Maine Memory Network

The Trolley Parks of Maine

At the heyday of trolleys in Maine, many of the trolley companies developed recreational facilities along or at the end of trolley lines as one further way to encourage ridership. The parks often had walking paths, dance pavilions, and various other entertainments. Cutting-edge technology came together with a thirst for adventure and forever changed social dynamics in the process.

Music in Maine - Community Music

"After founding two Maine-based dance troupes – La Plume de Ma Tante and Les Pieds Rigolants – which entertained audiences throughout the state from…"

Remembering Mellie Dunham: Snowshoe Maker and Fiddler

Alanson Mellen "Mellie" Dunham and his wife Emma "Gram" Dunham were well-known musicians throughout Maine and the nation in the early decades of the 20th century. Mellie Dunham also received fame as a snowshoe maker.

Music in Maine - MAKE

"Some music and dance traditions happen seasonally for harvesting, social, and ceremonial events. Other songs honor and welcome visitors or prepare…"

Music in Maine - Music and Television

"… Astor’s performance skits included music, dance, and comedy routines. Dave Astor’s weekly episodes featured students from local high schools who…"

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 - Country Music

"I was too shy to consider dancing, but I loved the music. My family always had a radio and I listened to stations WWVA in Wheeling, West Virginia and…"

Music in Maine - Music Makers

"The quartet played local dances as “Mellie Dunham's dance band.” 'Rippling Waves Waltz,' 1926Maine Historical Society Mellie Dunham…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Influential & Interesting Documents

"In spite of prohibitions against dancing, cards, billiards, etc., increased leisure time and prosperity heightened the demand for such entertainments…"

MY ISLAND HOME: Verlie Colby Greenleaf of Westport Island

Verlie Greenleaf (1891-1992) bore witness to over a century of Westport Island's history. Many changes occurred during Verlie's 100-year life. Verlie Greenleaf donated photographs, personal notes, and sat for an interview in 1987, all part of the Westport Island History Committee's collection. Her words frame this exhibition, providing a first-person account of her life.

Guarding Maine Rail Lines

Black soldiers served in Maine during World War II, assigned in small numbers throughout the state to guard Grand Trunk rail lines from a possible German attack. The soldiers, who lived in railroad cars near their posts often interacted with local residents.

Music in Maine - Music Education

"Dancing to music helps children build motor skills while allowing them to practice self-expression. For children and adults, music helps strengthen…"

Music in Maine - Community and School Marching Bands

"Singing, dancing, performing reenactments and showcasing their artwork were major sources of income for many Indigenous peoples."

Summer's Favorite Game

Baseball often is called the National Pastime. For many people, baseball is encountered in the backyard and down the street, a game played by a few or the full contingent of a team.

Power of Potential

The National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs (NFBPWC) held their seventh annual convention in Portland during July 12 to July 18, 1925. Over 2,000 working women from around the country visited the city.

The Jews of Maine

Like other immigrant groups, Jews came to Maine to make a living and enjoy the natural and cultural environment. Their experiences have been shaped by their occupational choices, Jewish values and, until recently, experiences of anti-Semitism.

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.

Summer Folk: The Postcard View

Vacationers, "rusticators," or tourists began flooding into Maine in the last quarter of the 19th century. Many arrived by train or steamer. Eventually, automobiles expanded and changed the tourist trade, and some vacationers bought their own "cottages."

A Craze for Cycling

Success at riding a bike mirrored success in life. Bicycling could bring families together. Bicycling was good for one's health. Bicycling was fun. Bicycles could go fast. Such were some of the arguments made to induce many thousands of people around Maine and the nation to take up the new pastime at the end of the nineteenth century.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - A Call to Temperance

"… affair, which left one man dead, 14 wounded and a dance hall in ashes, on drinking. Actually, Portland, Bangor, and some smaller communities, were…"

Music in Maine - Radio Cowboys and Country Music

"… of English folk songs, Scots-Irish fiddle and dance music, sacred music, and banjo and blues from formerly enslaved Africans."

Music in Maine - Opera, Orchestras and Stages

"… and teaching Penobscot spiritual songs and dances in our community. During a time when it was illegal to do so, she disguised the events as tourist…"

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.