Maine Memory Network

Music in Maine - Music Makers

"Music Makers Music Makers instruments Click to see more Music Makers Music makers in Maine make instruments, create music in their…"

Music in Maine - Music and Television

"Music and Television The Dave Astor Show Click to see more Dave Astor Show photos Dave Astor (1919-2011) produced a variety show in Portland…"

Music in Maine - Sacred Music

"Sacred Music People play and sing sacred music during religious services and events. Singing allows worshipers to participate in the liturgy, with…"

Music in Maine - Music Education

"Music Education Children's Music Click to see more Children's Music Child development educators agree music ignites the skills children need…"

Music in Maine - Opera, Orchestras and Stages

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

Music in Maine - PLAY

"PLAY Watching musicians sing and play music in public is an important communal experience for the performer and the audience."

Music in Maine - Bluegrass Music

"Bluegrass Music BLUEGRASS MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF MAINE Click to learn more about BMAM Bluegrass music—acoustic music played on banjo, mandolin…"

Music in Maine - Music stores

"Music stores Mary Curran Leighton and musicians, Portland, ca. 1930Maine Historical Society Hiram Chase & Son, Belfast, ca. 1895, ca."

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

"B-flat fife, ca. 1860 Contributed by Maine Historical Society Description This fife was used by John Robbins when he was a drummer in the…"

Music in Maine - Drumsticks, 1861

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

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 - Civil War drum, ca. 1861

"Civil War drum, ca. 1861 Contributed by Maine Historical Society Description Henry Green (1832-1901) of Portland carried this military…"

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

"Drum, Stockton Springs, ca. 1840 Contributed by Maine Historical Society Description Colonel Freeman McGilvery (1823-1864) of Stockton…"

Music in Maine - Kimball Drum, ca. 1860

"Kimball Drum, ca. 1860 Contributed by Maine Historical Society Description Written on the top of the head of this drum is, "Frank C."

The Waldo-Hancock Bridge

The Waldo-Hancock Bridge is in the process of being dismantled after over 70 years of service. The Maine State Archives has a number of records related to the history of this famous bridge that are presented in this exhibition.

Farm-yard Frames

Throughout New England, barns attached to houses are fairly common. Why were the buildings connected? What did farmers or families gain by doing this? The phenomenon was captured in the words of a children's song, "Big house, little house, back house, barn," (Thomas C. Hubka <em>Big House, Little House, Back House, Barn, the Connected Farm Buildings of New England,</em> University Press of New England, 1984.)

Indians, Furs, and Economics

When Europeans arrived in North America and disrupted traditional Native American patterns of life, they also offered other opportunities: trade goods for furs. The fur trade had mixed results for the Wabanaki.

The Barns of the St. John River Valley: Maine's Crowning Jewels

Maine's St. John River Valley boasts a unique architectural landscape. A number of historical factors led to the proliferation of a local architectural style, the Madawaska twin barn, as well as a number of building techniques rarely seen elsewhere. Today, these are in danger of being lost to time.

The Nativist Klan

In Maine, like many other states, a newly formed Ku Klux Klan organization began recruiting members in the years just before the United States entered World War I. A message of patriotism and cautions about immigrants and non-Protestants drew many thousands of members into the secret organization in the early 1920s. By the end of the decade, the group was largely gone from Maine.

Northern Threads: Early Republic era Fashion dolls

A themed exhibit vignette within "Northern Threads Part I," featuring Early Repulic-era (ca.1780-1820) fashion dolls.

Northern Threads: Civil War-era clothing

An exhibit vignette within "Northern Threads, Part 1," featuring American Civil War civilian and military clothing, 1860 to 1869.

Valentines

Valentines Day cards have long been a way to express feelings of romance or love for family or friends. These early Valentines Day cards suggest the ways in which the expression of those sentiments has changed over time.

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

"… was smuggled from Quebec, St Pierre and Miquelon (French Islands off Newfoundland). For Maine and Massachusetts residents, buying a bottle was as…"

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.