Maine Memory Network

Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940 - Tragedy at Thorndike: The Case of the Gordon Family

"The jury returned a guilty verdict. Sentenced to death, the state opted not to try him for the murders of Almon and Millie Gordon."

Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940 - Horrid Murder: The Case of the Purrinton Family

"A jury of inquest found deceased Capt. Purrinton guilty of willful murder. Authorities kept his body separate from the family during the coroner’s…"

Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940 - The Dexter Bank Robbery: The Case of John W. Barron

"In 1887, a jury convicted David L. Stain (1830-1915) and Oliver Cromwell (dates unknown), for the murder and robbery."

Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940 - Murder on the High Seas: The Case of Captain John Connor and the Mary

"… Judge David Sewall's charge to the Grand Jury, Portland, 1789Maine Historical Society Suspect: Thomas Bird Accusation: Piracy, Mutiny…"

Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940 - The Hontvet Horror: The Case of the Smuttynose Murders

"A jury convicted him based on eyewitness accounts, including Maren Hontvet. Louis Wagner was hanged at Maine State Prison in Thomaston on June 25…"

Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940 - Tear Down the Gallows: The Trial of Clifton Harris

"A jury swiftly found Clifton Harris and Luther Verrill guilty—largely based on Harris’s testimony—and sentenced both men to death."

Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940 - Whodunit? The Case of the Littlefield Murders

"… tried Francis Carroll for the Littlefield murders. A jury found Carroll guilty of both murders and, like Dwyer, sentenced him to life in prison."

Prohibition in Maine in the 1920s

Federal Prohibition took hold of America in 1920 with the passing of the Volstead Act that banned the sale and consumption of all alcohol in the US. However, Maine had the Temperance movement long before anyone was prohibited from taking part in one of America's most popular past times. Starting in 1851, the struggles between the "drys" and the "wets" of Maine lasted for 82 years, a period of time that was everything but dry and rife with nothing but illegal activity.

Horace W. Shaylor: Portland Penman

Horace W. Shaylor, a native of Ohio, settled in Portland and turned his focus to handwriting, developing several unique books of handwriting instruction. He also was a talented artist.

Bookplates Honor Annie Louise Cary

A summer resident of Wayne collected more than 3,000 bookplates to honor Maine native and noted opera singer Annie Louise Cary and to support the Cary Memorial Library.

Begin Again: reckoning with intolerance in Maine

BEGIN AGAIN explores Maine's historic role, going back 528 years, in crisis that brought about the pandemic, social and economic inequities, and the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.