Maine Historical Society Celebrates 200 Years
The MHS campus on Congress Street in Portland, as it appeared circa 1908. The Wadsworth-Longfellow House is in the center.
March 3, 2022
Portland, ME: It’s not every day an organization reaches its 200th birthday, let alone is entering its third century of service to the people of Maine. Yet, Maine Historical Society (MHS) is doing just that! On February 5, 1822, MHS was established as the third state historical society in the United States – two years after Maine became a state. Its founders consisted of civic leaders from across Maine, including first Governor William King and others who also spearheaded separation from Massachusetts.
MHS’ mission is to preserve and share Maine’s story. Our vast collections provide critical insights into the political, socio-economic, and environmental dynamics of Maine. They include European settlement, interactions with Indigenous peoples, Maine’s role in the slave economy, land use, and items from early families, businesses, and governmental leaders. Whereas for much of its early life MHS could be perceived as an exclusionary and colonial-focused organization, over time, and especially since the 1960s, the world and MHS have markedly changed.
Today, MHS is a major and vibrant thought leader in Maine history. In recent years, we have focused on building a modern organization that nimbly addresses ever-changing community needs. A main emphasis has been on developing programming and content that explores how history shapes Maine today, centering on the needs, interests, and passions of contemporary Mainers.
Our collaborative exhibitions and programs strive to recognize, study, recover, and amplify diverse voices and experiences of working people, Indigenous Nations, Black communities, ethnic minorities, women, and many others whose perspectives and histories had largely been ignored. Recent exhibits – 400 Years of New Mainers; Making Paper, Making Maine; Holding Up the Sky: Wabanaki People, Culture, History & Art; State of Mind: Becoming Maine; and Begin Again: reckoning with intolerance in Maine – provided the community with context, information, and a place to explore crucial contemporary issues.
Located on 489 Congress Street, MHS is comprised of our Museum Gallery, Brown Research Library, Museum Store, world-famous Wadsworth-Longfellow House, and award-winning digital history platform, Maine Memory Network. Rooted in research, scholarship, and collections, we continually expand greater access to Maine history resources for all Maine people through these pathways.
CELEBRATE WITH US! Visit www.mainehistory.org/mhs200 for updates on events, public programs, and news.
2022 DYNAMIC PROGRAM YEAR SNAPSHOT:
Exhibitions**
Central to our 200th birthday is the two-part Northern Threads: Two Centuries of Dress at Maine Historical Society. This beautiful exhibition in our main gallery brings historic clothing to life, illustrates key themes in Maine history, and explores the impact of fashion on Maine’s society, economy, and environment.
• Mar 16–Jul 30: Part I Northern Threads.
• Throughout 2022: Companion historic clothing mini-exhibits will rotate in our other Showcase and Shettleworth galleries, and the Wadsworth-Longfellow House.
• Mar 16–May 21: Maine Historical Society in Pictures: exploring our first 200 Years. In our Shettleworth Gallery, explore MHS’ five locations over two centuries through paintings, photographs, and stories of pivotal MHS leaders.
• Aug 12–Dec 31: Part II Northern Threads.
Selected Zoom Programs (free)**
• Mar 22: Unpacking the Past: Fashions from the Maine Historical Society Collection. With textile/clothing historian Jacqueline Field, 6-7pm.
• Apr 13: Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History. Book talk with Richard Thompson Ford, 7-8 pm.
• Apr 26: American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850. With Pulitzer Prize winner Alan Taylor, 7-8 pm.
Selected Events**
• May 5: Maine History Maker Award: Honors civic leaders Severin Beliveau and Harold Pachios.This in-person event at USM’s Hannaford Hall also celebrates the profound contribution of immigrant communities to Maine’s special sense of place. Learn more and get tickets: www.mainehistorymaker.org.
Explore more MHS History:
• Visit www.mainehistory.org/mhs200/timeline.shtml and www.mainememory.net/exhibits/mhsinpictures.
• Historian William D. Barry will publish a first installment of MHS’ history in the journal Maine History this summer.
**REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED to attend ANY exhibitions, programs, or events. Please visit www.mainehistory.org for details on exhibit admission fees, timed-ticketing, scheduling your gallery visit, to check program updates, MHS membership, and latest COVID policies. Exhibit access for MHS members is free; non-member adults $10; children (6-17) $5, and under 6, free. Join before you book! Unless otherwise noted, Zoom programs are free.
For more information:
Maine Historical Society489 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
207–774–1822
www.mainehistory.org
www.mainememory.net
Maine Historical Society preserves and shares Maine's story to enrich life in contemporary Maine.
