Happy Holidays
from all of us at
Maine Historical Society
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Notes from the Director
It's that busy, crazy time of year.
There is a tremendous amount going on at MHS this month. This year we're happy to add some new twists: festivities on our illuminated campus, a showcase of Maine craftspeople, and a toy exhibit. These are accompanied by longstanding favorites such as festive tours and classical music in the Longfellow House. And, this year, Reddy Kilowatt is on hand to help keep us electrified, safe, and well-lit through the holiday season.
The holidays are about family, place, community, and tradition--all important aspects of MHS.
We hope you'll take some time during this busy time of year to come see us, and make a visit to MHS part of your holiday tradition.
On behalf of the entire MHS community, we wish you a happy holiday season.
Best,
Steve Bromage
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Current Exhibits
Museum
Wired! How Electricity Came to Maine 
Lecture Hall Gallery
In a Whole New Light
Showcase Gallery
Seasons Greetings: Holidays Tips for Entertaining & Safety from CMP
Longfellow House
Indoor Amusements: Toys & Games from our Collections
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December &
Holiday Hours
Museum & Museum Store: Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday, 12-5pm.
Brown Library: Tues-Sat 10am-4pm.
Closed Christmas and New Years Day
Wadsworth-Longfellow House Tours:
Open Daily: 12pm-5pm (Last guided tour begins at 4pm)
MHS will be closing at 2pm on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve, and will be closed Christmas Day and January 1.
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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. Sign up deadline: January 11, 2013.
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Spotlight On
Jamie Kingman Rice
Research Librarian
When you visit the Brown Research Library, you will find Jamie at the front desk. As our Research Librarian, Jamie works in reference and research services, and is the archivist for the John Marshall Brown Collection--the namesake collection of the library.
Jamie began her career at MHS 10 years ago as an intern, and joined the staff in 2004. She earned her undergraduate degree in history from University of Southern Maine, a Masters in Library Science and Archives from Simmons College, and studied history at King Alfred's College in Winchester, UK.
Jamie says she loves working with the collections, answering reference questions, and solving historical and genealogical mysteries. "My job provides a great opportunity to learn a little bit about many different topics. Every day I learn something new. I have been very fortunate to find a special collections position in Maine, especially at such a great institution as MHS. There is no other place I would rather work."
Jamie is currently compiling the second edition of Maine in the Civil War: A Bibliographical Guide, and hopes to publish it in 2013.
A Maryland/DC native, Jamie spent summers in Maine as a child, and moved here in 1996. She lives in Portland with her husband Jona and son Thomas.
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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. |
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HOLIDAY SALE
at
Vintage
Maine Images
$5 off all 8x10 prints
Surprise your family with the gift of Maine!
Sale runs through
December 31, 2012.
Order by December 14 for delivery by the 22nd.
Order online or call 207-774-1822 ext. 217.
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Historical Image:
Penobscot Nation's Snow Dance
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MMN #5968
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Thirty-two years ago this week, members of the Penobscot Nation performed a Snow Dance at Sugarloaf Mountain in hopes of getting some snow to fall--and, as belief holds, to wash and purify the earth. Mainers who love skiing, snowboarding, skating, and sledding--or cozying up to a crackling fire while the snow piles up outside-certainly hope that Mother Nature heeds the request for snow more this year than she did last. Until the drifts pile up in earnest, enjoy The Arrival of Winter exhibit on Maine Memory Network, which illustrates the pleasure and power of snow.
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MHS News
Starting in January, we will be offering four different "Intro to MHS" programs and workshops on an ongoing basis. Each will last 45 minutes to an hour and are free to the general public; all that is required is email notification of your planned attendance. The four programs, each offered at least six times a year, are: * A behind-the-scenes Brown Research Library tour with Library Director Nicholas Noyes. * A Library Catalog Instruction workshop with Reference Librarian Jamie Kingman Rice. * A Maine Memory Network demonstration with Director of Digital Projects Kathy Amoroso. * A Museum Collections workshop, including how to use MHS's PastPerfect Online database, with Collections Registrar Holly Hurd-Forsyth. Full program descriptions, schedule details, and sign up information are available on our website. |
December Programs
Fran Pollitt will discuss early maps of Portland and Casco Bay, including street and lot plans, nautical charts for mariners, and insurance maps. Featured maps include: a 1773 manuscript map of Munjoy Hill ; the Atlantic Neptune nautical charts created by the British Admiralty in the 1760s and 1770s; A. W. Longfellow's 1854 U.S. Coast Survey chart of Portland Harbor; Portland's revaluation plan of 1882; and maps of Portland after the Great Fire of 1886. Details online and on our blog. Thursday, December 6, 7:00pmBook Event and Slideshow: Glorious Slow GoingSpeakers: Marguerite Robichaux and Elizabeth Peavey Since they first met and became friends in 1996, Marguerite Robichaux and Elizabeth Peavey have roamed and rambled the back roads of Maine together, documenting their adventures through Robichaux's gorgeous oils and watercolors, and through Peavey's vivid writing. Join us as the two artists share some of their adventures, and capture the essence of some special Maine locales, in an evocative word-and-image presentation based on their new coffee-table book. A book sale and signing will follow--just in time for the holidays! Friday, December 7, 5-8pm First Friday Art Walk Join us for the monthly First Friday Art Walk in downtown Portland. Our museum, gallery, and store are open late and free of charge. Mingle with friends, sip hot cider, munch on goodies, shop for the holidays, and view two new holiday-themed exhibits. Saturday, December 8, 1:00pm
Music in the House: Holiday House Tours with Musical Accompaniment Pianist David Maxwell will play the 1843 Chickering piano in the parlor of the Longfellow House during public tours on Saturday afternoons, 1-3 pm, on December 8, 15, and 22. Featured Program Saturday, December 15, 10am-2pm
Traditional Arts Showcase Join us for an open house celebrating traditional arts in Maine. Artists and craftspeople will be demonstrating their work in the Longfellow House and Garden, the Brown Library, and the Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. Lecture Hall. Admission for all events is only $5! Artists include: spinner Judy Warde of Cape Elizabeth; portrait artist and silhouette cutter Ruth Monsell of Damariscotta; bookbinder Martha Kearsley of Portland; tintype photographer Cole Caswell of Peaks Island; oil painter Timothy Wilson of Portland; blacksmith Sam Smith of Winn; and woodcarvers James Irish, Thon Palmer, Robert Perry, and Norma Wing from the Maine Woodcarvers Association.
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Visit MHS this holiday season for an
exciting array of activities and programs
Now through December 31.
Program details online
Special Exhibits
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From the Collections
Notes from the Archives: A Poet and a Sculptor
Elizabeth Akers Allen and Benjamin Paul Akers traveled to Rome together, and later married. Elizabeth, a poet, was born in Strong. Paul, a sculptor, was born in Westbrook. Their marriage in 1860 was cut short when he died of tuberculosis at the age of 36. Four recent acquisitions document their world and their fleeting time together.
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SC 1379
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Click here to continue reading their story on our blog post, written by MHS Archivist/Cataloger Nancy Noble, and how it involves the Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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How does your Annual Fund gift
make a difference? 
As the end of the calendar year approaches, many people take the opportunity to make their year-end charitable donations. We hope you'll consider supporting the MHS Annual Fund. Your essential support helps:
* Preserve valuable historic treasures like the Maine Charitable Mechanics banners for future generations. * Provide thousands of elementary school students with a unique museum education experience in conjunction with classroom curriculum requirements. * Enable communities across the state to share their local history using Maine Memory Network. * Underwrite our popular exhibits and public programming. * Maintain the Longfellow House and Garden (National Historic Landmarks) * Provide our Brown Library with research tools for students, researchers, and genealogists.
Our thanks in advance for recognizing the importance of our work and our place in the cultural landscape of Maine. Please contact Deborah Stone, Director of Development at 207-772-1822 ext. 231 for further information about ways you can make a difference. Thank you.
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MHS is All Lit Up for the Holidays
Over the last few weeks, members of our staff have been busy decorating our campus for the holidays. Celebrate the Season with MHS is becoming a new tradition for many of you and your families, and we're excited to add new features each year. This year, we've strung thousands of electric lights throughout our grounds and in our buildings, and have opened the ell of the Longfellow House as a mini gift shop.
We owe a big thanks to the crew at Anthony Mancini, Inc. Electrical Contractors, for lighting up the trees in front of the Longfellow House.
We'd also like to thank the folks at Skillins Greenhouses (locations in Falmouth, Brunswick, and Cumberland) for supplying us with beautiful wreaths and garlands.
Our library would not be as festive without the bright poinsettias, thanks to Janice Parkinson-Tucker's annual donation.
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Museum Store
New this year!
Holiday shopping in the Longfellow House ell
Join us this season in the ell of the Longfellow House for holiday shopping. Step back in time and enjoy a peaceful shopping experience in this cozy space filled with toys, games, books, and gifts for everyone on your list.
 
Don't forget our Museum Store is also packed with holiday merchandise, including Maine-related books and DVDs, Maine-made products, specialty ties, games, prints and maps, and much more!
The shop in the ell is open 12-5pm Sunday through Friday, and 10am-5pm on Saturdays.
Do your online shopping for Maine-related gifts from anywhere in the world through our online store.
Visit us at 489 Congress Street in Portland or call us at 207-774-1822 ext. 208.
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