Maine Memory Network

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Reform and Repeal

"This specimen was given out with Belfast 5" cigars. X The Beer Question Newspaper clipping, April 27, 1933."

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

"… and Jerrys, a rum drink.The upper shelf contains cigar boxes, represented by red squares. On the top were champagne and wine bottles with apples…"

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

"He was described as a noisy, booted, cigar-smoking, late-night-keeping presence. As a civil engineer for the United States Coast Survey, he charted…"

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.

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.

Summer Folk: The Postcard View

Vacationers, "rusticators," or tourists began flooding into Maine in the last quarter of the 19th century. Many arrived by train or steamer. Eventually, automobiles expanded and changed the tourist trade, and some vacationers bought their own "cottages."

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.