackles the multifaceted topic of immigration. He portrays Maine residents, some who are asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants—people who are often marginalized through state and federal policies—to ask questions about the dynamics of power in society, and who gets to call themselves a “Mainer.”

Begin Again: reckoning with intolerance in Maine

BEGIN AGAIN explores Maine's historic role, going back 528 years, in crisis that brought about the pandemic, social and economic inequities, and the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

Music in Maine - Kimball Drum, ca. 1860

"F of the 5th Maine Infantry Regiment. The writing probably was added by Maine Historical Society Librarian Nathan Goold."

Music in Maine - Drum, Portland, ca. 1854

"Drum, Portland, ca. 1854 Contributed by Maine Historical Society Description Noble and Cooley of East Granville, Massachusetts started…"

Music in Maine - Community and School Marching Bands

"… Lewiston operas and was an early recording artist for Victor Records. Often sponsored by the Catholic church, Franco band formed to provide…"

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

"Jessi Mallory, Elvis Tribute Artist My journey as an ETA (Elvis Tribute Artist) Click to learn more At four years old, my mother gave me my very…"

Music in Maine - Radio Cowboys and Country Music

"MCMHOF also recognizes the crossover artists between country, bluegrass and jazz. In 2008, the MCMHOF established a 3,000 square-foot museum in the…"

Music in Maine - Opera, Orchestras and Stages

"… and Stages Click to learn more about Maine's Opera Houses Many Maine towns in the 19th and early 20th centuries had an “opera house,” used…"

Music in Maine - Military Marching Bands

"Maine Historical Society and Maine State Museum The earliest marching bands in the United States were part of military units, used during drills and…"