Maine Memory Network

Longfellow: The Man Who Invented America

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a man and a poet of New England conscience. He was influenced by his ancestry and his Portland boyhood home and experience.

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.

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.

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.

Music in Maine - Community and School Marching Bands

"School Bands Click to explore School Bands Most Maine schools did not have instrumental music programs until the early 20th century, so…"

Of Note: Maine Sheet Music

Of Note: Maine Sheet Music features captivating covers of original sheet music along with stories about Maine connections to the songs. Before people had easy access to popular music from records, radios, and the internet, they played songs of the day on instruments at home, using sheet music purchased at music stores. Iconic Maine subjects like lobsters, pine trees, and winter were perfect for lyrics sung by luminaries like Rudy Vallée of Westbrook, and intricate artwork of Maine’s landscape graced the sheet music covers.

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

"1855NPS, Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow (1814-1901) Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow…"

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

"Her grandson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, later wrote a famous poem about his Pilgrim ancestors. Elizabeth ran the Portland household."

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.

Port of Portland's Custom House and Collectors of Customs

The collector of Portland was the key to federal patronage in Maine, though other ports and towns had collectors. Through the 19th century, the revenue was the major source of Federal Government income. As in Colonial times, the person appointed to head the custom House in Casco Bay was almost always a leading community figure, or a well-connected political personage.

George F. Shepley: Lawyer, Soldier, Administrator

George F. Shepley of Portland had achieved renown as a lawyer and as U.S. Attorney for Maine when, at age 42 he formed the 12th Maine Infantry and went off to war. Shepley became military governor of Louisiana early in 1862 and remained in the military for the duration of the war.

Samplers: Learning to Sew

Settlers' clothing had to be durable and practical to hold up against hard work and winters. From the 1700s to the mid 1800s, the women of Maine learned to sew by making samplers.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Women Leaders and Temperance

"1910-1920 Collections of Maine Historical Society; gift of Richard J. Kahn, MD S-5664 These surveys, distributed to schools around the state, asked…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Business as Usual

"Feeney was the father of the Portland High School football star who went on to become award-winning movie director John Ford."

Music in Maine - Music and Television

"… weekly episodes featured students from local high schools who performed hit songs from the radio, often lip synching and sometimes singing live."

Music in Maine - Music Education

"… agree music ignites the skills children need for school readiness, including intellectual, social-emotional, motor, language, and literacy."

Music in Maine - Country Music

"A teacher in our elementary school, who played piano and taught some music in school, found out that I could sing and encouraged me."

Music in Maine - Bluegrass Music

"From 1946 to 1948, while still in high school, Hawkes played school functions and for organizations in the greater Portland area."

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

"… the big performers on stage, local high school garage bands would often serve as opening acts."

Music in Maine - Community Music

"… and the New England Folk Festival as well as schools statewide for students from kindergarten through college age."

Northern Threads: Silhouettes in Sequence, ca. 1780-1889

A themed exhibit vignette within "Northern Threads Part I," featuring a timeline of silhouettes from about 1775 through 1889.

MHS in Pictures: exploring our first 200 years

Two years after separating from Massachusetts, Maine leaders—many who were part of the push for statehood—also separated from Massachusetts Historical Society, creating the Maine Historical Society in 1822. The legislation signed on February 5, 1822 positioned MHS as the third-oldest state dedicated historical organization in the nation. The exhibition features MHS's five locations over the institution's two centuries, alongside images of leaders who have steered the organization through pivotal times.

A City Awakes: Arts and Artisans of Early 19th Century Portland

Portland's growth from 1786 to 1860 spawned a unique social and cultural environment and fostered artistic opportunity and creative expression in a broad range of the arts, which flowered with the increasing wealth and opportunity in the city.

A Focus on Trees

Maine has some 17 million acres of forest land. But even on a smaller, more local scale, trees have been an important part of the landscape. In many communities, tree-lined commercial and residential streets are a dominant feature of photographs of the communities.