Maine Memory Network

Fallen Heroes: Maine's Jewish Sailors and Soldiers

Thirty-four young Jewish men from Maine died in the service of their country in the two World Wars. This project, including a Maine Memory Network exhibit, is meant to say a little something about some of them. More than just names on a public memorial marker or grave stone, these men were getting started in adult life. They had newly acquired high school and college diplomas, they had friends, families and communities who loved and valued them, and felt the losses of their deaths.

Art of the People: Folk Art in Maine

For many different reasons people saved and carefully preserved the objects in this exhibit. Eventually, along with the memories they hold, the objects were passed to the Maine Historical Society. Object and memory, serve as a powerful way to explore history and to connect to the lives of people in the past.

Lt. Charles Bridges: Getting Ahead in the Army

Sgt. Charles Bridges of Co. B of the 2nd Maine Infantry was close to the end of his two years' enlistment in early 1863 when he took advantage of an opportunity for advancement by seeking and getting a commission as an officer in the 3rd Regiment U.S. Volunteers.

Music in Maine - Drum, Portland, ca. 1854

"Civil War drums were generally sixteen inches in diameter, smaller than prior drums by about two inches to accommodate the drummers, who were often…"

Music in Maine - B-flat fife, ca. 1860

"… used by John Robbins when he was a drummer in the Civil War. It is made of brown spun wood with brass rings attached at the ends."

Music in Maine - Drumsticks, 1861

"Regulation drumsticks were normally made from rosewood, and were 16 to 17 inches long. View additional information about this item on the Maine…"

Music in Maine - Drum, Stockton Springs, ca. 1840

"… Frederick Lane, suggesting it might pre-date the Civil War. Lane manufactured and sold umbrellas and musical instruments at 92 Court Street in…"

Music in Maine - Longfellow Family Music

"… to the Maine Historical Society to honor the memory of her brother, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Jacob S."

Music in Maine - Country Music

"… County on the famed Haynesville Road, which he memorialized in the song. The doom-filled trucking song hit #5 on the country Billboard chart in…"

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

"… and it had an impact on Maine, which is worth memorializing. The opening of the Cumberland County Civic Center in 1977 effectively shut down the…"

Music in Maine - Kimball Drum, ca. 1860

"He was mustered out on July 27, 1864. View additional information about this item on the Maine Memory Network."

Music in Maine - Music in Maine

"Burnham Charitable Trust, William Sloane Jelin Foundation, and the Phineas W. Sprague Memorial Foundation."

Music in Maine - Music Education

"For children and adults, music helps strengthen memory skills. Robert Cheney posing with ukulele, Sanford, 1931Maine Historical…"

Music in Maine - Opera, Orchestras and Stages

"… costume worn by Lillian Nordica in 1898Nordica Memorial Association Lillian Nordica as Brunnhilde, 1898Nordica Memorial Association In…"

Music in Maine - Bluegrass Music

"… local musicians and promoters, and preserving the memory of the Maine bluegrass pioneers. BMAM is a member of the International Bluegrass Music…"

Designing Acadia

For one hundred years, Acadia National Park has captured the American imagination and stood as the most recognizable symbol of Maine’s important natural history and identity. This exhibit highlights Maine Memory content relating to Acadia and Mount Desert Island.

A City Awakes: Arts and Artisans of Early 19th Century Portland

Portland's growth from 1786 to 1860 spawned a unique social and cultural environment and fostered artistic opportunity and creative expression in a broad range of the arts, which flowered with the increasing wealth and opportunity in the city.

Northern Threads: Two centuries of dress at Maine Historical

Organized by themed vignettes, Northern Threads shares stories about Maine people, while exploring how the clothing they wore reveals social, economic, and environmental histories. This re-examination of Maine Historical Society's permanent collection is an opportunity to consider the relevance of historic clothing in museums, the ebb and flow of fashion styles, and the complexities of diverse representation spanning 200 years of collecting.

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.

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.

One Hundred Years of Caring -- EMMC

In 1892 five physicians -- William H. Simmons, William C. Mason, Walter H. Hunt, Everett T. Nealey, and William E. Baxter -- realized the need for a hospital in the city of Bangor had become urgent and they set about providing one.

Amazing! Maine Stories

These stories -- that stretch from 1999 back to 1759 -- take you from an amusement park to the halls of Congress. There are inventors, artists, showmen, a railway agent, a man whose civic endeavors helped shape Portland, a man devoted to the pursuit of peace and one known for his military exploits, Maine's first novelist, a woman who recorded everyday life in detail, and an Indian who survived a British attack.

Port of Portland's Custom House and Collectors of Customs

The collector of Portland was the key to federal patronage in Maine, though other ports and towns had collectors. Through the 19th century, the revenue was the major source of Federal Government income. As in Colonial times, the person appointed to head the custom House in Casco Bay was almost always a leading community figure, or a well-connected political personage.

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.