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Notes from the Director
Happy Birthday Henry, and A Night for Poetry in Maine
Last week I had the chance to attend the reading by inaugural poet Richard Blanco at the Merrill Auditorium. Wow--it was an incredible evening.
It's been quite something the past several weeks to hear from colleagues, friends, and other folks hustling to find a ticket to a poetry reading...
Continue reading Steve Bromage's remarks in this blog post
to find out what Steve presented, on behalf of the Maine State historian, to Mr. Blanco, and how our own Longfellow relates.
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Current Exhibits
Museum
Wired! How Electricity Came to Maine
Lecture Hall Gallery
Maine Things: Recent Museum Acquisitions
Showcase Gallery
Local History/ Local Schools student artwork
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Winter Hours
Museum & Museum Store: Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm; closed Sundays
Brown Library: Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
Wadsworth-Longfellow House: Closed for the season; re-opens in May.
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Spotlight On
Holly Hurd-Forsyth
 Holly Hurd-Forsyth has been the collections registrar at MHS since 2000. She works behind the scenes facilitating the care and control of all the collections, including those in the museum, library, and Longfellow House. All new acquisitions pass through her hands, and she is also responsible for cataloging museum collections and administering the PastPerfect (and PastPerfect Online) database of more than 32,000 catalog records. In addition, Holly supervises all incoming and outgoing loan requests, including negotiating the terms of packing, shipping, and insurance. Her fascination with early American history and historic site management, combined with her interest in material culture studies makes her position at MHS a perfect fit. "It's truly a privilege to be able to work hands-on with the incredible collections at the Maine Historical Society. I really do learn something new every day. No two days are ever the same at MHS!" A native Mainer who lives on Peaks Island with her husband and son, Holly earned her M.A. in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University, and her B.A. in History from the University of Southern Maine. She's also worked at the California Historical Society and the Victoria Mansion, and has been involved with the Tate House Museum for the past several years.
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Wishes Do
Come True!
MHS trustee Noni Ames recently made our day with a generous donation of a new refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, coffee urn, and serving platters. Thank you, Noni, for helping us cross these much-needed items off our " Wish List." Can you help with our Wish List? Continue reading on our blog post for more information. |
As an MHS Member, you'll enjoy great benefits, including free admission to our museum, store and program discounts, access to our Research Library, and much more. Learn about membership perks online.
Become a member today!
Buy memberships online, or call us at 207-774-1822. |
Support the Annual Fund
Make your online gift here.
Thank you 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. |
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Online Exhibit:
Working Women of the Old Port
 | | Filling fish cans at Burnham & Morrill, Portland, 1934 MMN#11194 |
Women's History Month offers us the opportunity to reflect on how gender roles have changed over time, but it also invites us to examine our assumptions more closely. Despite the perception many have of women in the past staying close to home, in 1900, about twenty percent of all women and girls who lived in Portland--more than 5,500--worked for wages.
This exhibit highlights the variety of jobs--ranging from dirty, hot, and dangerous work in factories to teaching school or owning one's own business--that women held in and around Portland in the early part of the 20th century.
Visit this exhibit online.
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MHS News
In partnership with Maine Humanities Council, Maine Historical Society welcomes the public to a day-long symposium marking the mid-point of the Civil War sesquicentennial. The Symposium will take place at USM's Hannaford Hall in Portland on Saturday, April 27, from 9am-4pm. Maine and National speakers will address the beginnings, causes, and effects of the Civil War, and why it still matters 150 years later. Featured speakers include Manisha Sinha, Professor of Afro-American Studies, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, on Emancipation during the Civil War; and Patrick Rael, Associate Professor of History, Bowdoin College, on Maine in the Civil War. Breakout sessions will cover Civil War era photography, literature, theater, and medicine. The 3rd Maine Infantry Fife and Drum Corps will deliver a special field music presentation. Advance registration is required. Cost is $35 for the general public; $20 for students. To register, click here and complete the online registration form. * * * * * April 1 Deadline for MMN Grants
If your organization has been thinking about applying for a Maine Memory Network digitization or online exhibit grant, the time is now. After this spring cycle, the grant program comes to an end. The deadline for applications is April 1. Find details and application forms online, or contact Larissa Vigue Picard, Community Partnership Coordinator, to discuss your idea, at lvpicard@mainehistory.org or 207-774-1822 ext. 215. |
March Programs
Click on the program titles for details
 Tuesday, March 5, 12:00pmBook Event: Taste, MemorySpeaker: David Buchanan Thursday, March 14, 3:00pmMaine Jewish Film Festival presents Film Screening: Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray  Wednesday, March 20, 12:00pmIntro to MHS: Maine Memory Network Demonstration Facilitator: Kathy Amoroso, Director of Digital Projects Sign up in advance by e-mailing us: info@mainehistory.org  Thursday, March 21, 7:00pmWar of 1812 Era Food: A Talk and Cooking Demonstration Speaker: Katherine Moose
Featured Program
Thursday, March 28, 7:00pmAge of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America Speaker: Ernest Freeberg, Distinguished Professor of Humanities, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Ernest Freeberg, author of the new book, Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America, joins us to deliver a keynote talk related to our current museum exhibit, Wired! How Electricity Came to Maine. Dr. Freeberg will share his research on the inventor and his Menlo Park laboratory, the history of electric light in general, and how that technology shaped American culture. Details online.
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From the Collections
New Exhibit Features Recent Acquisitions
What do these things have in common? A Mt. Katahdin watercolor. A crayon-enhanced photograph of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. A needlework sampler by a 14-year-old. A Maine restaurant sign. These are just some of the fascinating items newly acquired by MHS, and featured in the lecture hall gallery exhibit that opened last Friday--Maine Things: Recent Museum Acquisitions. Each of the items provides a fresh perspective about Maine history. For more details, check out this blog post.
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MHS Annual Gala
Get involved with the Mad Hatter Affair
It's time to dust off your dancing shoes and don your Derby attire! The Mad Hatter Affair is coming up on Saturday, May 4, at The Woodlands in Falmouth.
Come support MHS and enjoy a fun evening of cocktails and dinner, bid in silent and live auctions, watch the Kentucky Derby live from Churchill Downs, and dance the night away with the Tony Boffa Band. Tickets are available now.
To reserve a table, or become a corporate sponsor, fill out this form and send to Elizabeth Nash, 489 Congress St. Portland, ME 04101. For more information, email enash@mainehistory.org or call 207-774-1822 ext. 206.
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From Historical Images to 21st Century e-Cards
Electronic Wishes for All Occasions
One of the fun features in Maine Memory Network and Vintage Maine Images is the ability to email any item in the database to anyone as an e-card. You don't have to have an account to use the email function. Simply locate the envelope icon under the image of the item, click on it, and follow the instructions. Try it out this St. Patrick's Day with this ca. 1910 postcard, or for more suggestions read this post on our Maine Memory blog. |
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Museum Store
Celebrate Women's History Month
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich said "Well behaved women seldom make history." Browse our selection of books on women history-makers. Their lives and their stories will encourage and inspire you! We also have pins with this fabulous quote. In store and online.
Visit us at 489 Congress Street in Portland, call us at 207-774-1822 ext. 208, or visit our online store.
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