Maine History Maker Award

Each year MHS recognizes an individual in Maine who has made significant contributions to the community through the Maine History Maker Award. This award honors contemporary citizens who are shaping Maine today. The 2014 honoree is Vincent Veroneau, President and CEO of J.B. Brown & Sons.

As one of Maine's oldest and most respected family-owned businesses, J.B. Brown & Sons continues to invest in Portland and to give back to the community. Vin's leadership and generosity have led the business for many years.

Join us for this special event on Tuesday, September 30, from 5:30-7:30pm. Tickets are $50. RSVP by September 24 to Elizabeth Nash, 207-774-1822 ext. 206.

September Program Highlights

Last Week to Bid in our Online Auction! 

  

There's still time to participate in our fundraiser by bidding in our Best of Maine Online Auction, featuring 20 fantastic items that have a special Maine connection. Proceeds from the auction will support the education and public programs at Maine Historical Society. This auction closes on September 15, 2014, but we do offer a "Buy it Now" feature.    

  

Click here to visit our auction page and start bidding today!  

Here are some of our favorite items:

  

Pine View Farm  

By Barbara A. Desmarais  

Pine View Farm once sat upon a gentle knoll in the New Meadows section of Brunswick

Pine View Farm in the New Meadows section of Brunswick had been in my family since the late 1700s.

 

My mother and her seven siblings often reminisced about visiting and working at the 78-acre homestead. They remembered their grandmother, Mary, as a hard-working woman who rarely smiled. Aunt Grace was cheerful and musical, playing organ both at home and at church. Uncle Charlie, they all agreed, was dour and quiet, most comfortable when caring for his beloved dairy cows. The children were never allowed in Charlie's domain - the cow barn. They remembered pumping water from the well and using a two-holer outhouse, too.

 

Continue reading Barbara Desmarais' winning essay on our blog.

Meet Patrick Ford, Project Archivist for the Bangor Theological Seminary Collection, who joined our staff this summer.

Originally from Chicago, Patrick holds a BA in English from Marquette University, a MA in Art History from University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and a MLIS in Archives & Special Collections from Dominican University. 

Before coming to MHS Patrick was Special Collections Cataloger at MIT, and has also worked at Harvard University, Columbia University, and the Art Institute of Chicago. He says, "I'm what some call a GLAM, having worked with collections in Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums." 

At MHS his job consists of arranging, describing, preserving, and making accessible the records of the Bangor Theological Seminary, an ecumenical seminary that existed from 1814-2013.

Patrick says "I'm humbled and privileged to have been given the responsibility of mediating the records of this revered institution whose history so closely parallels Maine's own. It's especially exciting to work with a collection that is so extensive and thorough-it includes not only institutional records but a wealth of biographical information, correspondence, and artifacts that document 200 years of religious life in New England."

Patrick lives in Brunswick with his wife, Becky, where he plays guitar and consorts with two suspiciously sweet cats. We are delighted to have him on the MHS team!

On Thursday, September 4, nearly 100 guests attended A Special Evening with Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. Anna, the granddaughter of President and Eleanor Roosevelt, spoke about her family's legacy and the upcoming Ken Burns series The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (airing September 14 on PBS). Anna said she learned from her grandparents that "leadership is about listening and then asserting yourself."

We are on Instagram! For those who use the mobile photo-and-video-sharing and social networking app, follow us @Mainehistory.

We will follow your visual stories when you use the hashtag #mainehistory. When visiting us, share your photos with the hashtag or check in using the locations Maine Historical Society or the Wadsworth-Longfellow House--we'd love to see your photos and videos!

Become a MHS Member and be part of an amazing group of supporters!

Our members enjoy great benefits including free admission to the Wadsworth-Longfellow House, free admission to our Museum and our many programs, unlimited access to the Brown Library, shopping discounts, and much more!

     
 

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