Maine Memory Network

Alida Leese Nurses' Home, Portland, ca. 1925

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1925 Location: Portland Media: Photographic print

Trull Hosptial Nurses, Biddeford, 1939

Contributed by: Dyer Library/Saco Museum Date: 1939 Location: Biddeford Media: Photographic print

16-18 Norwood Street, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: St. Barnabas Hospital Use: Dwelling - Nurses Home

22 Norwood Street, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: St. Barnabas Hospital Use: Dwelling - Nurses Home

Hospital Addition, Bath, 1917

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1917 Location: Bath; Bath Client: Bath Memorial Hospital Architect: Alonzo J. Harriman

Nurses Home for the Augusta State Hospital, Augusta, 1919-1927

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1919–1927 Location: Augusta Client: State of Maine Architect: Harry S. Coombs

Practical Nursing in Waterville

The Maine School of Practical Nursing opened a facility in Waterville in 1957 and continued teaching practical nursing there until about 1980 when changes in the profession and in the state's educational structure led to its demise.

Rebecca Usher: 'To Succor the Suffering Soldiers'

Rebecca Usher of Hollis was 41 and single when she joined the Union nursing service at the U.S. General Hospital at Chester, Pennsylvania. Her time there and later at City Point, Virginia, were defining experiences of her life.

Mercy Hospital - School of Nursing Class Photos

"In 1965, all of the nursing school facilities were consolidated into their St. John Street location, creating one space for classrooms, a library…"

Mercy Hospital - School of Nursing Candid Photography

"Mercy continually received praise for the quality of its nursing program. A grateful patient writing in 1967 singled out “Miss Cyr Junior Student”…"

Nursing at Mercy Hospital during WWII
by Roberta Loring

Education and nursing at Mercy Hospital during World War II.

My Mom was a nurse in the 8055 MASH, Korea
by Pat MacPherson

I’m so proud of my mother and the thousands of Army & Navy nurses who served in WWII & Korea

Primary Sources: Healthcare History in Maine

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12 Content Area: Social Studies
This lesson plan will give students the opportunity to read and analyze letters, literature, and other primary documents and articles of material culture from the MHS collections relating to how people in Maine have given and received healthcare throughout history. Students will discuss the giving and receiving of medicines and treatments from the 18th-21st centuries, the evolving role of hospitals since the 19th century, and how the nursing profession has changed since the Civil War. Students will also look at how people and healthcare facilities in Maine have addressed epidemics in the past, such as influenza and tuberculosis, and what we can learn today from studying the history of healthcare and medicine.