Maine Memory Network

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 - Opera, Orchestras and Stages

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

Music in Maine - Military Marching Bands

"Maine Historical Society and Maine State Museum The earliest marching bands in the United States were part of military units, used during drills and…"

Music in Maine - Longfellow Family Music

"… 1901, bequeathing the house and property to the Maine Historical Society to honor the memory of her brother, the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow."

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.

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.

Maine and the Civil War - Communities and the War

"The Maine Humanities Council and Maine Historical Society collaborated and worked with the 10 communities on the Local and Legendary Civil War…"

Maine and the Civil War - Regiments: Images, Documents

"Regiments: Images, Documents A few of Maine's more than 50 Civil War regiments and batteries are represented here."

Drawing Together: Art of the Longfellows

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is best know as a poet, but he also was accomplished in drawing and music. He shared his love of drawing with most of his siblings. They all shared the frequent activity of drawing and painting with their children. The extended family included many professional as well as amateur artists, and several architects.

Maine and the Civil War - Bluehill Academy Journal, 1863

"There are 13 stars above the drawing and arrows in the eagles claw. View additional information about this item on the Maine Memory Network."

Maine and the Civil War - Togus Veterans' Hospital view, 1885

"… Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Togus, Me." View additional information about this item on the Maine Memory Network."

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 - 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…"

The Kotzschmar Memorial Organ

A fire and two men whose lives were entwined for more than 50 years resulted in what is now considered to be "the Jewel of Portland" -- the Austin organ that was given to the city of Portland in 1912.

Music in Maine - Radio Cowboys and Country Music

"… and celebrate musicians and entertainers from Maine who had a major impact on the musical culture of Maine, the nation, and the world."

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 - Community and School Marching Bands

"… Bands Click to explore community bands in Maine Community bands, historically comprised of male musicians, embraced diverse heritages…"

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

"Often front page news. In the early days of rock and roll, southern Maine got way more than its share of major performers."

Picturing Henry

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's popularity in the 19th century is reflected by the number of images of him -- in a variety of media -- that were produced and reproduced, some to go with published works of his, but many to be sold to the public on cards and postcards.

Lillian Nordica: Farmington Diva

Lillian Norton, known as Nordica, was one of the best known sopranos in America and the world at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. She was a native of Farmington.

Music in Maine - PLAY

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

Maine and the Civil War - Letter from Daniel Lord to his wife, July 21, 1861

"… Lord to his wife, July 21, 1861 Contributed by Maine Historical Society Description Daniel Lord wrote to his second wife, Lydia…"

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.

Maine and the Civil War - Headstone, unknown Confederate soldier, Gray, 1979

"… Confederate soldier, Gray, 1979 Contributed by Maine Historical Society Description In 1862 a grieving Gray family opened a coffin that…"