Maine Memory Network

Fairview Water Works, Houlton, ca. 1895

Contributed by: Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum Date: circa 1895 Location: Houlton Media: Photographic print

Bath Iron Works, ca. 1900

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1900 Location: Bath Media: Photographic print

55 Alder Street, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Zafiris Vamvakias et als Style: Utilitarian Use: Mill - Cabinet Works

84 Hanover Street, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Cornelius A. Mannix Use: Granite Works

Portland City Hall, Portland, 1909-1912

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1909–1912 Location: Portland Client: City of Portland Architect: Carrere & Hastings Architects

John S. Hyde farmer's cottage, Bath, 1913-1915

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1913–1915 Location: Bath Client: John Sedgwick Hyde Architect: John Calvin Stevens and John Howard Stevens Architects

Working Women of the Old Port

Women at the turn of the 20th century were increasingly involved in paid work outside the home. For wage-earning women in the Old Port section of Portland, the jobs ranged from canning fish and vegetables to setting type. A study done in 1907 found many women did not earn living wages.

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.

Historic Clothing Collection - Poppy print maxi skirt, ca. 1975 - Page 1 of 3

"Poppy print maxi skirt, ca. 1975 Contributed by Maine Historical Society Description View additional information about this item on the…"

Lubec, Maine - McCurdy Herring Smokehouse - Page 3 of 4

"Commission of Fisheries, anticipates what was printed yet almost one hundred years later. Words and photographs of Hugh French and his students in…"

21st and 19th century technology and freelance photography
by Brendan Bullock

My work is a mash-up of cutting edge technology and 19th century chemistry techniques.

Where are the French?
by Rhea Côté Robbins

Franco-Americans in Maine

Longfellow Studies: An American Studies Approach to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12 Content Area: English Language Arts, Social Studies
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was truly a man of his time and of his nation; this native of Portland, Maine and graduate of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine became an American icon. Lines from his poems intersperse our daily speech and the characters of his long narrative poems have become part of American myth. Longfellow's fame was international; scholars, politicians, heads-of-state and everyday people read and memorized his poems. Our goal is to show that just as Longfellow reacted to and participated in his times, so his poetry participated in shaping and defining American culture and literature. The following unit plan introduces and demonstrates an American Studies approach to the life and work of Longfellow. Because the collaborative work that forms the basis for this unit was partially responsible for leading the two of us to complete the American & New England Studies Masters program at University of Southern Maine, we returned there for a working definition of "American Studies approach" as it applies to the grade level classroom. Joe Conforti, who was director at the time we both went through the program, offered some useful clarifying comments and explanation. He reminded us that such a focus provides a holistic approach to the life and work of an author. It sets a work of literature in a broad cultural and historical context as well as in the context of the poet's life. The aim of an American Studies approach is to "broaden the context of a work to illuminate the American past" (Conforti) for your students. We have found this approach to have multiple benefits at the classroom and research level. It brings the poems and the poet alive for students and connects with other curricular work, especially social studies. When linked with a Maine history unit, it helps to place Portland and Maine in an historical and cultural context. It also provides an inviting atmosphere for the in-depth study of the mechanics of Longfellow's poetry. What follows is a set of lesson plans that form a unit of study. The biographical "anchor" that we have used for this unit is an out-of-print biography An American Bard: The story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, by Ruth Langland Holberg, Thomas Y. Crowell & Company, c1963. Permission has been requested to make this work available as a downloadable file off this web page, but in the meantime, used copies are readily and cheaply available from various vendors. The poem we have chosen to demonstrate our approach is "Paul Revere's Ride." The worksheets were developed by Judy Donahue, the explanatory essays researched and written by the two of us, and our sources are cited below. We have also included a list of helpful links. When possible we have included helpful material in text format, or have supplied site links. Our complete unit includes other Longfellow poems with the same approach, but in the interest of time and space, they are not included. Please feel free to contact us with questions and comments.