Maine Memory Network

Waldoboro Fire Department's 175 Years

While the town of Waldoboro was chartered in 1773, it began organized fire protection in 1838 with a volunteer fire department and a hand pump fire engine, the Water Witch.

Looking Out: Maine's Fire Towers

Maine, the most heavily forested state in the nation, had the first continuously operational fire lookout tower, beginning a system of fire prevention that lasted much of the twentieth century.

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.

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.

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.

The Kotzschmar Memorial Organ

A fire and two men whose lives were entwined for more than 50 years resulted in what is now considered to be "the Jewel of Portland" -- the Austin organ that was given to the city of Portland in 1912.

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The House, 1786-1960

"Outbuildings disappeared, the fence and surrounding trees and other plantings changed. Gradually, the house was no longer in a rural setting."

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - Streetscape, 1790-1930

"A third story was added with a hipped roof and five windows, matching the second floor. Peleg Wadsworth's store that had stood to the right of the…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - Researching Your Home

"Check your town office or local historical society. Deeds are another source of information about your house, including the size of the lot…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - People of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House

"1880Maine Historical Society Only two families occupied the house – the family of Elizabeth Bartlett and Peleg Wadsworth who lived here between 1785…"

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

"He then moved his law office to the house. Lucia Wadsworth (1783-1864) Lucia Wadsworth was the sister of Zilpah Longfellow."

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland

"The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland "It is but right that the house should belong to the public… Henry always loved the old home above any…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Privy

"By 1870, every house on Brown Street served as a multi-family home. Some houses were divided into apartments (or tenements), others were boarding…"

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - Census, Timeline

"… of the neighborhood and city surrounding the house and its inhabitants. View Selective Time of Portland  The selected timeline of Portland with…"

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

"Immediately next to the house Peleg built a warehouse he used to store and sell goods, and in the back of the house he built a barn for the animals…"

Portland Hotels

Since the establishment of the area's first licensed hotel in 1681, Portland has had a dramatic, grand and boisterous hotel tradition. The Portland hotel industry has in many ways reflected the growth and development of the city itself. As Portland grew with greater numbers of people moving through the city or calling it home, the hotel business expanded to fit the increasing demand.

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.

Student Exhibit: The Story of the Heywood Tavern

The story of the Heywood Tavern in Skowhegan.

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.

In Time and Eternity: Shakers in the Industrial Age

"In Time and Eternity: Maine Shakers in the Industrial Age 1872-1918" is a series of images that depict in detail the Shakers in Maine during a little explored time period of expansion and change.

A Snapshot of Portland, 1924: The Taxman Cometh

In 1924, with Portland was on the verge of profound changes, the Tax Assessors Office undertook a project to document every building in the city -- with photographs and detailed information that provide a unique view into Portland's architecture, neighborhoods, industries, and businesses.

Reading, Writing and 'Rithmetic: Brooklin Schools

When Brooklin, located on the Blue Hill Peninsula, was incorporated in 1849, there were ten school districts and nine one-room school houses. As the years went by, population changes affected the location and number of schools in the area. State requirements began to determine ways that student's education would be handled. Regardless, education of the Brooklin students always remained a high priority for the town.

Promoting Rockland Through a Stereopticon, 1875

Frank Crockett and photographer J.P. Armbrust took stereo views of Rockland's downtown, industry, and notable homes in the 1870s as a way to promote tourism to the town.

Student Exhibit: Historic Buildings on Madison Ave in Skowhegan

Take a tour and see some of the beautiful old buildings that used to be on Madison Avenue, Skowhegan? A few still remain, but most have been torn down.