Maine Memory Network

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Peucinian Society medal, Brunswick, ca. 1822

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1822 Location: Brunswick Media: Metal

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Falmouth Fire Society rules and orders, Portland, ca. 1783

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1783 Location: Portland Media: Ink on paper

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Fifth Maine Regimental Mem. Society property, S. Side Seashore Avenue, Peaks Island, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Fifth Maine Regimental Mem. Society Use: Summer Dwelling

Missionary Society M.E. Church property, Maine Conference Women's Home, East End, Long Island, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Missionary Society M.E. Church Use: Italian Fresh Air Camp

Georgetown Historical Society elevations, Georgetown, 2003-2006

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 2003–2006 Location: Georgetown Client: Georgetown Historical Society Architect: Carol A. Wilson; UJMN and Carol A. Wilson Architects

Chebeague Island Historical Society presentation drawing, Chebeague Island, 2001

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 2001 Location: Chebeague Island Client: Chebeague Island Historical Society Architect: Carol A. Wilson; UJMN and Carol A. Wilson Architects

MHS in Pictures: exploring our first 200 years

Two years after separating from Massachusetts, Maine leaders—many who were part of the push for statehood—also separated from Massachusetts Historical Society, creating the Maine Historical Society in 1822. The legislation signed on February 5, 1822 positioned MHS as the third-oldest state dedicated historical organization in the nation. The exhibition features MHS's five locations over the institution's two centuries, alongside images of leaders who have steered the organization through pivotal times.

Les Raquetteurs

In the early 1600s, French explorers and colonizers in the New World quickly adopted a Native American mode of transportation to get around during the harsh winter months: the snowshoe. Most Northern societies had some form of snowshoe, but the Native Americans turned it into a highly functional item. French settlers named snowshoes "raquettes" because they resembled the tennis racket then in use.

Cornish Historical Society

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

Bridgewater Historical Society

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

From Naturalists to Environmentalists
by Andy Beahm

The beginnings of Maine Audubon in the Portland Society of Natural History

Ivory-billed Woodpeckers
by Doug Hitchcox, Staff Naturalist at Maine Audubon

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the Portland Society of Natural History Collections

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.

Maine Statehood

Grade Level: 9-12 Content Area: Social Studies
Maine's quest for statehood began in the years immediately following the American Revolution. Though the state of Massachusetts consented to the separation in 1819 and Maine would ultimately achieve statehood in 1820, Maine’s split from Massachusetts was not without controversy and was not universally supported by people living in Maine. Using primary sources, students will explore the arguments for and against Maine statehood. Students will gather evidence and arguments to debate the statement: It is in the best interests of the people of Maine for Maine to become its own state.