June 23, 2014

DIGITAL HISTORY

Stories from Maine Memory Network

Historical Image:

Instructions left by Anne Longfellow Pierce, ca. 1900

MMN #16972

On Friday, the new MHS exhibition Home: The Longfellow House and the Emergence of Portland opens to the public. It examines the changes to the Wadsworth-Longfellow House and family over more than two centuries, and simultaneously, the evolution of the city of Portland.

That the house survives at all is thanks to the foresight and generosity of the last family member to live in it--Anne Longfellow Pierce, the poet's sister, who gave the house to MHS. This document is a copy of the list she prepared before her death, designating items that should be left with the house, and where they should be placed.

View online and zoom in or download the transcription to read the document up-close!

THIS WEEK

Friday, June 27

New exhibitions open to the public

Home: The Longfellow House and the Emergence of Portland uses the Wadsworth-Longfellow House as a prism to explore how Portland has grown and changed over more than 230 years. The exhibition features family belongings that tell the personal and yet universal story of how people live in their homes--including ways of heating, cooking, and plumbing--and how those functions evolved within Portland. The stories of the Wadsworth and Longfellow families and an ever-changing cast of neighbors on their block help explain how Portland has become the beloved, livable city we know today.

A Snapshot of Portland, 1924: The Taxman Cometh, in the Shettleworth Lecture Hall for July and August, celebrates the informal photographs taken by the tax assessor of every taxable building in Portland in 1924. These unique images were recently added to the Maine Memory Network, making them easily accessible to the public. The exhibition highlights a selection of these fascinating snapshots of Portland life--from its first skyscrapers to tenements, pool halls, and farms.

Remembering Our Visit: Souvenir China and Mementos of the Longfellow House, in the Showcase Gallery, features objects relating to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his boyhood home that demonstrates the poet's wide public appeal.

We are grateful to our Home sponsors:

Davis Family Foundation

BHA Foundation Fund

P. W. Sprague Memorial Foundation

Elsie A. Brown Fund

Gifts in Memory of Elizabeth Hamill

And our Snapshot sponsor:

Portland Magazine

The Museum and galleries are open daily.

INTERACT WITH OUR EXHIBITION
Calling for photography and essay submissions

You can participate in the Home exhibition in two great ways--even if you don't live in Maine!

Gowen family farm, Duck Pond Road, Westbrook, ca. 1895 and 2012.

Your Home, Past & Present
We are interested in seeing what your home looked like in the past and how it appears today. Submit your images and we'll include them in our exhibition and share them online. We welcome images from all towns, states, and countries. Your childhood home, the residences of friends and family members, or intriguing houses in your area are all acceptable.

Follow these instructions, and submit images to home@mainememory.net. View submissions on our Facebook page!

Essay Contest:

Your Maine Home: How Has It Changed?

In keeping with the theme of our Home exhibition, we want to hear about defining moments in the history of your Maine home or neighborhood. Essays will be judged on their relevance to Maine, clarity of writing, richness of detail, and the overall nature of the story. The winning essay, as well as the first and second runners-up, will be published on the MHS blog, and announced in our printed Fall 2014 newsletter. Submission deadline: July 18, 2014.

For details, rules, and submission guidelines please read more on our blog.

NEXT WEEK

Wednesday, July 2, 12:00pm

Intro to MHS: Library Tour

Tour Guide: Nicholas Noyes, Curator of Library Collections

This 45-minute tour of the Brown Library, fully renovated in 2009, takes participants throughout the library's reading rooms and behind-the-scenes into the archive, normally closed to the public. Nicholas Noyes covers the history of the building, architectural details, the basics of doing research in the library, and even shares a few treasures from the collection.

Reserve your space by sending an e-mail or calling 207-774-1822.

Friday, July 4, 12:00pm

Celebrate Independence Day!
A Public Reading and Display of the Declaration of Independence

With Former State Representative Herb Adams

Join MHS for a public reading of the Declaration of Independence by former State Representative Herb Adams on the lawn of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House. Lemonade and cookies will be served following the reading, which is a free event.

This year, MHS's copy of the 1776 Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration (one of only 26 surviving copies) will be on display in the King Conference Room from July 2 - 6. Viewing of the Dunlap Declaration is included in the admission price to the new museum exhibition, Home: The Longfellow House and the Emergence of Portland. The museum is open from 10:00am - 2:00pm on July 4.

Copies of the Declaration of Independence in various formats are available for sale in our Museum Store, and through Vintage Maine Images.

Declaration Scroll

Visit www.july4thportland.org for a full schedule of Fourth of July activities around Portland.

SIGN YOUR KIDS UP

FOR THE 2014 JUNIOR DOCENT CAMP

WHO: For students entering 4th-6th grades
WHEN: Monday, August 4 - Thursday, August 7: 9:00am-12:00pm, and Friday, August 8: 9:00am - 2:00pm
COST: $75 per student from MHS member families/$100 per student from non-member families

REGISTRATION: by July 21. Contact Kathleen Neumann, Manager of Student and Interpretative Programs, at kneumann@mainehistory.org or (207) 774-1822 ext. 214.

Participants in Junior Docent Camp will learn what life was like in 18th and 19th century Portland and go behind the scenes of Maine's earliest historic house museum. The camp is based at the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, the boyhood home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, where students will learn to give tours. The mix of indoor and outdoor activities will include 19th century games, gardening, crafts, cooking, and story telling. Learn how Henry and his siblings played, dined, studied, cleaned up, and even got into trouble!

ONGOING

Wadsworth-Longfellow House Tours
House tours given by friendly guides and docents offer a glimpse into the life of America's beloved poet and his family, as well as into the cultural and social history of 19th-century Portland. The House is the oldest brick structure on Portland's peninsula, meticulously restored to the 1850s. Be sure to visit the Longfellow Garden--now in full bloom!

Tour Times:
Monday - Saturday, tours daily, 10am - 5pm (first tour at 10:30am; last tour at 4pm). Sunday 12pm - 5pm (first tour at 12pm; last tour at 4pm).

Historical Walking Tours of Portland
Walk to the waterfront and be guided through Portland's evolution from a small British colony to a booming center of American culture and commerce. Tours leave from MHS and are 60-75 minutes in length. Tours are limited to 12 guests; first come, first served. Recommended for ages 12 and older. Weather permitting.

Walking Tour Times:
Daily at 1:30pm. Call for details and group bookings 207-774-1822 ext. 212.

MHS WEBSITES

Maine Historical Society	Museum Store
Maine Memory Network	Museum Catalog
Vintage Maine Images	Library Catalog
Maine History Online	Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

STAY CONNECTED

MAINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

489 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101

207-774-1822

This Week at MHS is your online source for exhibits, programs, and events.