Maine Memory Network

Music in Maine - Music Education

"… Historical Society/MaineToday Media The Portland Sunday Telegram featured five-year-old Robert Cheney of Sanford, praising him as "one of the…"

Music in Maine - Country Music

"… Black and White musicians from Yarmouth and the Portland region. Later called the Katahdin Mountaineers, they played for over thirty years…"

Irish Immigrants in Nineteenth Century Maine

With the popularity of all things Irish in modern America, many people have forgotten the difficulties faced by nineteenth century Irish immigrants.

Fashion for the People: Maine's Graphic Tees

From their humble beginnings as undergarments to today's fashion runways, t-shirts have evolved into universally worn wardrobe staples. Original graphic t-shirts, graphic t-shirt quilts, and photographs trace the 102-year history of the garment, demonstrating how, through the act of wearing graphic tees, people own a part of history relating to politics, social justice, economics, and commemorative events in Maine.

Music in Maine - Kimball Drum, ca. 1860

"Kimball of Portland was 17 when he enlisted on June 24, 1861. He was mustered out on July 27, 1864. View additional information about this item on…"

Enemies at Sea, Companions in Death

Lt. William Burrows and Commander Samuel Blyth, commanders of the USS Enterprise and the HMS Boxer, led their ships and crews in Battle in Muscongus Bay on Sept. 5, 1813. The American ship was victorious, but both captains were killed. Portland staged a large and regal joint burial.

Music in Maine - Military Marching Bands

"… (1810-1856) founded the first organized band in Portland around 1827, named “The Portland Band.” By 1843, members recruited New Hampshire musician…"

Music in Maine - Longfellow Family Music

"… instruments Longfellow estate accounting, Portland, 1836Maine Historical Society Receipt for piano forte, Portland, 1836Maine Historical…"

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.

Working Women of the Old Port

Women at the turn of the 20th century were increasingly involved in paid work outside the home. For wage-earning women in the Old Port section of Portland, the jobs ranged from canning fish and vegetables to setting type. A study done in 1907 found many women did not earn living wages.

The Life and Legacy of the George Tate Family

Captain George Tate, mast agent for the King of England from 1751 to the Revolutionary War, and his descendants helped shape the development of Portland (first known as Falmouth) through activities such as commerce, shipping, and real estate.

Music in Maine - Civil War drum, ca. 1861

"… Description Henry Green (1832-1901) of Portland carried this military style side drum in the 10th and 17th Maine Regiments from October 4, 1861 to…"

Music in Maine - Community and School Marching Bands

"1940 Watch high school bands including Portland, Deering, Cape Elizabeth, South Portland, Berwick Academy, and Sanford parade down Park Avenue in…"

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

"The turnpike first opened in 1947 from Kittery to Portland, and extended through Lewiston in 1955. When that happened, all of a sudden 250,000…"

Music in Maine - Radio Cowboys and Country Music

"In 1978, the first ceremony in Portland inducted Dick Curless, Ken MacKenzie, and Hal Lone Pine. Mackenzie and Lone Pine broadcast Maine-based radio…"

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.

Eye in the Sky

In 1921, Guy Gannett purchased two competing Portland newspapers, merging them under the Portland Press Herald title. He followed in 1925 with the purchase the Portland Evening Express, which allowed him to combine two passions: photography and aviation.

Graduation Season

Graduations -- and schools -- in the 19th through the first decade of the 20th century often were small affairs and sometimes featured student presentations that demonstrated what they had learned. They were not necessarily held in May or June, what later became the standard "end of the school year."

Surgeon General Alonzo Garcelon

Alonzo Garcelon of Lewiston was a physician, politician, businessman, and civic leader when he became Maine's surgeon general during the Civil War, responsible for ensuring regiments had surgeons, for setting up a regimental hospital in Portland, and generally concerned with the well-being of Maine soldiers.

Lock of George Washington's Hair

Correspondence between Elizabeth Wadsworth, her father Peleg Wadsworth and Martha Washington's secretary about the gift of a lock of George Washington's hair to Eliza.

Northern Threads: Colonial and 19th century fur trade

A vignette in "Northern Threads: Two centuries of dress at Maine Historical Society Part 1," this fur trade mini-exhibition discusses the environmental and economic impact of the fur trade in Maine through the 19th century.

Trolley Travel

Trolleys were the cleanest and most efficient means of mass transit Maine has ever known.

Music in Maine - Music and Television

"… Dave Astor (1919-2011) produced a variety show in Portland from 1956 to 1971. Beginning as For Teenagers Only on WGAN-13, the show moved to WCSH-6…"

400 years of New Mainers

Immigration is one of the most debated topics in Maine. Controversy aside, immigration is also America's oldest tradition, and along with religious tolerance, what our nation was built upon. Since the first people--the Wabanaki--permitted Europeans to settle in the land now known as Maine, we have been a state of immigrants.