Maine Memory Network

Maine and the Civil War - Individuals: Stories, Letters, Diaries

"… Individuals: Stories, Letters, Diaries"

Doing Good: Medical Stories of Maine

Throughout Maine’s history, individuals have worked to improve and expand medical care, not only for the health of those living in Maine, but for many around the world who need care and help.

World War I and the Maine Experience

With a long history of patriotism and service, Maine experienced the war in a truly distinct way. Its individual experiences tell the story of not only what it means to be an American, but what it means to be from Maine during the war to end all wars.

War Through the Eyes of a Young Sailor

Eager to deal with the "Sesech" [Secessionists], young deepwater sailor John Monroe Dillingham of Freeport enlisted in the U.S. Navy as soon as he returned from a long voyage in 1862. His letters and those of his family offer first-hand insight into how one individual viewed the war.

Making Paper, Making Maine

Paper has shaped Maine's economy, molded individual and community identities, and impacted the environment throughout Maine. When Hugh Chisholm opened the Otis Falls Pulp Company in Jay in 1888, the mill was one of the most modern paper-making facilities in the country, and was connected to national and global markets. For the next century, Maine was an international leader in the manufacture of pulp and paper.

Away at School: Letters Home

Young men and women in the 19th century often went away from home -- sometimes for a few months, sometimes for longer periods -- to attend academies, seminaries, or schools run by individuals. While there, they wrote letters home, reporting on boarding arrangements and coursework undertaken, and inquired about the family at home.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Why Study the History of Drinking?

"While the danger of drunkenness—to individuals, families, and the social order—was recognized from the earliest period, the use of alcoholic…"

John Y. Merrill: Leeds Farmer, Entrepreneur, & More

John Y. Merrill of Leeds (1823-1898) made terse entries in diaries he kept for 11 years. His few words still provide a glimpse into the life of a mid 18th century farmer, who also made shoes, quarried stone, moved barns, made healing salves -- and was active in civic affairs.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Reform and Repeal

"Though some individual towns would choose to remain dry, the Noble Experiment had ended for the state and nation. X Patrick and Marie Cyr, ca."

Music in Maine - Bluegrass Music

"… and Joe Kennedy We discovered bluegrass music individually during the 1970s; fortunately, it was blossoming in Maine."

The Washburns of Livermore

Members of the Washburn family of Livermore participated in the Civil War in a variety of ways -- from Caroline at the homefront, to Samuel at sea, Elihu, as a Congressman from Illinois, and Israel governor of Maine. The family had considerable influence politically on several fronts.

Fashionable Maine: early twentieth century clothing

Maine residents kept pace with the dramatic shift in women’s dress that occurred during the short number of years preceding and immediately following World War I. The long restrictive skirts, stiff collars, body molding corsets and formal behavior of earlier decades quickly faded away and the new straight, dropped waist easy-to-wear clothing gave mobility and freedom of movement in tune with the young independent women of the casual, post-war jazz age generation.

Home: The Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Portland - The Privy

"Then individuals were licensed to remove the night soil, during the night, and dispose of it. These men became known as "night men." Privies served…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Temperance Membership

"… Throughout Maine the temperance movement sparked individual interest and a variety of local societies."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1620 to 1820: New England's Great Secret

"Yet it also presented problems for individuals and communities. New England's complicated relationship with spirituous beverages traces at least back…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - A Call to Temperance

"… summarizes the hope of moral improvement for individuals and communities which many people started to feel after 1820."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Women Leaders and Temperance

"… in Bangor, 1909Courtesy of Henry Gartley, an individual partner W.C.T.U. Parade Bangor, September 15, 1909 Courtesy of Henry Gartley, original…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Neal Dow

"… he borrowed and loaned state money to private individuals including Dow. Peck went to jail, but Dow's involvement in the scandal and perceived…"

Horace W. Shaylor: Portland Penman

Horace W. Shaylor, a native of Ohio, settled in Portland and turned his focus to handwriting, developing several unique books of handwriting instruction. He also was a talented artist.

Summer Camps

Maine is home to dozens of summer-long youth camps and untold numbers of day camps that take advantage of water, woods, and fresh air. While the children, counselors, and other staff come to Maine in the summer, the camps live on throughout the year and throughout the lives of many of the campers.

Maine's 20th Regiment

The War was not going well for the Union and in the summer of 1862, when President Lincoln called for an additional 300,000 troops, it was not a surprise to see so many men enlist in an attempt to bring proper leadership into the Army.

A Focus on Trees

Maine has some 17 million acres of forest land. But even on a smaller, more local scale, trees have been an important part of the landscape. In many communities, tree-lined commercial and residential streets are a dominant feature of photographs of the communities.

A Field Guide to Trolley Cars

Many different types of trolley cars -- for different weather, different uses, and different locations -- were in use in Maine between 1895-1940. The "field guide" explains what each type looked like and how it was used.

A Craze for Cycling

Success at riding a bike mirrored success in life. Bicycling could bring families together. Bicycling was good for one's health. Bicycling was fun. Bicycles could go fast. Such were some of the arguments made to induce many thousands of people around Maine and the nation to take up the new pastime at the end of the nineteenth century.