Maine Memory Network

Music in Maine - Country Music

"… 1966Maine Historical Society A Career in Country Music By Ken Brooks Choosing a Career in Country and Bluegrass Music Click to read entire…"

Music in Maine - Radio Cowboys and Country Music

"Funded by the Maine Country Music Association, it is the first such hall of fame museum in Maine. Founders established the MCMHOF to recognize and…"

La Basilique Lewiston

Like many cities in France, Lewiston and Auburn's skylines are dominated by a cathedral-like structure, St. Peter and Paul Church. Now designated a basilica by the Vatican, it stands as a symbol of French Catholic contributions to the State of Maine.

Father John Bapst: Catholicism's Defender and Promoter

Father John Bapst, a Jesuit, knew little of America or Maine when he arrived in Old Town in 1853 from Switzerland. He built churches and defended Roman Catholics against Know-Nothing activists, who tarred and feathered the priest in Ellsworth in 1854.

Hermann Kotzschmar: Portland's Musical Genius

During the second half of the 19th century, "Hermann Kotzschmar" was a familiar household name in Portland. He spent 59 years in his adopted city as a teacher, choral conductor, concert artist, and church organist.

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.

Biddeford, Saco and the Textile Industry

The largest textile factory in the country reached seven stories up on the banks of the Saco River in 1825, ushering in more than a century of making cloth in Biddeford and Saco. Along with the industry came larger populations and commercial, retail, social, and cultural growth.

Making Paper, Making Maine

Paper has shaped Maine's economy, molded individual and community identities, and impacted the environment throughout Maine. When Hugh Chisholm opened the Otis Falls Pulp Company in Jay in 1888, the mill was one of the most modern paper-making facilities in the country, and was connected to national and global markets. For the next century, Maine was an international leader in the manufacture of pulp and paper.

Music in Maine - Community and School Marching Bands

"… Côté, a professional recording musician and church choir director from Lewiston wrote the Sainte-Cécile March and Two Step for The Fanfare (Band)…"

Music in Maine - Bluegrass Music

"Al Hawkes brought country and bluegrass to Maine Al Hawkes, 1989 Courtesy of the Bluegrass Music Association of Maine X Allerton & Alton…"

From French Canadians to Franco-Americans

French Canadians who emigrated to the Lewiston-Auburn area faced discrimination as children and adults -- such as living in "Little Canada" tenements and being ridiculed for speaking French -- but also adapted to their new lives and sustained many cultural traditions.

Music in Maine - Sacred Music

"… was “over 100 years old” and played in the first church built in Standish, likely the First Parish Meeting House, also called Old Red Church, built…"

Music in Maine - Music in Maine

"… traditions, these influences layered blues, country, bluegrass, and rock and roll. Today, Maine music is a bountiful intersection from around the…"

Music in Maine - Music Education

"… Starting in the 1920s, cowboy themed outfits and country music became popular. Radio and film star Gene Autry (1907-1998), known as the “singing…"

Music in Maine - Community Music

"… lead dance workshops at Maine’s annual DownEast Country Dance Festival and the New England Folk Festival as well as schools statewide for students…"

Music in Maine - Opera, Orchestras and Stages

"… Tribe of Oklahoma, while traveling across the country performing as “Indians” at wild west shows and on the theater circuit."

Music in Maine - MAKE

"… song, 1858, To give practical instructions on Church-music, in order to aid the Native Americans to sing the praises of the Lord…but also to…"

Music in Maine - Longfellow Family Music

"Longfellow Family Music “Music is the universal language of humankind.” --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Outre Mer, 1835 Henry Wadsworth…"

Music in Maine - Military Marching Bands

"Military Marching Bands View of Portland Light Infantry Muster, ca. 1803 The Portland Light Infantry Muster with a drummer and a horn player in…"

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

"Rock and Roll, Punk, and Elvis Dave Glovsky and Louis Armstrong, Old Orchard Beach, ca. 1955Maine Historical Society Rock and Roll Concerts in…"

Music in Maine - HEAR

"HEAR The invention of recording machines opened up a world of choices for listening to music without leaving the home."

Music in Maine - Music Makers

"Music Makers Music Makers instruments Click to see more Music Makers Music makers in Maine make instruments, create music in their…"

Music in Maine - Music and Television

"Music and Television The Dave Astor Show Click to see more Dave Astor Show photos Dave Astor (1919-2011) produced a variety show in Portland…"

Music in Maine - PLAY

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