Maine Memory Network

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.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Acknowledgements

"Jordan, Jr. Richard J. Kahn, M.D. Arlene Palmer Schwind Geraldine Tidd Scott Jessica Skwire Timothy L. Smith William J. Volmar"

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

"and Mrs. Daniel J. Libby Photography by J. David Bohl GALLERIES: A Call to Temperance | Temperance Membership | Neal Dow | Drinking: Elegance and…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Business as Usual

"In Portland, J.B. Brown's Falmouth Hotel reportedly practiced the same method. GALLERIES: Politics and Enforcement | Women Leaders and Temperance…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1865 to 1919: The Drys Gain New Adherents and Leaders

"… Francis Murphy, Gardiner businessman J.K. Osgood, and Bangor physician Dr. Henry Reynolds were all instrumental in founding reform groups known for…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Taverns, People, and Scenes

"X J. Cutters Inn Tavern Sign, New England, ca. 1802 Oil on wood Courtesy of Bevinn O'Brien From the earliest decades of English settlement in Maine…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Women Leaders and Temperance

"… of Maine Historical Society; gift of Richard J. Kahn, MD S-5664 These surveys, distributed to schools around the state, asked teachers how…"

Laboring in Maine

Workers in Maine have labored in factories, on farms, in the woods, on the water, among other locales. Many of Maine's occupations have been determined by the state's climate and geographical features.

Fashionable Maine: early twentieth century clothing

Maine residents kept pace with the dramatic shift in women’s dress that occurred during the short number of years preceding and immediately following World War I. The long restrictive skirts, stiff collars, body molding corsets and formal behavior of earlier decades quickly faded away and the new straight, dropped waist easy-to-wear clothing gave mobility and freedom of movement in tune with the young independent women of the casual, post-war jazz age generation.

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 Eats: the food revolution starts here

From Maine's iconic lobsters, blueberries, potatoes, apples, and maple syrup, to local favorites like poutine, baked beans, red hot dogs, Italian sandwiches, and Whoopie Pies, Maine's identity and economy are inextricably linked to food. Sourcing food, preparing food, and eating food are all part of the heartbeat of Maine's culture and economy. Now, a food revolution is taking us back to our roots in Maine: to the traditional sources, preparation, and pleasures of eating food that have sustained Mainers for millennia.