Maine Memory Network

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Drinking Implements

"Drinking Implements Back to: 1620 to 1820: New England's Great Secret X Scamman Jug, 1689-1702 Germany, Westerwald District Salt-glazed…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Society Copes

"… Society Copes Back to: 1919 to 1934: The Nation Follows Maine Into Prohibition X The 18th Amendment, 1920 Bowdoin Bugle 1920 Collections…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Drinking: Elegance and Debauchery

"Drinking: Elegance and Debauchery Back to: 1820 to 1865: Temperance and the Maine Law Cartoon, Portland Watch or Cracking Notes, ca."

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.

Great War and Armistice Day

In 1954, November 11 became known as Veterans Day, a time to honor American veterans of all wars. The holiday originated, however, as a way to memorialize the end of World War I, November 11, 1918, and to "perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations." Mainers were involved in World War I as soldiers, nurses, and workers on the homefront aiding the military effort.

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.

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.

Land Claims, Economic Opportunities?

The landmark 1980 Maine Indian Land Claims Settlement Act provided $81.6 million to Maine Indians for economic development, land purchase and other purposes. The money and increased land holdings, however, have not solved economic and employment issues for Maine Indians.

The Sanitary Commission: Meeting Needs of Soldiers, Families

The Sanitary Commission, formed soon after the Civil War began in the spring of 1861, dealt with the health, relief needs, and morale of soldiers and their families. The Maine Agency helped families and soldiers with everything from furloughs to getting new socks.

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.

Putting Men to Work, Saving Trees

While many Mainers were averse to accepting federal relief money during the Great Depression of the 1930s, young men eagerly joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of President Franklin Roosevelt's most popular programs. The Maine Forest Service supervised the work of many of the camps.

Liberty Threatened: Maine in 1775

At Lexington and Concord, on April 19, 1775, British troops attempted to destroy munitions stored by American colonists. The battles were the opening salvos of the American Revolution. Shortly, the conflict would erupt in Maine.

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - People of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House

"People of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House Wadsworth-Longfellow House, Portland, ca. 1880Maine Historical Society Only two families occupied the…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Wadsworth Era: 1786-1807

"The Wadsworth Era: 1786-1807 Silhouette of Peleg Wadsworth, Portland, ca. 1800Maine Historical Society Peleg and Elizabeth Wadsworth lived in…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland

"The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland "It is but right that the house should belong to the public… Henry always loved the old home above any…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - Streetscape, 1790-1930

"Streetscape, 1790-1930 In 1790: X The Reuben Morton house, at left (northeast corner of Brown and Congress streets), is a two-story, wood-frame…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Longfellow Era: 1807-1901

"The Longfellow Era: 1807-1901 On the evening of January 1, 1804, Stephen Longfellow and Zilpah Wadsworth were married in the parlor of the house…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The House, 1786-1960

"The House, 1786-1960 "…but happier is he whose heart rides quietly at anchor in the peaceful haven of home." – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to his…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - Census, Timeline

"Census, Timeline Pages from the manuscript United States census, taken every 10 years, show the changing nature of the Longfellow household -- and…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Privy

"The Privy Brown Street, Portland, ca. 1875Maine Historic Preservation Commission In 2006, while rebuilding the garden wall along the original…"

The Shape of Maine

The boundaries of Maine are the product of international conflict, economic competition, political fights, and contested development. The boundaries are expressions of human values; people determined the shape of Maine.

War Through the Eyes of a Young Sailor

Eager to deal with the "Sesech" [Secessionists], young deepwater sailor John Monroe Dillingham of Freeport enlisted in the U.S. Navy as soon as he returned from a long voyage in 1862. His letters and those of his family offer first-hand insight into how one individual viewed the war.

Colonial Cartography: The Plymouth Company Maps

The Plymouth Company (1749-1816) managed one of the very early land grants in Maine along the Kennebec River. The maps from the Plymouth Company's collection of records constitute some of the earliest cartographic works of colonial America.

Settling along the Androscoggin and Kennebec

The Proprietors of the Township of Brunswick was a land company formed in 1714 and it set out to settle lands along the Androscoggin and Kennebec Rivers in Maine.