Maine Memory Network

Toy Len Goon's mud silk tunic and pant suit, Guangdong, ca. 1920

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1920 Location: Portland Media: Silk, mud, cotton, tan Dioscorea Cirrhosa dye

Toy Len Goon's cotton tunic ensemble, ca. 1920

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1920 Location: Portland Media: Silk

Toy Len Goon: Mother of the Year

Toy Len Goon of Portland, an immigrant from China, was a widow with six children when she was selected in 1952 as America's Mother of the Year.

Chinese in Maine

In 1857, when Daniel Cough left Amoy Island, China, as a stowaway on a sailing ship from Mt. Desert Island he was on his way into history as the first Chinese person to make his home in Maine. He was soon followed by a cigar maker and a tea merchant who settled in Portland and then by many more Chinese men who spread all over Maine working mostly as laundrymen.

Mount Desert Island: Shaped by Nature - Charles K. Savage (1903-1979): The View from Asticou - Page 1 of 6

"Whether it be through the lens of his camera while walking on the village trails, artistically developing landscape portraits in the dark room at his…"

Historic Clothing Collection - Fashions Far & Away

"… century group of garments brought to Maine by Toy Len Goon. It is anticipated that this currently and predominately Chinese selection will…"

From Chinese Laundress to Mother of the Year
by Dr. Andrea Louie

Toy Len Goon's granddaughter recounts her immigration to the US and becoming Mother of the Year.

Sporting Maine

Grade Level: 3-5 Content Area: Health Education & Physical Education, Social Studies
This lesson plan will introduce students to myriad communities in Maine, past and present, through the universal lens of sports and group activities. Students will explore and understand the history of many of Maine’s recreational pastimes, what makes Maine the ideal location for some outdoor sports, and how communities have come together through team activities throughout Maine’s history.

Becoming Maine: The District of Maine's Coastal Economy

Grade Level: 3-5 Content Area: Social Studies
This lesson plan will introduce students to the maritime economy of Maine prior to statehood and to the Coasting Law that impacted the separation debate. Students will examine primary documents, take part in an activity that will put the Coasting Law in the context of late 18th century – early 19th century New England, and learn about how the Embargo Act of 1807 affected Maine in the decades leading to statehood.