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Current Exhibits
Museum
Dressing Up, Fitting In, Standing Out: Adornment & Identity in Maine (through May 27, 2012)
Lecture Hall Gallery
Downtown: Portland, Circa 1912 (through June 30, 2012)
Showcase Gallery
Student art work from our Local History/Local Schools program
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Spring Hours
Museum & Museum Store: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sundays 12-5pm.
Brown Library: Tues-Sat 10am-4pm
Wadsworth-Longfellow House:
Daily tours. Call for times: 207-774-1822.
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Spotlight On: Larissa Vigue Picard
Larissa has worked at MHS as Community Partnership Coordinator since 2009. In this role, she manages the Maine Community Heritage Project and other initiatives that provide training, guidance, and grants to communities around the state as they share local collections and stories on Maine Memory Network. She also maintains MHS's Facebook page, blogs, and makes many other contributions to the organization. Larissa, who is a graduate of Bates and Middlebury Colleges, is a humanities person to the core. She previously served as Director of Community Programs at the Vermont Humanities Council. She leads discussion groups for the Maine Humanities Council, and for the past four years has run MHS's own reading groups.
Larissa lives in Topsham with her husband Curtis, director of the Maine Merchants Association, and their son Nicholas.
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Maine Facts & Trivia
Did you know that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow grew his beard in an effort to cover facial scars he received from trying to extinguish flames that tragically killed his wife Fanny? This 1868 photograph, taken by Julia Margaret Cameron, is an iconic image of the bearded poet. You can read the story of Fanny Longfellow's death, and explore more about his family on our website.  | |
Longfellow, sans beard, in 1854
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Digital History from
Maine Memory Network
Online Exhibit: Lt. Charles Bridges: Getting Ahead in the Army
 | Charles Bridges, Castine, ca. 1864. Maine State Archives image.
MMN# 67295
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This online exhibit, researched and created by MHS intern Matthew Miller, explores the Civil War experience of Charles Bridges of Castine. Bridges and his comrades served with distinction in the 2nd Maine Infantry, nicknamed "The Bangor Regiment." When that enlistment ended in 1863, Bridges volunteered to serve as an officer in a black regiment in Louisiana. The exhibit simultaneously shares Bridges's personal experience, the routine duties that were essential to the war effort, and the ways in which many black regiments and their white officers were deployed. Visit the online exhibit. |
MHS News
Angus King to Deliver Keynote
at MHS Annual Meeting
Saturday, June 2, 10am  Please join us as we conduct the official business of MHS. Former Maine Governor Angus King will give a talk on history and leadership. The annual meeting will also include awards, an opportunity to greet new MHS Director Steve Bromage, and the dedication of the new Children's Gate in the Longfellow Garden. Additional details available on the MHS website, and mailed to members, soon. Registration required. $25 for MHS members; $35 for non-members; lunch included. Call 207-774-1822 to register.
May 1st marked opening day for the boyhood home of famed poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Join us for tours daily, led by our knowledgable guides and docents. Call 207-774-1822 for times. The house, built by the poet's grandfather in 1785-86, is the oldest standing structure on the Portland peninsula. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark, and virtually all of the household items and artifacts are original to the Wadsworth and Longfellow families. Explore the house online, and plan your visit today! |
From the Collections
MHS Collections in Demand, Always
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Art handlers move crated MHS objects going on loan to the Fenimore Art Museum.
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A recent Portland Press Herald article featured a collections spectacle: the moving of a cannon from the War of 1812 to the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. The canon is believed to be owned by MHS and has been on long-term loan to the City of Portland. The cannon, along with 31 other items from MHS, will be featured in Maine Maritime Museum's upcoming exhibit about the War.
Currently, there are 12 active loans and five pending loans, according to MHS registrar Holly Hurd-Forsyth. "Requests come in all the time," says Holly, "Sharing collections enhances both the borrowing and lending institution."
Museum artifacts and library materials from MHS are currently on loan to museum nationwide including Fenimore Art Museum (NY), American Textile History Museum (MA), Saco Museum (ME), Shelburne Museum (VT), and the National Constitution Center (PA). |
May Programs
This Week
 Thursday, May 10, 7pm
Speaker: Dr. Richard W. Judd, University of Maine Join us to learn how the pastoral landscapes of New England--the valley farms, familiar woods, and fishing ports--became iconic symbols of New England beauty. Judd is a preeminent Maine historian, and an editor of our journal Maine History. This program is MHS's annual Olmsted Lecture, given this year in honor of Helen Koulouris.
Last Week to Register
Thursday, May 17, 7:30am-7:30pm
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NEHGS library reading room
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Join MHS for a day of genealogical research at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) or the Massachusetts Archives in Boston! Registration required by Friday, May 11. Fee: $35 for MHS members; $45 for non-members. This fee does not include admission to NEHGS Library (NEHGS Admission: NEHGS Members: Free; non-NEHGS members: $15). To register, please call 207-774-1822.
Public programs supported by:
 
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Museum Store
SALE!
20% Off
Dressing Up exhibit-related items
online and in the store
Visit us at 489 Congress Street in Portland. Museum store hours are Monday through Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12-5pm.
Shop Online!
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