Maine Memory Network

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Bootleggers vs. Police

"Building such craft for bootleggers brought a brisk business to Downeast boatyards. Prohibition liquor hiding techniques: Victrola before…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Quenching the Thirst

"At one point a shipment of liquor was seized by state authorities. Occasional off-campus antics caused friction as well, for as the Old Soldiers…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Business as Usual

"… grand city hotel is said to have always served liquor by simply paying fines as the cost of doing business. In Portland, J.B."

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

""Selling liquor even in a respectable house was not the business for me to start as a young man desiring the best wishes of the best people." - John…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Society Copes

"… in the exhibit was a thermometer in a wooden case. It was used in the Prohibition wine cellar of Bath's Harold M. Sewall."

Yarmouth: Leader in Soda Pulp

Yarmouth's "Third Falls" provided the perfect location for papermaking -- and, soon, for producing soda pulp for making paper. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, Yarmouth was an international leader in soda pulp production.

Harry Lyon: An Old Sea Dog Takes to the Air

Through a chance meeting, Harry Lyon of Paris Hill became the navigator on the 1928 flight of the Southern Cross, the first trans-Pacific flight. His skill as a navigator, despite his lack of experience, was a key factor on the flight's success.

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.

CODE RED: Climate, Justice & Natural History Collections

Explore topics around climate change by reuniting collections from one of the nation's earliest natural history museums, the Portland Society of Natural History. The exhibition focuses on how museums collect, and the role of humans in creating changes in society, climate, and biodiversity.

John P. Sheahan, 1st Maine Cavalry, 31st Maine Infantry

John P. Sheahan of Dennysville served in the 1st Maine Cavalry from August 1862 until March 1864 when he was commissioned as a lieutenant in Co. E of the 31st Maine Infantry. His letters reveal much about the life of a soldier, including political views and thoughts about the war.

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.