Maine Memory Network

Old City Building, Lewiston, ca. 1885

Contributed by: Lewiston Public Library Date: circa 1885 Location: Lewiston Media: Phototransparency

First Congregational Church, City Hall, Brewer, ca. 1910

Contributed by: City of Brewer Date: circa 1910 Location: Brewer Media: Postcard

Assessor's Record, 65-79 Exchange Street, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: U.S. Government Use: Post Office

Assessor's Record, 314 Fore Street, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: United States Government Use: Custom House

Waterville Federal Building and Post Office, Waterville, 1974-1975

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1974–1975 Location: Waterville Client: City of Waterville Architect: Eaton W. Tarbell

Waterville Federal Building and Post Office, Waterville, 1971-1974

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1971–1974 Location: Waterville Client: City of Waterville Architect: Eaton W. Tarbell

From Sewers to Skylines: William S. Edwards's 1887 Photo Album

William S. Edwards (1830-1918) was a civil engineer who worked for the City of Portland from 1876-1906. Serving as First Assistant to Chief Engineer William A. Goodwin, then to Commissioner George N. Fernald, Edwards was a fixture in City Hall for 30 consecutive years, proving indispensable throughout the terms of 15 Mayors of Portland, including all six of those held by James Phineas Baxter. Edwards made significant contributions to Portland, was an outstanding mapmaker and planner, and his works continue to benefit historians.

Civil Defense: Fear and Safety

In the 1950s and the 1960s, Maine's Civil Defense effort focused on preparedness for hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters and a more global concern, nuclear war. Civil Defense materials urged awareness, along with measures like storing food and other staple items and preparing underground or other shelters.

Bath's Historic Downtown - Davenport Memorial and City Hall

"Many of the earlier uses of City Hall for specific organizations have been relocated to their own buildings."

City of Portland Planning & Urban Development

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

Biddeford City Hall: an in-depth tour of this iconic building
by Biddeford Cultural & Heritage Center Voices of Biddeford project

Visual tour and unique insights of Biddeford’s historical landmark

Jim Murphy-living a multi-dimensional life
by Biddeford Cultural & Heritage Center Voices of Biddeford project

Life influences: Irish/Quebec ancestry, seminary, Navy, community businesses and organizations.

Building Community/Community Buildings

Grade Level: 6-8 Content Area: Social Studies
Where do people gather? What defines a community? What buildings allow people to congregate to celebrate, learn, debate, vote, and take part in all manner of community activities? Students will evaluate images and primary documents from throughout Maine’s history, and look at some of Maine’s earliest gathering spaces and organizations, and how many communities established themselves around certain types of buildings. Students will make connections between the community buildings of the past and the ways we express identity and create communities today.

Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride Companion Curriculum

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8 Content Area: Social Studies
These lesson plans were developed by Maine Historical Society for the Seashore Trolley Museum as a companion curriculum for the historical fiction YA novel "Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride" by Jean. M. Flahive (2019). The novel tells the story of Millie Thayer, a young girl who dreams of leaving the family farm, working in the city, and fighting for women's suffrage. Millie's life begins to change when a "flying carpet" shows up in the form of an electric trolley that cuts across her farm and when a fortune-teller predicts that Millie's path will cross that of someone famous. Suddenly, Millie finds herself caught up in events that shake the nation, Maine, and her family. The lesson plans in this companion curriculum explore a variety of topics including the history of the trolley use in early 20th century Maine, farm and rural life at the turn of the century, the story of Theodore Roosevelt and his relationship with Maine, WWI, and the flu pandemic of 1918-1920.