Maine Memory Network

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

"… of Maine Historical Society QJ 813 Sm65w "I have seen my mother, as often as Parson Lancaster exchanged [pulpits] with my father, mix Holland gin…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Quenching the Thirst

"… Art Gallery at Bowdoin College in 1894. "In Maine I suffered much from thirst," he wrote until a waitress in his hotel told him about, or rather…"

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.

Among the Lungers: Treating TB

Tuberculosis -- or consumption as it often was called -- claimed so many lives and so threatened the health of communities that private organizations and, by 1915, the state, got involved in TB treatment. The state's first tuberculosis sanatorium was built on Greenwood Mountain in Hebron and introduced a new philosophy of treatment.

Inside the Yellow House

Photographer Elijah Cobb's 1985 portfolio of the Laura E. Richards House, with text by Rosalind Cobb Wiggins and Laura E. Putnam.

Laboring in Maine

Workers in Maine have labored in factories, on farms, in the woods, on the water, among other locales. Many of Maine's occupations have been determined by the state's climate and geographical features.

This Rebellion: Maine and the Civil War

For Mainers like many other people in both the North and the South, the Civil War, which lasted from 1861-1865, had a profound effect on their lives. Letters, artifacts, relics, and other items saved by participants at home and on the battlefield help illuminate the nature of the Civil War experience for Mainers.

Presidents and Campaigns

Several Mainers have run for president or vice president, a number of presidents, past presidents, and future presidents have had ties to the state or visited here, and, during campaign season, many presidential candidates and their family members have brought their campaigns to Maine.

Summer Camps

Maine is home to dozens of summer-long youth camps and untold numbers of day camps that take advantage of water, woods, and fresh air. While the children, counselors, and other staff come to Maine in the summer, the camps live on throughout the year and throughout the lives of many of the campers.

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.

Doing Good: Medical Stories of Maine

Throughout Maine’s history, individuals have worked to improve and expand medical care, not only for the health of those living in Maine, but for many around the world who need care and help.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1820 to 1865: Temperance and the Maine Law

"… seemed to be living up to its motto, "Dirigo" (I lead) and, on paper at least, it stayed dry through National Prohibition."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1919 to 1934: The Nation Follows Maine Into Prohibition

"… the 1920s, appalled by the carnage of World War I, were anxious to experiment and enjoy themselves after the war ended."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1865 to 1919: The Drys Gain New Adherents and Leaders

"… Between the Civil War and the end of World War I, the anti-liquor cause, now led by both reformers and Republican and Democratic politicians, built…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Society Copes

"I asked what was the idea in tying up money in that quantity of extract. The clerk said, 'That won't last two weeks. We sell a lot of it."

Music in Maine - MAKE

"Most powwows are open to the public. I like to describe a powwow as a gathering where you’re with good people, eating good food, with good music, and…"

Music in Maine - Longfellow Family Music

"… early 1800s like Bonnie Doon, Belle Isle March, I Have Saved Thee, and Hark! The Goddess Diana. Longfellow instruments Longfellow estate…"

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.

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.

The Establishment of the Troy Town Forest

Seavey Piper, a selectman, farmer, landowner, and leader of the Town of Troy in the 1920s through the early 1950s helped establish a town forest on abandoned farm land in Troy. The exhibit details his work over ten years.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - A Call to Temperance

""Burns is a devil when he's drunk.... I tried to keep his hands off the little girl-she was a delicate thing you know, and only two years old...he…"

Music in Maine - Radio Cowboys and Country Music

"Cody’s 1953 single I Found Out More Than You Ever Knew reached number ten on the Billboard country chart."

Westbrook Seminary: Educating Women

Westbrook Seminary, built on Stevens Plain in 1831, was founded to educate young men and young women. Seminaries traditionally were a form of advanced secondary education. Westbrook Seminary served an important function in admitting women students, for whom education was less available in the early and mid nineteenth century.

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.