The Maine Community Heritage Project
Every community in Maine has a rich history and valuable historical resources. Often, though, information about that history is scattered, and the historical resources are difficult to access. The Maine Community Heritage Project is helping pilot communities gather this material together, and create a prominent place on the Web where people in the community and beyond, especially students, will be able to access and use it.
The program—which is being piloted in Skowhegan, New Sweden, and Mt. Desert Island—is designed to use local history to promote partnership between local schools, historical societies, libraries, and other community organizations. MCHP teams—which include teachers, students, local historians, librarians, and representatives from other community groups—are working with staff from the Maine Historical Society to create websites within the Maine Memory Network dedicated to the history of their towns. These websites will eventually include:
- a brief town history;
- digital copies of historical photographs, documents, journals, and artifacts that illuminate life in the community;
- online exhibits that explore topics, people, and events in the town's history;
- oral history interviews;
- brief iMovie documentaries;
- listing of and links to local historical and cultural organizations; and/or
- information about current preservation issues and events.
Importantly, the MCHP is helping create a partnership model, resources, and the technological infrastructure that will enable communities across the state to develop similar projects to share their history on the Maine Memory Network.
Learn how the project will benefit local historical societies, schools, and other community organizations. Local Benefits
Pilot teams were drawn from across Maine to represent the state's geographical, social, and economic diversity. The local teams have been working together actively since 2006; their websites will be available on Maine Memory in mid–2007.
View sample material and learn about what's happening in:
- Skowhegan
- New Sweden
- Mt. Desert Island - Coming Soon
For more information, please contact:
Steve Bromage, Assistant Director, Maine Historical Society. Use our contact form
Call (207) 774-1822 x223
Or email info@mainememory.net.