Maine Memory Network

Fort Williams Theatre, Cape Elizabeth, ca. 1940

Courtesy of Tom Richards, an individual partner Date: circa 1940 Location: Cape Elizabeth Media: Photographic Print

Chow at Fort Williams, Cape Elizabeth, ca. 1942

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1942 Location: Cape Elizabeth Media: watercolor

Williams property, S. Side Willow Street, Peaks Island, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Helen M. Williams Use: Dwelling

Williams property, Valley Avenue, Great Diamond Island, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Inez G. Williams Use: Summer Dwelling

Williams residence preliminary planning plan, Wellesley, MA, 2001-2006

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 2001–2006 Location: Wellesley Client: Francis H. Williams Architect: Patrick Chasse

House for Mrs. Lester Williams, Cape Elizabeth, 1914

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1914 Location: Cape Elizabeth Client: Mrs. Lester Williams Architect: John Calvin Stevens

William King

Maine's first governor, William King, was arguably the most influential figure in Maine's achieving statehood in 1820. Although he served just one year as the Governor of Maine, he was instrumental in establishing the new state's constitution and setting up its governmental infrastructure.

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.

William Fogg Public Library

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

Lincoln, Maine - William Kelly, Lincoln, 1943

"William Kelly, Lincoln, 1943 Contributed by Lincoln Historical Society Description William "Bill" Kelly was a Lincoln resident who…"

William Manning in conversation with Christopher Crosman
by William Manning and Christopher Crosman

A conversation between an artist and art historian

A Note from a Maine-American
by William Dow Turner

With 7 generations before statehood, and 5 generations since, Maine DNA carries on.

Longfellow Studies: Longfellow Amongst His Contemporaries - The Ship of State DBQ

Grade Level: 9-12 Content Area: English Language Arts, Social Studies
Preparation Required/Preliminary Discussion: Lesson plans should be done in the context of a course of study on American literature and/or history from the Revolution to the Civil War. The ship of state is an ancient metaphor in the western world, especially among seafaring people, but this figure of speech assumed a more widespread and literal significance in the English colonies of the New World. From the middle of the 17th century, after all, until revolution broke out in 1775, the dominant system of governance in the colonies was the Navigation Acts. The primary responsibility of colonial governors, according to both Parliament and the Crown, was the enforcement of the laws of trade, and the governors themselves appointed naval officers to ensure that the various provisions and regulations of the Navigation Acts were executed. England, in other words, governed her American colonies as if they were merchant ships. This metaphorical conception of the colonies as a naval enterprise not only survived the Revolution but also took on a deeper relevance following the construction of the Union. The United States of America had now become the ship of state, launched on July 4th 1776 and dedicated to the radical proposition that all men are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights. This proposition is examined and tested in any number of ways during the decades between the Revolution and the Civil War. Novelists and poets, as well as politicians and statesmen, questioned its viability: Whither goes the ship of state? Is there a safe harbor somewhere up ahead or is the vessel doomed to ruin and wreckage? Is she well built and sturdy or is there some essential flaw in her structural frame?

Maine Statehood and the Missouri Compromise

Grade Level: 9-12 Content Area: Social Studies
Using primary sources, students will explore the arguments for and against Maine statehood and the Missouri Compromise, and the far-reaching implications of Maine statehood and the Missouri Compromise such as the preservation and spread of slavery in the United States. Students will gather evidence and arguments to debate the statement: The Missouri Compromise was deeply flawed and ultimately did more harm to the Union than good.