Maine Memory Network
Maine's Online Museum

Title: Child laborers, Lewiston, ca. 1920

Contributed by: Franco-American Collection

Date: 1920

Location: Lewiston

Media: Photograph

Title: Loading hay, Caribou, ca. 1940

Contributed by: Caribou Public Library

Date: circa 1940

Location: Caribou

Media: Photograph

Title: Farm laborers, Presque Isle, 1917

Contributed by: Presque Isle Historical Society

Date: circa 1917

Location: Presque Isle

Media: Photograph

Laboring in Maine

Workers in Maine have labored in factories, on farms, in the woods, on the water, among other locales. Many of Maine's occupations have been determined by the state's climate and geographical features.

A Celebration of Skilled Artisans

The Maine Charitable Mechanic Association, an organization formed to promote and support skilled craftsmen, celebrated civic pride and members' trades with a parade through Portland on Oct. 8, 1841 at which they displayed 17 painted linen banners with graphic and textual representations of the artisans' skills.

Wired! How Electricity Came to Maine

As early as 1633, entrepreneurs along the Piscataqua River in southern Maine utilized the force of the river to power a sawmill, recognizing the potential of the area's natural power sources, but it was not until the 1890s that technology made widespread electricity a reality -- and even then, consumers had to be urged to use it.

Lubec, Maine

A history of the easternmost town in Maine as created by the Lubec Historical Society, Lubec Consolidated School, Lubec Landmarks, and Lubec Memorial Library. Exhibits include the sardine and herring industries, the Sardine Queen, the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, the 1911 Centennial Celebration, the S. S. Cumberland Steamer, the gold hoax, an important community quilt, a tragic boating accident, and the blizzard of 1934, among others.

Swan's Island: Six miles east of ordinary

A look back at island life in Maine as captured by a team consisting of Swan's Island Educational Society representatives, which encompasses the community's library and historical society, a class from the Swan's Island School, and an Island Fellow from the Island Institute. Exhibit topics examine islanders at work and play, Baird's Quarry, old buildings, and the changing role of women on the island.