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Notes from the Director
Tune in: Perspectives on Politics and History
In the past two weeks, 60 Minutes has aired two segments that relate to MHS's work and interests. Last night, with the election upon us, the show featured an interview with historian David McCullough. McCullough provided his perspective on contemporary political dynamics. He talked about authenticity, the power of place, and even about ghosts.
Last week, the show aired another fascinating piece that hits close to home: they profiled a thief who stole thousands of documents from the National Archives and many private institutions.
I think you'll find both of interest and worth your time.
- Steve Bromage
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Current Exhibits
Museum
Wired! How Electricity Came to Maine 
Lecture Hall Gallery
In a Whole New Light
Longfellow House
Indoor Amusements: Toys & Games from our Collections opens Nov. 23
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November &
Holiday Hours
Museum & Museum Store: November 1 - 21: Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm.
Holiday Season (Nov 23 - Dec 31): Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday, 12-5pm.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, closing Christmas Eve and New Years Eve at 2pm, closed Christmas Day
Brown Library: Tues-Sat 10am-4pm.
Closed on November 22, re-opening November 27.
Wadsworth-Longfellow House Tours:
November 1 - 23: Saturday Tours only 10am-5pm. Holiday Season (Nov 23 - Dec 31) Open Daily: 12pm-5pm (Last guided tour begins at 4pm)
Closed Thanksgiving Day, closing Christmas Eve and New Years Eve at 2pm, closed Christmas Day.
MHS Administrative Offices will be closed Thursday through Sunday during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
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Book Group:
Sign Up Now!
We Are What We Ate:
A Reading & Discussion Program
 Join us this January through May to explore a topic that resonates across humanity, inspiring great passion and wide-ranging opinion: food!
In addition to a wide variety of short readings, books include Blood, Bones & Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton; 97 Orchard by Jane Ziegelman; Something from the Oven by Laura Shapiro; and The Emperors of Chocolate, by Joel Glenn Brenner.
For more information, including a full reading list, and to register, visit our Programs page.
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Spotlight On
Jamie Cantoni
Maine Memory Network Cataloger
Jamie joined MHS in May of this year. She is our Maine Memory Network cataloger and also subs in our library. Before coming to MHS, Jamie worked as a Library Assistant at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Originally from Cornwall, Connecticut, Jamie studied nursing at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU). Realizing that life is too short to not do what you love, she switched gears and earned an honors history degree from WCSU, then went on to get her Masters in Library Science at Simmons College. She enjoys her work at MHS "because every day I get to work with great people, fascinating materials, and learn new things." Jamie's personal interests include running, bibliography, and getting together with friends. In July she attended David Whitesell's The Printed Book to 1800: Description and Analysis course at the Rare Book School in Virginia. Read about her experience there on page 5 of our Fall 2012 newsletter. Click on the Fall 2012 issue icon to download the PDF. |
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Give the Gift
of History
 This holiday season give friends or family members a gift that will last all year long: membership in Maine Historical Society. Benefits of membership include:
* Free Admission to the changing exhibits in the MHS Museum, and to the Longfellow House * Invitations to exhibit openings, member parties, lectures, trips, and special programs for all ages
* Access to the Research Library, reference staff, and online databases * Subscriptions to Maine History, the only periodical dedicated to emerging scholarship on Maine history, and to our quarterly newsletter. * A 10% discount in the MHS Museum Store and online store, and online at Vintage Maine Images. We will send a special welcome package to each of your gift recipients acknowledging your kindness. Best of all, your gift will support all our efforts-from programs and exhibits to caring for the collections and keeping the research library doors open. Buy memberships online, or call us at 207-774-1822. |
Making the Most of Your Year-End Charitable Giving
As the end of the calendar year approaches, many people take this opportunity to make their year-end charitable donations. We hope you'll consider supporting the MHS Annual Fund. Your much-needed gift provides operating support essential to every aspect of our work-Brown Library, museum, Longfellow House and Garden, our popular school programs, and Maine Memory Network. Additionally, with many of the tax laws changing, options such as charitable gift annuities or gifts of appreciated stock provide attractive tax and income benefits. Please contact Deborah Stone, Director of Development at 207-772-1822 x231 for further information about ways you can make a difference. Thank you.
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MHS is now on the social media site Pinterest
Check out boards such as:
* Daguerreotypical Mainers
* Longfellow Mania
* Mapping Maine
* Blinged, Ringed, and Garbed
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Historical Image:
Election officials, Surry, 1948
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MMN #67574
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On the eve of election day, we salute the hard-working local officials who staff the polling stations and secure the votes. This 1948 image of Surry election workers was scanned by a student at Surry Elementary School as part of that town's Maine Community Heritage Project.
These men and women stand in front of the Surry Town Hall, which, as in many small towns, served multiple purposes. In addition to town business and voting, residents used the Hall for religious gatherings. It stands today as a museum, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. View this image online.
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MHS News
Local & Legendary: New Civil War Project Grant
 Details about our major new initiative on the Civil War--a collaboration with Maine Humanities Council--are now on Maine Memory. Local & Legendary: Maine in the Civil War will engage 10 Maine communities over a two-year period in examining, digitizing, and celebrating their local Civil War history. The community application process opens on January 1, 2013, with a deadline of March 1, 2013. The National Endowment for the Humanities-funded project includes public symposia. Mark your calendars for the first one--April 27, 2013 at USM's Hannaford Hall. For the full press release on the project, click here. |
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November Programs
Gilchrist joins us to talk about her new memoir, Waltzing with Bracey: A Long Reach Home, about her journey back to Maine, and to the Deer Isle cottage of her ancestors, to claim her place in the world. Joining her on the adventure is Bracey, her Corgi, who helps her negotiate the rambling pile of a house, the ghosts that live there, and this unique place on the Maine coast. Saturday, November 17, 10am - 3pmMuseum Shopper's Day Visit our table at the Maine Audubon Society, 20 Gilsland Farm Road, Falmouth, for a one-day museum store extravaganza. Area museums will have a wide array of goodies from their shops, including special seasonal items. It's a great opportunity to do your holiday shopping all in one place! Featured Program
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660 Forest Ave., Portland, 1924. MMN #54862
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Tuesday, November 27, 12:00pm
Talk and Demonstration: The City of Portland's 1924 Tax Records on Maine Memory Network Speakers: Kathy Amoroso and Scott Hanson
The Portland, 1924 Tax Records were created as part of a city-wide tax reevaluation following a reorganization of the city government in 1923. The original photographs provide extraordinary documentation of the appearance and condition of every taxable property in the city at that time. The fragile records are now being digitized and many are currently searchable on Maine Memory Network. Scott Hanson, Architectural Historian with Sutherland Conservation & Consulting, will talk about the records, their historical significance, and what information can be gleaned from them. He will describe the digitization project and its current status. Kathy Amoroso, Maine Historical Society's Director of Digital Projects, will demonstrate how to search and find these records on Maine Memory Network.
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Visit MHS this holiday season for an exciting array of activities and programs scheduled from
November 23-December 31.
Program details online
Special Exhibits
* In a Whole New Light explores how the advent of electricity changed winter holiday experiences in Maine. Lecture hall gallery. * Indoor Amusements: Toys and Games from our Collections is a mini-exhibit in the Longfellow House and is included with the guided tour. * First Friday Art Walk, December 7, 5-8pm Stop by the ell in the Longfellow House and shop for festive holiday ornaments and gifts. The Museum Store will also be filled with a wide variety of seasonal items and Maine related books and merchandise. R enowned pianist David Maxwell will play the 1843 Chickering piano on Saturday afternoons during tours of the Longfellow House. Dr. Maxwell will play on December 8, 15, 22, 1-3 pm.Join us for a celebration of traditional arts in Maine. Artists and craftspeople will demonstrate their work in the Longfellow House and Garden, the Brown Library, and the Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. Lecture Hall. Demonstrations include spinning, silhouette cutting, bookbinding, photographic tintypes, oil painting, wood carving, and blaksmithing. Longfellow House ToursDaily tours of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House during the holiday season. The house is decorated for the holidays, and guides give insight to what Christmas was like for the Longfellow family. Member's Holiday Party Our annual members party will be held on Wednesday, December 5 from 5-7pm. Call 207-774-1822 to RSVP. |
From the Collections
Notes from the Archives: Ephemera
What is ephemera? Ephemera are documents created specifically for a transitory purpose. Advertisements, calling cards, notices, and tickets are examples of ephemera.
 These latest gems came from the recently processed Weston Homestead collection (Coll. 2650). Some of these advertising cards have an association with Maine, but others are kept just for their unique visual and cultural value. Click here to continue reading this blog post written by MHS Archivist/Cataloger Nancy Noble.
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Museum Store
Longfellow Advent Calendar
 Our Wadsworth-Longfellow House Advent Calendar features original artwork by York Harbor artist Jeannie Brett. Each window opens to reveal an image relating to Longfellow, his family, and his poems. Calendars come with a mailing envelope.
Buy yours now and be ready for December 1st!
$15.95 each. Available in the Museum Store, and the Online Store.
Visit us at 489 Congress Street in Portland or call us at 207-774-1822 ext. 208.
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MHS Annual Trip
Splendors of Italy, October 13-27, 2013  This 14-day excursion explores the beauty and magic of Rome and the Chianti region of Tuscany, followed by seven days aboard Uniworld's River Countess traveling throughout Venice and the heart of Italy along the Po River. Download the trip brochure as a PDF here SPECIAL INCENTIVES * Book and deposit by January 15, 2013 and save $150/person * Past Uniworld customers save an additional $100/person For more information, or to book your reservation, contact: Elizabeth Nash at MHS, 207-774-1822 ext. 206, enash@mainehistory.org Eric Baxter, AAA Travel, 207-523-2124, baxter.eric@nne.aaa.com Dana Widen, AAA Travel, 207-523-2123, widen.dana@nne.aaa.com |
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Thank you to our recent sponsors
We thank the following corporations and organizations for their generous support in October 2012. Anthony Mancini Inc.; Aurora Provisions; Blue Elephant Events & Catering; Charles Durfee Cabinetmaker; Coastal Landscape Construction; Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage; Consigli Construction Co., Inc.; CVC Catering Group; Foreside Antiques; Friends of Baxter State Park; Friends of the Eastern Prom; Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ; Goodwill Industries; HeadInvest; Huston & Company; Joshua's Restaurant; Local Excursion; Longfellow Garden Club; Loyal Citizen; Maine Home+Design; Maine Magazine; Maine Jewish Museum; Margolis Pineo Group; Murray, Plumb, and Murray; Ocean View at Falmouth; Penelope Daborn Ltd.; Portland Harbor Hotel; Portland Stage Co.; Portland Yacht Services; Patriot Insurance Company; Portland Symphony Orchestra; Queen of Hats; Residence Inn by Marriott; Skillins Greenhouses; TD Bank; Unitil; Verrill Dana; and Victoria Mansion. For more information about how to join the Business Partners Program, contact Elizabeth Nash at MHS at 207-774-1822 ext 206 or e-mail enash@mainehistory.org.
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