Maine Memory Network

Freedom & Captivity Portal

The Freedom & Captivity digital collection in the Maine Memory Network, and the complete digital archive housed at Colby Special Collections, is a repository of personal testimonies, ephemera, memorabilia, artifacts, and visual materials that capture multiple dimensions of the experiences of incarceration for individuals, families, and communities, as well as for survivors of harm.

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Maine State Prison

"Maine State Prison Model, Thomaston, MaineThomaston Historical Society The Maine State Prison stood in Thomaston from 1824 until it was razed in…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Prison Industries

"Prison Industries Quarry, State Prison, Thomaston, Maine c 1870Thomaston Historical Society Throughout the years, work industries programs for…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Prison leaves Thomaston - 2002

"… Thomaston - 2002 SE Corner, Maine State Prison, Thomaston, Maine 2005Thomaston Historical Society By the 21st century, the prison was again…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Prison is built - 1823 to 1824

"Aerial view of the Maine State Prison, Thomaston, Maine c. 1980sThomaston Historical Society <- Prev."

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Prison is Established - 1823

"Location of Maine State Prison from Early Map, Thomaston, Maine 1855Thomaston Historical Society In May of 1823, the Thomaston site was accepted as…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Prison Fires - 1849 to 1924

"Paint Shop, State Prison, Thomaston, Maine c 1900Thomaston Historical Society In 1923, yet another disastrous fire wreaked havoc at the dilapidated…"

Lincoln, Maine - Thomas G. Libby

"… in the hospital, he learned first hand how the prisoners of war were treated better than the wounded soldiers, so he broke out of the hospital."

Eastern Maine Medical Center

View collections, facts, and contact information for this Contributing Partner.

Lincoln, Maine - Frederick A. Edwards

"Edwards never had to endure the southern prisons, but he was in attendance at the execution of a Confederate Captain, who had killed a guard in an…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - The Paine House

"He carried on a successful trade in a store on the site of the Prison Store at the corner of Wadsworth Street."

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Additions and New Wing - 1824 to 1843

"Prison Cells, Maine State Prison, Thomaston, Maine c 1900Thomaston Historical Society By 1843, after calls by inspectors for a new more humane…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Notable Residents

"… factory, a clothing factory and today serves as the showroom for the Maine State Prison. <- Prev. Page ........................ Next Page ->"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Home

"… of Major General Henry Knox EXPERIENCE the dark history of the Maine State Prison IMAGINE the hey-day of Thomaston's lucrative Shipbuilding era."

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Early 1800s

"… state for $3,000 as a site for the Maine State Prison. Since Thomaston was halfway between Kittery and Eastport with river access, it was desirable…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Sources

"Early Days of the Maine State Prison at Thomaston Reprint from the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology of Northwestern University, Vol. 38, No."

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Sources

"Early Days of the Maine State Prison at Thomaston Reprint from the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology of Northwestern University, Vol. 38, No."

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Sources

"Early Days of the Maine State Prison at Thomaston Reprint from the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology of Northwestern University, Vol. 38, No."

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Sources

"Early Days of the Maine State Prison at Thomaston Reprint from the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology of Northwestern University, Vol. 38, No."

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - About Us

"… exhibits on shipbuilding, the Maine State Prison, and the historical architecture of Thomaston."

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - JP Cilley Ledger From Post

"§ Taken prisoner in Middletown, Virginia on June 24, 1862. § Promoted to Major May 8, 1862. § After being released by the Confederates, he was left…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Henry Knox: Lime Works

"… the quarry on what is now the former Maine State Prison site on Main Street in Thomaston, and he operated kilns on the bank of the river, just…"

Bath's Historic Downtown - Bath Savings Institution and Hyde Block

"Daniel's partner was sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole. Swanton Infantry Election Papers, Bath, 1863Patten Free Library Bath…"

Swan's Island: Six miles east of ordinary - II. Pinkies, wherries, skiffs and chebaccos: Early Settlement

"Pelagie in 1830, an old man who now knew the prison as his home. After three days of freedom, Swan set out to turn himself back in, but died on the…"