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.

Historic Hallowell - Prisons and Firearms

"… former governor, paid 3,000 dollars for a 10-acre prison site. It was known as Limestone Hill. The Legislative Branch built it and owned it too."

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 - Maine State Prison

"It was suggested as a logical site for a prison. Located midway along the Maine coast, the site had desirable access by the Georges River."

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

"Former site of the Maine State Prison, Thomaston, Maine 2008Thomaston Historical Society <- Prev. Page…"

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

"All transfer of prisoners was under the supervision of Dr. Daniel Rose, who had been appointed the first State Prison Warden."

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

"… site was accepted as a suitable location for the prison. The State purchased the property from Governor King for $3000."

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

"It was named after W. W. Rice, a prison official who served as foreman. A group of citizens was organized to manage the company with the…"

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - The Carr O'Brien Block

"… sail loft, boot and shoe factory, clothing factory, and now houses the Prison Showroom, a retail outlet for products manufactured by prisoners."

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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - Notable Residents

"Prison Corner, Thomaston, ca. 1871Thomaston Historical Society Benjamin Carr, Prison Warden from 1839-1850, and Edward O’Brien, shipbuilder and…"

Life on a Tidal River - Bangor and the Civil War Resources

"Wheelan, Joseph. Libby Prison Breakout. New York: Public Affairs, 2010. Zombek, Angela M. "Libby Prison." Encyclopedia Virginia. Brendan Wolfe, ed."

Aroostook Historical and Art Museum

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

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Early Wharves and Yards - 1795 to 1825

"… Narrows on the George's River, an area below the prison site. J. Palfrey, a rigger, also worked at Paine’s wharf."

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…"

Life on a Tidal River - Bangor and the Civil War

"Andersonville Prison Above is a sketch of Andersonville Prison as it appeared on August 1, 1864 when it contained 35,000 prisoners of war."

Thomaston: The Town that Went to Sea - Early History - 1719 to 1740

"… in which to burn stone quarried from the former prison site for shipment to the Boston market. Soon a second kiln was added to meet the demands of…"

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…"

New Portland: Bridging the Past to the Future - Bridges of West New Portland

"One prisoner from the state prison was brought here to do the welding. Sometime in the winter of 1841 the cables came to Bath, Maine."

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…"

Blue Hill, Maine - John Edward Horton, Civil War Soldier

"His diary of prison life tells of the horrendous living conditions at the prisons. Numerous people died every day."