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Maine Historical Society - Programs Podcast
- 127 - Historian's Forum: the Maine economy since 1973, Part II
Michael Hillard, Cynthia Isenhour, Stefano Tijerina; Recorded July 15, 2023 - A major story in United States history over the past 50 years has been the decline of industrial jobs. The accompanying rise of a "post-industrial" economy has looked different for various communities and regions. The 2023 Historian’s Forum featured an interdisciplinary look at economic and labor history in Maine since 1973. In Part 2, Cynthia Isenhour, Professor of Anthropology and Climate Change at the University of Maine, discusses re-imaging what wealth and work will look like in the future. This is a three part recording.
Thu, 4 Jan 2024 - 25min - 126 - Historian's Forum: the Maine economy since 1973, Part III
Michael Hillard, Cynthia Isenhour, Stefano Tijerina; Recorded July 15, 2023 - A major story in United States history over the past 50 years has been the decline of industrial jobs. The accompanying rise of a "post-industrial" economy has looked different for various communities and regions. The 2023 Historian's Forum featured an interdisciplinary look at economic and labor history in Maine since 1973. In Part 3, Stefano Tijerina, Maine Historical Society's P.D. Merrill Research Fellow, discusses the globalized economy and its impact on local economies. Ian Saxine, Assistant Professor of History at Bridgewater State University, leads the speakers of the Historian's Forum in a discussion on Maine economic and labor history.
Fri, 5 Jan 2024 - 106min - 125 - Historian's Forum: the Maine economy since 1973, Part I
Michael Hillard, Cynthia Isenhour, Stefano Tijerina; Recorded July 15, 2023 - A major story in United States history over the past 50 years has been the decline of industrial jobs. The accompanying rise of a "post-industrial" economy has looked different for various communities and regions. The 2023 Historian's Forum featured an interdisciplinary look at economic and labor history in Maine since 1973. In Part 1, Ian Saxine, Assistant Professor of History at Bridgewater State University, introduces the Historian's Forum, a look at economic and labor history in Maine since 1973. Michael Hillard, author of "Shredding Paper: Labor and The Rise and Fall of Maine's Mighty Paper Industry" discusses the paper industry in Maine.
Wed, 3 Jan 2024 - 28min - 124 - Spectulation Nation
Michael Blaakman; Recorded October 4, 2023 - During the quarter-century after 1776, the new United States was swept by a wave of land speculation so unprecedented in intensity and scale that contemporaries and historians alike have dubbed it a "mania." From Maine to the Mississippi and Georgia to the Great Lakes, wily merchants, lawyers, planters, and financiers purchased claims to millions of acres of land—chasing fantastical visions of profit by investing in the United States' future expansion across Native American territories. Although such ambitious schemes drove many speculators into bankruptcy and debtors' prison, they also indelibly shaped the development of American capitalism and the U.S. "empire of liberty." In this talk, historian Michael Blaakman, author of Speculation Nation: Land Mania in the Revolutionary American Republic, discussed the revolutionary origins of this real-estate bonanza and what it means for our understanding of the American founding.
Fri, 22 Dec 2023 - 57min - 123 - Adapting to Sea Level Rise in Southern Maine’s Historic Waterfront Communities *CODE RED SERIES*
Recorded October 11, 2023 - Rising seas and coastal flooding present a threat to cultural resources in historic coastal communities. Greater Portland is at considerable risk according to sea level rise projections and local communities are already experiencing recurrent flooding, erosion and increasingly intense storms—threats that are projected to increase as the Gulf of Maine warms and expands. The continued damage and destruction of local historic landmarks and sites could be detrimental to Greater Portland’s personality and sense of collective history. The panel of experts--Julie Larry, Dr. Dave Reidmiller, and Abbie Sherwin--discussed this threat, planning, the tough decisions preservationists face in this crisis, and how historic preservation can contribute to making our places more sustainable.
Wed, 27 Dec 2023 - 55min - 122 - Tragic Betrayal: The Story of Robert Peary and Minik Wallace
Genevieve LeMoine; Recorded November 16, 2023 - Robert Edwin Peary Sr. was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is perhaps best known for, in April 1909, leading an expedition that claimed to be the first to have reached the geographic North Pole. Before his famous 1909 expedition, Peary sailed to Greenland in the summer of 1897 to bring an iron meteorite back to the United States. When he returned in the fall, he brought with him six Inughuit people invited to spend to winter in New York at the American Museum of Natural History. Tragically, many of the Inughuit soon fell ill, and by winter all but one man, Uisaakassak, and one child, Minik, had died of tuberculosis. Uisaakassak returned to Greenland in the spring, but a museum staff member adopted eight-year-old Minik and raised him with their children. Minik spent the next decade living the life of an American middle-class boy until a shocking discovery in 1907 would disrupt his life once again and find him crossing paths with Peary a second time. Genevieve LeMoine discussed this fascinating story and what it can teach us about the history of race relations, climate change, the Inughuit’s significant contributions to Arctic exploration, and the impact of Western expedition activity on the Inughuit community.
Mon, 25 Dec 2023 - 52min - 121 - "A Man to be Thankful for"? Louis Agassiz and His Contemporaries
Christoph Irmscher; Recorded August 8, 2023 - Christoph Irmscher, author of Louis Agassiz: Creator of American Science, reflected on Agassiz's legacy, his friendships with Emerson, Henry Wadsworth and Fanny Longfellow and others, and how his own thinking about Agassiz has (and hasn't) changed since he published his biography 10 years ago. The talk addressed Agassiz's scientific achievements as well as his controversial involvement in the production of racist photographs, not only the more infamous daguerreotypes but also the less familiar cache of glass negatives made in Manaus, Brazil, in 1865 (and the responses to this expedition by contemporary Brazilian artists).
Thu, 14 Dec 2023 - 51min - 120 - Bring Back the Pollinators
Lisa Massie; Recorded September 14, 2023 - Bees and other pollinators are essential parts of all ecosystems on earth and are fundamental for the long-term survival of flowering plants; the role they play in Maine's environment is one of the many topics explored in CODE RED: Climate, Justice, and Natural History Collections. This talk with the Xerces Society addressed the concerns of native pollinators and the possible impacts on society without them. We discussed food production, native bee conservation, creating habitats, and no-cost ways to make positive impacts around your home.
Tue, 19 Dec 2023 - 52min - 119 - Climate, Justice, and the Future of Maine's Environment
Bill McKibben and Steve Bromage; Recorded November 30, 2023 - As we approached the last month of CODE RED, our landmark exhibition examining topics around the climate and biodiversity crisis, it seemed only fitting to take the time to reflect on what we’ve learned, and to look forward and envision "What comes next?" In this informative dialogue with Maine Historical Society Executive Director Steve Bromage and environmentalist Bill McKibben, we considered Maine’s pivotal role in the modern environmental movement, and the actions we all can take to be part of this positive legacy.
Sat, 16 Dec 2023 - 56min - 118 - When the Island Had Fish, a book talk with Janna Malamud Smith
Recorded July 11, 2023 - How has the notion of a Maine “fishing community” changed with time? How has the relationship the people of Maine have with natural world changed over thousands of years? When the Island had Fish is the story of a tiny island, Vinalhaven Maine, that offers a close look at the significant history of Maine fishing particularly, but also offers perspective on the impact of industrialized fishing on small fishing villages all over the United States and the world. Vinalhaven’s documented habitation by fishermen dates back over 5000 years, and still today lobstering is the primary source of employment for its 1100 year round residents; islanders currently harvest lobsters at a rate almost unrivaled nationally. When the Island had Fish provides a meditation on America's past and future. Listen to author Janna Malamud Smith explore these topics through a broad lens, shedding light on the way that species, including humans, are impacted by—and at moments contribute to—climate change, environmental degradation, and sustainable and unsustainable uses of natural resources.
Mon, 11 Dec 2023 - 48min - 117 - Portland Maine: Connections Across Time, a book talk with Paul Ledman
Recorded June 27, 2023 - Ever since the early 1600s, when the first Europeans set foot on the peninsula that was to later become the City of Portland, the city's social and economic history has been shaped by national and international events. Some of these events are very well-known while others have been mostly forgotten, but all of them have influenced the city in both tangible and intangible ways. In the podcast Author Paul Ledman discusses historical connections and the history of Portland in the larger context of national and international events.
Sat, 29 Jul 2023 - 60min - 116 - Wit and Wisdom, a book talk with Joan Radner
Recorded June 20, 2023 - Wit and Wisdom begins with the story of an odd discovery in a Maine attic—a discovery that led Joan Radner to uncover a long-lost rural tradition of joyful wintertime gatherings. We might imagine that the long, dark winter evenings and deep snows of northern New England would have isolated nineteenth-century families in their scattered farmsteads. But this was far from the truth: rural villagers saw winter as a "season of improvement," a time not only for home industries and woods work, but also for mental exercise in good company. Neighbors bent on self-improvement created local "lyceums"—they conducted formal debates on current topics and performed aloud handwritten "papers" compiling their homegrown literary compositions. Ordinary people—men and women of all ages, farmers and mechanics, and the few village intelligentsia—wrote poetry, serious essays, witty parodies, and sundry pieces teasing one another. In this podcast Joan Radner discusses what she found in found dozens of these ephemeral lyceum papers, which provide new access to the voices, talents, and concerns of rural New Englanders: their lifelong devotion to mutual "improvement" through face-to-face exchange of ideas, their broad national awareness combined with resistance to the pressures of modernization, their passionate belief in their own model of democratic community, and their abundant, playful humor.
Thu, 27 Jul 2023 - 40min - 115 - Evangeline Reconsidered
Recorded February 22, 2023 - When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie, he helped to shine a light on and memorialize an all but forgotten event of historic significance, Le Grand Dérangement—the forced expulsion of Acadians from Nova Scotia. The poem brought recognition for a unique ethnic group and gave the world an enigmatic icon, Evangeline. History, fiction, pride, and poetry have since blended together with each generation. But the universal tenets embodied by Evangeline—love, perseverance, and hope, continue to resonate with people from all walks of life. Veni Harlan, author of Evangeline Reconsidered, discussed her carefully researched book that explores the roots, legends, history, and impact of Longfellow's 1847 poem. Purchase the book
Sun, 2 Jul 2023 - 42min - 114 - The Nation That Never Was
Kermit Roosevelt III; Recorded March 9, 2023 - In his book, The Nation That Never Was, Kermit Roosevelt III argues that we are not the heirs of the Founders, but we can be the heirs of Reconstruction and its vision for equality; America today is not the Founder's America, but it can be Lincoln's America. We face a dilemma these days. We want to be honest about our history and the racism and oppression that Americans have both inflicted and endured. But we want to be proud of our country, too. Roosevelt discussed how we can do both those things by realizing we’re not the country we thought we were, opening the door to a new understanding of ourselves and our story. Purchase the book
Wed, 5 Jul 2023 - 62min - 113 - Fishing for Solutions: Climate Change and the Seafood Industry
Recorded May 3, 2023 - Commercial fishermen have a front-row seat to the impacts of climate change and are in a unique and valuable position to help craft the response to the climate change crisis. Sarah Schumann is the coordinator for Fishery Friendly Climate Action, a grassroots initiative that provides fishermen, fisheries associations, and seafood businesses with tools, networking, access, and knowledge to advocate for robust climate solutions that work for U.S. fisheries and not at their expense. In this talk, Sarah discussed her work for climate action strategies that restore the health of marine ecosystems while at the same time safeguarding the livelihoods of marine food producers like those in Maine.
Sat, 15 Jul 2023 - 45min - 112 - Tales (and a Tail) in the Return of Elizabeth Oakes Smith to Literary History
Timothy H. Scherman; Recorded June 13, 2023 - Timothy H. Scherman re-introduces modern readers to Elizabeth Oakes Smith, a nineteenth-century Maine writer and political activist whose disappearance from literary history would seem impossible in light of the volume of her published writing and the visceral responses she elicited from readers in her own day. A poet, lecturer, and feminist, Oakes Smith fought for equal access and rights to political, economic, and educational opportunities for women, and is also remembered today for penning the first woman's account of an ascent of Mount Katahdin. In this talk, Scherman reflected on Oakes Smith's work, marking her climb of Katahdin as turning point in her career, and recounted his own attempt to scale the summit in Smith's footsteps, discovering that those who actually do what Oakes Smith have a very different understanding of her text than those who only read it.
Tue, 11 Jul 2023 - 69min - 111 - CODE RED: discussion with exhibit co-curators Tilly Laskey and Darren Ranco
Recorded April 12, 2023 - CODE RED examines topics around climate change by reuniting collections from one of the nation's earliest natural history museums, the Portland Society of Natural History (PSNH) and reflects on how museums collect, and the role of humans in creating changes in society, climate, and biodiversity. Exhibit co-curators Tilly Laskey and Dr. Darren Ranco discussed the new exhibit and some of the featured artifacts, as well as how and why museums collect and the role of humans in creating changes in society, climate, and biodiversity.
Fri, 30 Jun 2023 - 55min - 110 - FINAL MISSION The North Woods
In person program; Recorded January 24, 2023 - On a frigid winter afternoon at the height of the Cold War, a Strategic Air Command B-52 Stratofortress departed Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts for a routine training mission. Hours later, the aircraft's smoking wreckage lay scattered across a snow-encased mountainside in Maine's desolate North Woods. Joseph Wax, author of FINAL MISSION The North Woods, visited MHS on the 60th anniversary of that fateful day and related the gripping account of the events and aftermath as revealed by those who miraculously survived and the families of those who perished. Purchase the book at https://www.mainehistorystore.com/fimi.html
Mon, 24 Apr 2023 - 44min - 109 - The Unwilling Architects Initiative: Interpreting Untold Stories in a Small Historic House Museum
In person program; Recorded January 26, 2023 - Built between 1858-1860, Victoria Mansion is a National Historic Landmark in Portland, ME, known widely for its architecture and stunning intact interiors. The question of who "built" Victoria Mansion tends to surface the same few names: Henry Austin, the architect, Gustave Herter and Giuseppe Guidicini, the interior designers, and Ruggles and Olive Morse, who commissioned the house and its contents. Ruggles Morse amassed a fortune as a proprietor of luxury hotels, in part at the expense of enslaved labor in New Orleans. Ongoing research has led Mansion staff to discover more than two dozen enslaved Black and mixed-race individuals who had been purchased and/or sold by the Morses. In 2021, Victoria Mansion launched the Unwilling Architects Initiative, through which staff endeavors to learn more about and interpret the lives of the individuals who were impacted by the Morses' decisions and who unwillingly assisted in underwriting the construction of this palatial Portland mansion. Victoria Mansion staff member Brittany Cook and the initiative's DEI consultant Anisa Khadraoui came to MHS for a discussion about their research into histories that occurred offsite, placing the mansion in the greater context of the United States in the 19th century, faithfully interpreting narratives for historically underrepresented and excluded populations, and how new research impacts and informs the everyday interpretation at a small historic house museum. Funding for The Unwilling Architects Initiative has been provided by The Maine Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Mon, 24 Apr 2023 - 40min - 108 - Victoria Mansion
In partnership with Victoria Mansion; Recorded September 8, 2022 - Built and furnished between 1858 and 1860, Victoria Mansion was remarkable from the day it was created. It stands today as the final unaltered and fully intact example of the work of three of 19th-century America's towering creative talents, architect Henry Austin, interior designer Gustave Herter, and decorative painter Giuseppe Guidicini. Authors Thomas B. Johnson and Timothy Brosnihan take a look at a collection of photographs that documents the building’s beginnings as a lavish private residence for the Morse and Libby families, its decline and near loss during the early 20th century, and its resurgence and restoration since becoming a museum in 1941.
Thu, 20 Oct 2022 - 45min - 107 - Looming Trends: 18th-Century Patterned Silks in New England
Recorded June 1, 2022 - During the 18th century, patterned silks were some of the costliest fabrics available. Hand-woven on complex drawlooms, patterned silks worn for dress could be highly decorative, featuring designs that changed not just yearly, but seasonally. With no large-scale weaving in the colonies, a select group of New Englanders imitating the sartorial tastes of England and Europe’s elite adopted imported examples. Not surprisingly, however, the absence here of an aristocracy and its attendant, complex wardrobe requirements created an entirely different context for ownership. In this talk, Ned Lazaro from Historic Deerfield looks at New Englanders who chose to wear this luxurious dress fabric during the early and middle years of the 18th century and explores issues of consumption, availability, preferences, and symbolic legacy.
Tue, 2 Aug 2022 - 50min - 106 - Only the Clothes on Her Back: Clothing and the Hidden History of Power in the 19th-Century United States
Recorded June 21, 2022 - Fashion choices can tell us a lot about a person and the world they lived in, but did you know that historic textiles can also reveal hidden stories of ordinary people and how they made use of their material goods' economic and legal values? Historian Laura F. Edwards discusses her book Only the Clothes on Her Back: Clothing and the Hidden History of Power in the 19th-Century United States , exploring long-forgotten practices that made textiles—clothing, cloth, bedding, and accessories—a unique form of property that people without rights could own and exchange. These stories are about far more than cloth and clothing; they reshape our understanding of law and the economy in America. Purchase the book from our museum store .
Fri, 29 Jul 2022 - 48min - 105 - Songs of Ships and Sailors
Recorded May 17, 2022 - Whether you're a sailor, a singer, or just a lover of New England lore, you'll love the ballads and broadsides featured in Bygone Ballads from Maine Vol.1--Songs of Ships & Sailors. Julia Lane & Fred Gosbee of Castlebay spent over a decade researching and found a wealth of songs, stories and folkways from the Celtic tradition here in Maine archived in collections, recordings and even genealogies across the state. In this program they discussed their research and how they uncovered several thousand songs and ballads from Maine’s past and performed a few of their favorites. Purchase their book from the Castlebay website .
Tue, 26 Jul 2022 - 63min - 104 - American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850
Recorded April 26, 2022 - Between 1783 – 1850, the newly constituted United States emerged as a fragile, internally divided union of states contending with European empires and other independent republics on the North American continent. Native peoples sought to defend their homelands from the flood of American settlers; the system of American slavery grew increasingly powerful and expansive separating Black American families; and bitter party divisions pitted elites favoring strong government against those espousing a democratic populism for white men. Alan Taylor’s history of this tumultuous period looks at key characters involved and captures the high-stakes political drama as leaders contended over slavery, the economy, Indian removal, and national expansion. A ground-level account of American industrialization conveys the everyday lives of factory workers and immigrant families, while the immersive narrative puts us on the streets of Port-au-Prince, Mexico City, Quebec, and the Cherokee capital, New Echota.
Tue, 17 May 2022 - 44min - 103 - Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History
Recorded April 13, 2022 - Dress codes are as old as clothing itself. For centuries, clothing has been a wearable status symbol; fashion, a weapon in struggles for social change; and dress codes, a way to maintain political control. Even in today’s more informal world, dress codes still determine what we wear, when we wear it, and what our clothing means. In his book Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History , law professor and cultural critic Richard Thompson Ford presents a thought provoking history of the laws of fashion to uncover and examine the canons, mores, and customs of clothing--rules we often take for granted.
Fri, 29 Apr 2022 - 61min - 102 - Peaks Island: Past and Present
Recorded February 8, 2022 - Peaks Island: Past and Present brings to light the island's rich and diverse--yet largely hidden--past as a fishing village, a bustling summer resort, and an important military base during World War II. It is the story of a unique Maine island community rooted in its past but very much part of the modern world. In this talk, Kimberly Erico MacIssac as discusses her new book and the island she calls home. Purchase a copy of this book from the MHS Store.
Fri, 1 Apr 2022 - 40min - 101 - Whence these stories? History in Longfellow's Poetry
In partnership with Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site; Recorded February 23, 2022 - February 2022 marked the 215th birthday observance of famed 19th century poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. To mark the occasion, Maine Historical Society and Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site hosted a panel of experts to discuss the stories and people from history that inspired some of Longfellow's best-known poems: "Paul Revere's Ride," "Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie," and "The Song of Hiawatha." What motivated Longfellow to write these poems? What history did he draw upon--and ignore--when writing them? In what ways might the poems be problematic, and how are they looked upon and studied today? Watch to learn more and reflect on the life and work of Maine's Fireside Poet. Purchase Longfellow, Poems and Other Writings from our MHS Store.
Tue, 29 Mar 2022 - 68min - 100 - Green Acre: An "Experiment" in Eliot, Maine in the 1890s and Beyond
Recorded December 14, 2021 - Sarah Farmer, a visionary pioneer and transcendentalist, was the daughter of electrical genius Moses Farmer and humanitarian Hannah Shapleigh Farmer. At Green Acre – A Baháʼí Center of Learning, she had the first known Peace flag flown, and in 1905 she was the only woman to witness the signing of the Portsmouth Peace Treaty. Today, Green Acre remains committed to world peace, race unity, gender equality, and social justice and hosts many programs, including art presentations and exhibits. In this talk, author and artist Anne Gordon Perry tells stories of the early days at Green Acre, where swamis, scientists, transcendentalists, reformers, society folks, philosophers, musicians, mystics, and others mingled—to the surprise and sometimes consternation of the small town of Eliot.
Fri, 24 Dec 2021 - 58min - 99 - The Unlikeliness of It All, Part 1: An Insider's Perspective: A Small Maine Town's History of Resilience, Transformation, Collaboration, Immigration, and its Global Singularity
Recorded December 7, 2021 - Phil Nadeau discusses his new book, The Unlikeliness of It All in a program with Maine Historical Society. A Lewiston native and city official of almost two decades, Nadeau's book offers unique insight into 150 years of the complex political, cultural, and socioeconomic landscape that influenced how the city was formed, how it was shaped by the French Canadian immigrant community, and how it responded to the arrival of Somali refugees in 2001 and 2002. Nadeau uncovers little known and new information regarding notable historic moments and people through a thoughtful a careful examination of historical details and explains how the city's "global singularity" began with a world championship fight and why the eyes of the world remained fixated on this small Maine town's new Somali residents, a mayor's letter, and a rally against hate that drew over 4,000 people. Purchase the book from the MHS Store.
Wed, 22 Dec 2021 - 49min - 98 - Trans & Nonbinary Adventures in 19th century New England
Recorded October 21, 2021 - Long before the modern LGBTQ rights movement, individual queer and trans people challenged gender and sexual norms to express themselves and their love freely, often in defiance of laws against same-sex sex and cross-dressing. Jen Manion discusses the lives and adventures of those assigned female at birth who embraced trans and nonbinary gender expressions in 19th century New England, including so called "female husbands," "female sailors," and "female soldiers."
Tue, 14 Dec 2021 - 53min - 97 - A Man, A Horse-Drawn Wagon, and a Moving Panorama: The Travels of L. E. Emerson
Recorded November 8, 2021 - In the 1850s, long before movies, and just when the magic lantern's popularity was beginning, a night out at the pictures meant a moving panorama performance. The performer, or the "professor," made the giant picture story come alive. The travels of one traveling showman are documented in the MHS collection in the remarkable surviving "exhibitor's diary" of L. Eaton Emerson. It describes his 1855 travels presenting the "Grand Moving Mirror of California," a giant series of 23 paintings on a linen scroll on reels. Emerson's diary includes a daily account of his solo shows, and the obstacles to his shows, as he traveled by horse-drawn wagon to the villages in western Maine, through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and in remote northern Vermont and southern Quebec. The diary also includes some humorous stories and even barbed comments about hall proprietors and audiences. Together the diary and the handwritten script for the California panorama tell an intriguing story of life on the road with a travel panorama shows. In this illustrated talk, Peter Morelli describes Emerson's travels and explores his diary and work.
Thu, 9 Dec 2021 - 51min - 96 - The Wreck of the Steamship Portland: Rediscovering the Titanic of New England
Recorded November 17, 2021 - On November 27, 1898, the paddlewheel steamship PS Portland was on its way from Boston, Massachusetts to Portland, Maine when it was hit by a powerful storm and sank off of Cape Ann with all hands. Often labeled "New England's Titanic" due to the long-unknown position of the wreckage and substantial loss of life, the loss represented New England's greatest steamship disaster before 1900. Today, the location of the wreckage lies within the federally-protected Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Since 2002 the sanctuary has been exploring the wreck with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Marine Imaging Technologies, collecting video imagery to develop virtual 3-D models and educate the public about underwater research. In this talk, Dr. Calvin Mires, WHOI research associate, explores the history, preservation efforts, and the new mission to create a virtual exhibit of the shipwreck.
Tue, 7 Dec 2021 - 73min - 95 - "All Power is Inherent in the People:" A Discussion of Maine Voting Rights
Recorded October 14, 2021 - Voting rights have evolved from the time of Maine’s founding to the present day. Which groups were initially excluded from voting rights? Why did it matter? What did it take for these marginalized groups to win the right to vote? How do voting rights continue to evolve in Maine? Historian Anne B. Gass discusses Maine voting rights, accompanied by historic slides. Purchase her books from the MHS Store: We Demand and Voting Down the Rose
Thu, 4 Nov 2021 - 38min - 94 - Bigfoot in Maine
Recorded October 13, 2021 - The dark woods of Maine have been the setting for many eerie and unexplained events, none more captivating than sightings of a giant hominid known as Bigfoot. But what makes this corner of New England such a perfect place for this cryptid to live? Learn about the ecology and geography that support the legend and the people forever changed by close encounters with it with author of Michelle Souliere as she discusses her latest book Bigfoot in Maine . From previously unpublished eyewitness accounts to modern-day media portrayals, Souliere presents this detailed history of the phenomenon and folklore that has lurked in shadows for generations. Purchase the book from the MHS Store: Bigfoot in Maine
Tue, 2 Nov 2021 - 39min - 93 - Longfellow and the Occult
Speaker: James Horrigan; Recorded May 1, 2014 - Longtime Wadsworth-Longfellow House guide James Horrigan kicked off the 2014 house season with a lecture that looks at the poet’s lifelong interest in the supernatural. In addition to touching on reincarnation, astrology, numerology, automatic writing (featuring a poem of Longfellow's that can only be read with a mirror), and dowsing, James paid special attention to what one biographer called Longfellow's "rich dream life." The poet left behind fascinating accounts of dreams he had of Charles Sumner, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and many others.
Thu, 30 Sep 2021 - 38min - 92 - REDACT: A panel discussion on the redaction of Maine’s 1820 Constitution
Recorded November 19, 2020 - In this recording a panel of experts discuss the topics covered Maine Historical Society's exhibit REDACT: Obscuring the Maine Constitution. The panel examined the redaction of Maine's 1820 Constitution in 1875 and the ramifications that ceasing to print sections 1, 2, and 5 of Article 10 had upon Wabanaki communities and public lands. Panel Moderator: Darren Ranco (Penobscot) - Associate Professor of Anthropology and Chair of Native American Programs at University of Maine, exhibit co-curator. Panelists: Dr. Catherine M. Burns – exhibit co-curator; Michael-Corey F. Hinton (Passamaquoddy)–attorney; Donna Loring (Penobscot)–tribal elder and author; Sherri Mitchell (Penobscot)–attorney, author, and educator.
Sat, 3 Apr 2021 - 70min - 91 - It's A Family Affair: A Personal Conversation about Black History in Maine
Recorded March 3, 2021 - This panel discussion explores Black History in Maine with panelists sharing their family's history and experience in Maine dating back to the 18th century. This program was a partnership between Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, GPCOG, United Way of Greater Portland, the Portland Public Library, and the Maine Historical Society.
Tue, 18 May 2021 - 72min - 90 - Maine's Bicentennial: Looking Backward and Forward - A Conversation with Colin Woodard
Recorded March 11, 2021 - Maine Historical Society Executive Director Steve Bromage leads a conversation with award-winning author and journalist Colin Woodard and our Executive Director Steve Bromage as they look back on Maine’s commemoration of the Bicentennial and the profound ways in which history shapes the state and its people today. Purchase Union - The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood from our MHS Store.
Fri, 14 May 2021 - 71min - 89 - Off to Maine: Early Sportsmen in the Maine Woods
Recorded March 25, 2021 - Only a few sportsmen went to Maine to hunt and fish before the advent of railroads. After the coming of the railways, thousands of hunters and fishermen came to Maine each season, creating a need for hotels, sporting camps and guides to accommodate them. Learn from author Steve Pinkhham about how they got here and how the Rangeley Lakes and Moosehead Lake became the favored sporting resorts of Maine.
Sat, 3 Apr 2021 - 61min - 88 - The Village Blacksmith
Recorded April 8, 2021 - First published in 1840, the poem The Village Blacksmith by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes a craftsman, his work, his daily life, and the role he plays in his community. In the more than 100 years since its publication, the poem has inspired readers, musicians, and filmmakers alike. This book by John Babin is the first in a series that introduces Longfellow's poetry to a new audience of young readers. Learn the story of the poet's inspiration that led him to not only write this timeless classic, but also From My Arm-Chair , a poem written to the children of Cambridge, Massachusetts in gratitude for their gift of a chair. The chair was made from the spreading chestnut tree that sheltered the blacksmith shop referenced in the poem. Purchase the book from the MHS Store.
Tue, 20 Apr 2021 - 46min - 87 - Fighting Time - a talk with Isaac Knapper and Amy Banks
Hosted by Steve Bromage and in partnership with the University of Maine Alumni Association; Recorded April 12, 2021 - On April 12, 1979, Ronald F. Banks, University of Maine professor and author of Maine Becomes a State: The Movement to Separate Maine from Massachusetts , was shot and killed outside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sixteen-year-old Isaac Knapper was arrested, tried as an adult, and wrongly convicted of the murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola. In 1992, Isaac's conviction was overturned and in 2015 he met Dr. Bank’s daughter, Amy. It was an emotional meeting, and in the years since Isaac and Amy have maintained a strong friendship and healing connection and have worked to educate people about the impact that wrongful convictions can have on both the wrongfully convicted and the family of murdered victims. Their book, Fighting Time , will be available in the Fall of 2021. This discussion hosted by MHS Executive Director Steve Bromage with Isaac and Amy explores their story, their friendship, their work, and where Maine fits in the national dialogue of confronting systemic racism and justice. Hosted in partnership with the University of Maine Alumni Association.
Wed, 12 May 2021 - 78min - 86 - Begin Again: reckoning with intolerance in Maine
Recorded May 12, 2021 - Co-curators Anne Gass, Tilly Laskey, Darren Ranco, and Krystal Williams discuss topics covered in Maine Historical Society exhibition and initiative Begin Again: reckoning with intolerance in Maine . The panel reviews the structures of systemic racism and discrimination that have perpetuated inequity and intolerance in Maine for the past 500 years and talk about how they came together to explore and interpret Maine’s diverse and complicated history.
Fri, 21 May 2021 - 61min - 85 - "Doing One's First Works Over": Imagining a New America
Recorded May 20, 2021 - Known to be a convener of conversations and debates, Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. takes care to engage fellow citizens of all ages and backgrounds – from young activists, to fellow academics, journalists and commentators, and followers on Twitter in dialogue about the direction of the nation. His scholarship is driven by a commitment to think carefully with others. In this talk Dr. Glaude explores the challenges our democracy faces, as well as the country’s complexities, vulnerabilities, and the opportunities for hope. Purchase his book
Wed, 2 Jun 2021 - 54min - 84 - The Life of a Klansman
Recorded May 26, 2021 - In Life of a Klansman: A Family History with White Supremacy , Edward Ball returns to the subject of his classic, Slaves in the Family: the mechanisms of white supremacy in America , as understood through the lives of his own ancestors. This time, he tells the story of a warrior in the Ku Klux Klan, a carpenter in Louisiana who took up the cause of fanatical racism during the years after the Civil War. Ball, a descendant of this Klansman, paints a portrait of his family’s anti-black militant that is part history, part memoir rich in personal detail.
Thu, 24 Jun 2021 - 58min - 83 - Historic Taverns and Tea Rooms of Maine
Recorded June 7, 2021 - Holding an integral place in Maine's community, the story of its early taverns and tea rooms is an important account of commerce and political and social life. From famed Revolutionary War incidents to Civil War generals, stagecoaches and the story of rum, the history of Maine's early taverns is captivating. The tea rooms of the early 1900s were just as interesting and important. They played a large role in the national tea movement, the temperance and suffrage movements, the promotion of women's independence, and they also symbolized Maine's culture and sophistication. Join local authors Kathy and Bill Kenny as they unveil the stories behind these historic places explored in their latest publication. Purchase the book from the MHS Store .
Tue, 22 Jun 2021 - 56min - 82 - The Coming of the Invisible People
Recorded June 10, 2021 - They came in waves on waves. They were in the background on the steel roads that snaked deep into the interior. While not being unnoticed, they were invisible. And before you knew it, Maine had a vibrant albeit small Black population. Hear Bob Greene as he describes the histories of the Black people of Maine whose lives and work have made Maine what it is today and have laid the foundations for the future of the Pine Tree state.
Sun, 27 Jun 2021 - 59min - 81 - Up for Grabs: Timber Pirates, Lumber Barons, and the Battles Over Maine's Public Lands
Recorded June 15, 2021 - This program was recorded on June 15, 2021. Each year thousands of men and women and families recreate on Maine's Public Reserved Lands. Most of these visitors know only that the large green areas on the map promise them access to some of the state's most magnificent places, but few know just how Maine acquired them. The story of the state’s Public Reserved Lands and how we got them speaks to the very essence of Maine’s identity. Hear Thomas Urquhart's informative overview of the history of conservation and preservation in Maine and discuss his new book Up for Grabs: Timber Pirates, Lumber Barons, and the Battles Over Maine's Public Lands. Purchase the book from the MHS Store .
Tue, 29 Jun 2021 - 50min - 80 - From Chinese Laundress to Mother of the Year: Bringing the Story of Toy Len Goon Beyond the Model Minority Myth
Recorded June 17, 2021 - In 1952, Toy Len Goon, a modest widow and mother of eight, was selected as Maine Mother of the Year, and then for the national title, by the J.C. Penney Golden Rule Foundation. An immigrant from China, she came to the U.S. in 1921 as the wife of Dogan Goon, a WWI veteran and laundryman. After Dogan became disabled and unable to work, passing away in 1941, she and her children ran the laundry and household, located at 615 Forest Ave in Portland, ME. However, there is much of Toy Len Goon's story that was not told by the media coverage celebrating her honor. As one of Toy Len Goon’s grandchildren, but also a cultural anthropologist, Dr. Andrea Louie places her story within a fuller context in the hopes of doing justice to her legacy as not only a mother, but a woman who broke out of a number of traditional roles, while also remaining filial to relatives back in China.
Thu, 1 Jul 2021 - 67min - 79 - Murky Overhead
Recorded June 21, 2021 - Hear Michael Connolly read excerpts from and discuss his newest work, Murky Overhead . A work of historical fiction, Murky Overhead tells the story of a day in the life of an Irish-American working-class family, the Folans. Follow the Folans though the streets and docks of their new American home in maritime Portland, Maine, at the turn of the 20th century; Coleman shovels coal for the longshore union, while his wife Mary, who is nearly full-term with their tenth child, does her best to keep the family going. Challenges abound and though it seems the family faces an ever-growing number of hurdles, they know they must take on each day one at a time even when their prospects appear to be murky, at best. Purchase Murky Overhead from our MHS Store.
Thu, 15 Jul 2021 - 48min - 78 - 200 Years of Jews in Maine
Recorded June 24, 2021 - Jews have a long history in Maine, with thriving communities across the state. They came to Maine for the same reasons as so many others: to live well and raise their families within the state's appealing natural and cultural environment. The experiences of Jewish Mainers, however, have also been distinctive on account of their occupational choices and traditions as well as their encounters with antisemitism. How have Jews sought to contribute to Maine's economic, cultural, and social landscape, and how did they gain widespread acceptance? How have these Mainers sustained their own religion, culture, and ethnic ties while embracing the broader communities to which they belong? How did the challenges and opportunities that Jews faced in Maine change over time? Check out this engaging conversation with David Freidenreich to learn more.
Sun, 18 Jul 2021 - 58min - 77 - Panic in the Senate: The Fight Over the Second Bank of the United States and the American Presidency
Recorded July 7, 2021 - Author and history teacher Michael Trapani discusses how Andrew Jackson changed the nature of the United States presidency through his war against the Second Bank of the United States, and how his Whig opponents in the Senate tried to stem the tide of change. Jackson's novel use of his removal and veto power, coupled with anointing himself the direct representative of the people, shocked opponents who believed the president had stretched the power of the office beyond the limits set by the nation's founders. Trapani also discusses contributions to the debate from the two Maine senators often overlooked by history: Ether Shepley and Peleg Sprague - the former one of Jackson's staunchest defenders, and the latter one of his most forceful enemies. Purchase the book from the MHS Store.
Wed, 28 Jul 2021 - 54min - 76 - MHS HISTORIAN'S FORUM: Ulster Scots Migrations in Early America
Recorded July 17, 2021 - For generations, the Ulster Scots were a people on the move. From their home in the Scottish Lowlands, these Presbyterians ventured first to Ulster, and then across the Atlantic, where they carved out lives in Britain’s North American colonies, including what became the state of Maine. By the American Revolution, 200,000 Ulster Scots had crossed the sea. In North America, the Ulster Scots had a profound influence in shaping the culture and politics of the British colonies and their borderlands. Their story is one of rich contrasts. This special Historian’s Forum features a conversation with two eminent historians of the Ulster Scots experience in Early America. Host Ian Saxine (MHS Coordinator, Historian’s Forum) speaks with Patrick Griffin (University of Notre Dame) and T.H. Breen (University of Vermont) about the Ulster Scots migrations, with a particular focus on what brought them to Maine and New England, and what their experiences can tell us about religion, community, war, empire, and globalization in the colonial era.
Sat, 7 Aug 2021 - 139min - 75 - Major Episodes of Colonial Racism in Maine State Indian History and Policy
Recorded July 20, 2021 - Wherever we are in Maine, we are on Wabanaki homeland. In this talk, Dr. Darren Ranco describes how issues of racial injustice have shaped State of Maine Indian History and Policy and provides a broad historical and rights context to contemporary issues related to Wabanaki Tribal Sovereignty and Treaty Rights.
Tue, 10 Aug 2021 - 61min - 74 - Nineteenth-Century Black Politics in Maine: Historical Research and Legacies
Recorded July 22, 2021 - In September 1826, a group of six African American men addressed a letter "To the Public" on behalf of about six hundred of their brethren in Portland, Maine, in which they announced their intention to "erect a suitable house for public worship" to serve their community. Their plan came to fruition in the construction of the Abyssinian Meeting House, built in 1828, which became the epicenter of Maine abolitionism and African American politics. The original Meeting House building still stands in Portland and is a focal point for ongoing research and preservation efforts. The meetinghouse campaign represents one of the most visible moments of activism for these Black Mainers, but their activities and influence extended into almost every aspect of nineteenth-century American history and politics. Black Mainers held political offices and appointments, campaigned on behalf of national parties, and shaped political debates surrounding slavery, abolition, and racism. This panel discussion will explore the political endeavors of the creators of the meetinghouse plan and their activist allies in the decades surrounding its construction, putting this research in conversation with ongoing public history and preservation work. Purchase The First Reconstruction - Black Politics in America From the Revolution to the Civil War This panel discussions highlight important new research by Van Gosse (Franklin & Marshall University) whose book, The First Reconstruction: Black Politics in America, From the Revolution to the Civil War (University of North Carolina Press, 2021), includes chapters devoted to the partisan politics of Black Mainers. Panelists Pamela Cummings (President of the Committee to Restore the Abyssinian Meeting House), Mary Freeman (University of Maine), and Bob Greene (Journalist & Independent Scholar) also share their research and insights.
Fri, 6 Aug 2021 - 61min - 73 - Cooking is Community: A Look at Historic Maine Community Cookbooks
Recorded August 10, 2021 - Community cookbooks: you know them and you probably have at least one in your kitchen! Collections of home cooked recipes put together by church groups, synagogues, school groups, political organizations, band boosters, and even biker gangs, these cookbooks are endlessly interesting and rich with stories. Existing at the intersection of technology, home economy, food safety, advertising and marketing, they bring more than 150 years of American history to life. Authors Margaret Hathaway and Karl Schatz, together with Don Lindgren of Rabelais Books in Biddeford, collaborated on publishing the Maine Bicentennial Community Cookbook in 2020 and now they continue to explore and share their love of these unique publications with their podcast "Cooking is Community." Don has been collecting and researching community cookbooks for more than a decade, and in 2019 published volume one of a multi-volume exploration of the American community cookbook, titled UnXld: American Cookbooks of Community & Place . Each episode of the podcast looks at a single community cookbook from Don's collection and examines it as a physical object, a reflection of community, and as a source of recipes from a very specific time and place. Season one is all about community cookbooks from Maine! In this program Don, Margaret, and Karl discuss their podcast and the fascinating stories they’ve come across researching this delicious local history. Purchase their book from the MHS Store.
Thu, 2 Sep 2021 - 69min - 72 - The Know-Nothings Menace: When Hate, Fear, and Prejudice Ruled Maine and America
Recorded August 19, 2021 - Prejudice and discrimination in Maine against immigrants dates back to at least the mid-1700s, when Pope's or Pope Day (Guy Fawkes Day in Britain) was celebrated in Falmouth (Portland); effigies of the Pope and the Devil were carried around town to loud cheers and slurs. Protestants had been taught since birth to hate Roman Catholicism. After all, French Catholics had been their enemy since the 1690s during the French and Indian Wars. When large numbers of Irish Catholics started to immigrate beginning in the 1820s, Protestant anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant and anti-Irish groups were formed all over, including Maine. The large influx of Irish people who came during and after the Great Hunger (the Great Irish Potato Famine, 1845-51) only accelerated these groups, culminating with the formation of the Know Nothings (also Know-Nothings), a secret anti-Irish, anti-Catholic political party who gained political power throughout the United States in 1854-55. Their poster child in Portland was Mayor Neal Dow. In Maine, they burned down three Catholic churches (in Bath, Lewiston, and Ellsworth). In 1854, they tarred and feathered Father John Bapst, a Swiss Jesuit, in Ellsworth. The issue of slavery, as well as their excesses, finally doomed the Know-Nothings and they disappeared. But the hate and suspicion of foreigners resurfaced again in the 1870s and in the 1890s, when the American Protective Association was in their heyday. This group was, of course, followed by the KKK in the 1920s. Matt Barker explores this history in Maine.
Tue, 7 Sep 2021 - 54min - 71 - Who Gets To Tell Story?
Recorded September 9, 2021 - Writer Rhea Côté Robbins gives an informative and introspective look at telling and hearing stories within the social consciousness of equality. Côté Robbins believes that everything we know comes to us via story - we are surrounded by it – and yet not everyone has the chance to tell their own. Côté Robbins’ talk examines the community of story that we live, the injustices as to who gets to share their story and who does not, and why the latter is embedded in the fabric of the process.
Wed, 6 Oct 2021 - 39min - 70 - Ghosts of Pineland
Recorded September 16, 2021 - Historian William David Barry discusses the evolution of Pineland from its origins at the dawn of the 20th century as a home for Maine's so called "feeble minded" citizens (later termed special needs individuals) and his years fresh out of the university as a teacher's aid at Pineland. He also highlights the books, Pineland's Past: The First Hundred Years by journalist Richard S. Kimball (Libra Foundation, 2001) and Voices of Pineland: Eugenics, Social Reform and Legacy of "feeble mindedness" in Maine by University of Southern Maine Professor Stephen P. Murphy (Information Age Publishing Inc., 2011). The talk does not address the present 1000-acre recreation center and farm, but provides a useful overview of special care attitudes in Maine against the international backdrop, and points out archival material in institutions around the state.
Fri, 15 Oct 2021 - 36min - 69 - The Atlantic Black Box Project
Recorded September 23, 2021 - Over 1,740 documented transatlantic slaving voyages were made on vessels constructed and registered in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut -- or having departed from their seaports -- yet New England's connection to the history of slavery remains largely untold. The Atlantic Black Box (www.atlanticblackbox.com) is a grassroots historical recovery project that empowers New England communities to research, reveal, and begin reckoning with the region’s complicity in the slave trade and the global economy of enslavement while re-centering the stories of its racially marginalized groups. Meadow Dibble and Kate McMahon discuss how to learn more about the project and how to join the movement to uncover New England's historical role in the slave trade and the business of slavery, and how to recover stories of the region's Indigenous and African-descended communities.
Tue, 19 Oct 2021 - 67min - 68 - Wabanaki Place: Language and Landscape
Recorded November 16, 2019 - Listen to historian James E. Francis Sr. (Penobscot) who shared stories about the origin and meaning of geographic place names in what is now known as Maine, from a Wabanaki perspective. Wabanaki, part of the Algonkian language group, is the first language of Maine, and each tribe has a distinct language that expresses worldview. The original words of this land – Casco, Katahdin, Kennebec, Androscoggin, Pemaquid – surround us. As settlers colonized Maine with a dominant English language system, they named towns after their founding fathers or English homelands, resulting in a situation where Wabanaki people are now living in a deeply familiar place populated with foreign words.
Tue, 19 Nov 2019 - 80min - 67 - The Insurgent Delegate - book launch
Recorded November 7, 2019 - Listen to editor William C. "Chuck" diGiacomantonio as discuss a fascinating book that features a selection of letters, writings, and remarkable anti-slavery speeches by George Thatcher (1754-1824). Many of the letters are drawn from Maine Historical Society's manuscript collections. Copies of the book are available for purchase in our Museum Store. George Thatcher served as a U.S. representative from the Maine District of Massachusetts throughout the Federalist Era (1789-1801) which was the most critical and formative period of American constitutional history. A moderate on most political issues, he was a maverick in matters relating to education, the expansion of the slave interest, the rise of Unitarianism, and the separation of church and state. Following Thatcher's journey as a New England Federalist, abolitionist, religious dissenter, and pedagogical innovator can add depth to our understanding of the early American Republic. Written over his 40-year career as a country lawyer, national legislator, and state supreme court justice, selections in The Insurgent Delegate serve as an encyclopedic resource on the Founding Generation as it was lived and experienced in Maine, Boston, and the three capitals where Thatcher served (New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.). Historians, lawyers, legal scholars, teachers, and genealogists will find this book compelling, as will all readers who are captivated by the dramatic immediacy and authenticity of Thatcher's personal letters. About the Author: William C. diGiacomantonio, Chief Historian of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, spent most of his career on the editorial team that recently completed the twenty-two-volume Documentary History of the First Federal Congress.
Tue, 12 Nov 2019 - 53min - 66 - The Role & Purpose of Historical Commemoration in the 21st Century
Recorded October 2, 2019 - There's something irresistible about an anniversary. Maine's Bicentennial, the Centennial of women's suffrage, the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence -- all invite public commemoration. But what are we doing when we mark these anniversaries? Celebrating our past? Interrogating it? Something else entirely? Listen to National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Jon Parrish Peede, on the purpose of historical commemoration in our current age. Presented in partnership by the Maine Humanities Council, Maine Suffrage Centennial, and Maine Historical Society.
Fri, 4 Oct 2019 - 52min - 65 - Talk & Pop-Up Exhibition: Capt. William G. Kair and The Scandinavians of Maine
Recorded July 26, 2019 - A gift to MHS, donated through the Grime family descendants of Capt. William G. Kair (Kjar) and his wife Rebecca Orde, offers a glimpse of Scandinavian families new to Maine during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Kair gift includes a sublime painting by Portland artist George M. Hathaway of The Bark Alice , Capt. Kair's vessel. Created by one of Maine's foremost marine artists, the painting speaks to both her Danish-born captain and his family life in Portland. The Kair collection is one of many fine examples of Scandinavian heritage within the MHS collections. This talk by MHS Research Historian William Barry featured exhibited highlights within a companion mini-exhibit "Recreating Hygge: Scandinavians in the Pine Tree State."
Tue, 30 Jul 2019 - 42min - 64 - Precious and Adored: The Love Letters of Rose Cleveland and Evangeline Simpson Whipple
Tilly Laskey; Recorded May 16, 2019 - Listen to Tilly Laskey for a fascinating talk of her book PRECIOUS AND ADORED: The Love Letters of Rose Cleveland and Evangeline Simpson Whipple, 1890–1918. Co-edited with Lizzie Ehrenhalt, with a Foreword by Lillian Faderman, the book presents captivating letters, published in their entirety, that document nearly 30 years of love between two women of the Gilded Age. In 1890, Rose Cleveland, sister of President Grover Cleveland, began writing to Evangeline Simpson, a wealthy widow who would become the second wife of Henry Whipple, Minnesota's Episcopal bishop. The women corresponded across states and continents, discussing their advocacy and humanitarian work—and demonstrating their sexual attraction, romance, and partnership. In 1910, after Evangeline Whipple was again widowed, the two women sailed to Italy and began a life together. After Rose Cleveland's death, Evangeline Whipple described her as "my precious and adored life-long friend." This collection, rare in its portrayal of nineteenth-century LGBTQ history, brings their poignant story back to life. Purchase the book from the MHS Store .
Tue, 11 Jun 2019 - 42min - 63 - Involuntary Americans: Scottish Prisoners in Early Colonial Maine
Carol Gardner; Recorded May 23, 2019 - Author Carol Gardner will discussed the lives of some of Maine's earliest European settlers: prisoners of war who were sent to Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts against their wills, in 1650 to 1651. As forced laborers and later, as free men, these soldiers left their marks on early New England society, and evidence of their existence is with us today. Dr. Gardner's latest historical narrative, THE INVOLUNTARY AMERICAN: A Scottish Prisoner's Journey to the New World , chronicles the life and times of Scottish foot soldier Thomas Doughty. Captured at the Battle of Dunbar, Doughty was shipped to Boston, sold to a Puritan industrialist in New Hampshire, and eventually established his own milling operation on the Saco River in Maine.
Tue, 4 Jun 2019 - 51min - 62 - The Land that Sustains Us: Stories from the Field
with Maine Farmland Trust; Recorded November 15, 2018 - No matter how many seasons they have been with their soil, farmers develop a strong connection with their land. For each farmer, this relationship is unique and therefore, manifests differently into the food we eat and the communities we live in. Maine Farmland Trust hosted three farmers for a live storytelling night at the Maine Historical Society to explore these relationships.
Sun, 18 Nov 2018 - 55min - 61 - Child Hunger in Maine: Moving Towards a Solution
Recorded September 13, 2018 - In conjunction with MHS's yearlong Maine Eats exhibition and in recognition of National Hunger Awareness month, we are pleased to partner with Full Plates Full Potential to present a forum exploring pathways out of Maine's unsavory history of childhood food insecurity. The discussion was moderated by MHS's Executive Director, Steve Bromage and panelists included Jean LaPointe, School Food Service Director for RSU 10, David Turin, Chef at David's Restaurant and hunger advocate, Mike Norton, Director of Community Relations at Hannaford and Justin Alfond, Former President of the Maine State Senate and Co-Founder of Full Plates Full Potential.
Tue, 18 Sep 2018 - 68min - 60 - Book Talk: Maine Roads to Gettysburg
Tom Huntington; Recorded July 12, 2018 - The story of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry on Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg has entered into legend. But there's much more to Maine at Gettysburg than that one regiment. The state's soldiers made their presence felt all over the Pennsylvania battlefield during three days of fighting in July 1863—and during the two years of war before that. In a talk about his book, Maine Roads to Gettysburg , author Tom Huntington tells stories about soldiers from the Pine Tree State who made their presence felt during the Civil War's biggest battle.
Tue, 17 Jul 2018 - 59min - 59 - Book Talk: Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip's War by Lisa Brooks
Lisa Brooks; Recorded March 22, 2018 - In Our Beloved Kin , Lisa Brooks recovers a complex picture of war, captivity, and Native resistance during the "First Indian War" (later named King Philip's War) by relaying the stories of Weetamoo, a female Wampanoag leader, and James Printer, a Nipmuc scholar, whose stories converge in the captivity of Mary Rowlandson. Through both a narrow focus on Weetamoo, Printer, and their network of relations, and a far broader scope that includes vast Indigenous geographies, Brooks leads us to a new understanding of the history of colonial New England and of American origins. Brooks’s pathbreaking scholarship is grounded not just in extensive archival research but also in the land and communities of Native New England, reading the actions of actors during the seventeenth century alongside an analysis of the landscape and interpretations informed by tribal history.
Tue, 27 Mar 2018 - 50min - 58 - Lives of Consequence with Patricia Wall
Patricia Q. Wall; Recorded February 10, 2018 - Through her new book, Lives of Consequence: Blacks in Early Kittery & Berwick in the Massachusetts Province of Maine , author Patricia Q. Wall reveals new startling information about the era of slavery in Maine's earliest settled region. Based on six years of intense research, Mrs. Wall’s wealth of findings not only banish the old myth of slavery's scarcity in Maine, they clearly point to significant impact of the labor, skills, and knowledge of hundreds of enslaved Blacks (i.e. Africans, Native Americans and people of mixed African, white and/or Native American heritage) on slave-owning families and on early economic development of communities and towns. Patricia Wall's book is available in the MHS Museum Store or online here .
Wed, 14 Feb 2018 - 47min - 57 - Book Talk with Richard Rubin, author of The Last of the Doughboys and Back Over There
Richard Rubin, author; Recorded April 20, 2017 - In The Last of the Doughboys , Richard Rubin introduced readers to a forgotten generation of Americans: the men and women who fought and won the First World War. But he soon came to realize that to get the whole story, he had to go Over There , too. So he did, and discovered that while most Americans regard that war as dead and gone, to the French, who still live among its ruins and memories, it remains very much alive. Based on his wildly popular New York Times series, Back Over There is a timely journey, in turns reverent and iconoclastic but always fascinating, through a place where the past and present are never really separated.
Tue, 23 May 2017 - 80min - 56 - The World War I Color Crisis: Dyes, Chemistry and Clothing
Jacqueline Field, adjunct curator; Recorded February 23, 2017 - Costume historian and adjunct curator of MHS, Jacqueline Field, discusses the economic implications of world war. Prior to World War I, Germany provided the world’s supply of textiles dyes. As the war began, embargoes were imposed and trade routes disrupted. The lack of dyes forced American industries to scramble and figure out to create their own dyes effectively. White became very fashionable in the meantime. Hear about the impact of this economic shift and visit us to see the beautiful fashions on display in the World War I and the Maine Experience exhibition.
Tue, 14 Mar 2017 - 52min - 55 - A Conversation with Lucas St. Clair
Recorded January 12, 2017 - Listen to a conversation between Lucas St. Clair, the man behind the newly named North Woods national monument, and Steve Bromage, MHS Executive Director. The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine’s northern woods region came by the determination and grit of St. Clair. This federally protected land promises to revolutionize the region’s economy, but it did not happen without controversy. Questions about its future still remain. Guests learned about this vast area of land given to the American people, and had an opportunity to ask their own questions. Audio quality is faint at times but it's worth a listen!!
Wed, 8 Mar 2017 - 64min - 54 - Creating Acadia National Park: the Biography of George Bucknam Dorr Book Talk
Dr. Ronald Epp, author and historian; Recorded October 26, 2016 - Author and historian Dr. Ronald Epp speaks about his important book, documenting Dorr's pivotal role in the creation of Acadia National Park. The first biography of George B. Dorr ever written, Creating Acadia National Park: the Biography of George Bucknam Dorr is based on painstaking research both in the US and abroad, including federal, state, and private archives. Newly-discovered and uncatalogued sources are supplemented by in-person interviews.
Tue, 22 Nov 2016 - 50min - 53 - Written in Granite: Acadia's Changeable Histories
Mount Desert Historical Society Executive Director Tim Garrity; Recorded September 22, 2016 - George Dorr intended for Acadia National Park's "noble granite masses" to "become true historic documents that will record forever to succeeding generations the human background of the Park." However, no history lasts forever. The French historian Fernand Braudel taught that "History is the child of its time." The names that Dorr gave to Acadia's mountains tell us as much about the time of the park's founding as it does about the more distant past. In this illustrated lecture, reprized from the MHS Annual Meeting in 2016, Tim Garrity reflects on the history of the park as we understand it now and as the founders understood it a century ago.
Tue, 15 Nov 2016 - 47min - 52 - Walking Through History: Portland, Maine on Foot Book Launch
Paul Ledman, Author; Recorded August 11, 2016 - In Walking Through History: Portland, Maine on Foot , Paul Ledman brings the city’s history to life through photos and maps, appealing to city residents as well as its visitors. Enjoy this short talk by Ledman at the book launch for Walking Through History: Portland, Maine on Foot .
Thu, 18 Aug 2016 - 34min - 51 - Book Talk: Maine Nursing: Interviews and History on Caring and Competence
Recorded June 23, 2016 - Through historical anecdotes and fascinating oral histories, Maine Nursing: Interviews and History on Caring and Competence explores the remarkable sacrifices and achievements of Maine's nurses who have served tirelessly as caregivers and partners in healing at home and abroad, from hospitals to battlefields. Authors Susan Henderson and Juliana L'Heureux talk about their book.
Tue, 19 Jul 2016 - 59min - 50 - The Great Portland Fire: Panel Discussion Featuring Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr.
Recorded July 6, 2016 - In companion to Images of Destruction: Remembering the Great Portland Fire of 1866 --our exhibit examining the city's devastating fire of July 4, 1866--enjoy the fascinating look at the history behind this infamous event. On this sesquicentennial anniversary of the fire, former State Representative Herb Adams lead a discussion with Maine State Historian Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., and authors Allan Levinsky and Michael Daicy on the reason for the fire, its impact on the city of Portland, how the city rose from the ashes to rebuild, and the ephemera and memory of this important event on generations of Portland families. Watch the Video Images of Destruction: Remembering the Great Portland Fire of 1866 and related programs are supported by Luminato Condos : Building inspiration for a city on the rise.
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 - 52min - 49 - Book Talk: The Phantom Punch
Rob Sneddon, journalist and sports historian; Recorded May 25, 2016 - Journalist and sports historian Rob Sneddon discussed the infamous Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston fight of May 25, 1965, which ended in chaos at a high school hockey rink in Lewiston, Maine. Sneddon dug deep into the fight's background and delivered new perspective on boxing promotion in the 1960s; on Ali's rapid rise and Liston's sudden fall; on how the bout ended up in Lewiston--and, of course, on Ali's phantom punch. That single lightning-quick blow triggered a complex chain reaction of events that few people understood, either then or now. The following clip was shown at the lecture: Muhammad Ali Vs Sonny Liston II | Full Match 1965.
Sun, 5 Jun 2016 - 47min - 48 - Public Parks: Care and Cultivation of Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth
Moderator:Terrence DeWan, Landscape Architect, Panelists: Bill Brownell, Fort Williams Advisory Commission; Lynn Shaffer, Arboretum at Fort Williams; and Dick Gilbane, Friends of Goddard Mansion; Recorded February 21, 2012 - Fort Williams, a town-owned park in Cape Elizabeth, is one of Greater Portland's gems. A former military base and home to the iconic Portland Head Light, the seaside park is one of the region's favorite and most heavily-used recreation sites. However, the cost of maintaining the park and providing access is significant. This panel presentation explorers current initiatives seek to find sustainable funding models, preserve the park's history, character, and architecture, and to define and provide appropriate visitor amenities. In Partnership with Greater Portland Landmarks.
Tue, 29 Jul 2014 - 89min - 47 - Longfellow's Shadow: A reading of poems by Wesley McNair and Betsy Sholl
The Richard D'Abate Lectures: Conversations About History, Art, and Literature (Program 1 of 7) Series details.; Recorded March 6, 2012 - Readings by two Maine Poet Laureates. The poets' readings will reflect themes in Longfellow's poetry, his stance as a poet, and his attitude toward social issues of his time.
Tue, 5 Aug 2014 - 57min - 46 - Hold On: The Privilege of Keeping Old Things Safe
Speaker: Nicholson Baker, Author; Recorded March 15, 2012 - In 2001, writer Nicholson Baker published Double Fold , a book about libraries, paper science, and lost history. In it he documented his efforts to save a large collection of beautiful and exceptionally rare newspaper volumes, which were being scrapped in favor of microfilmed replacements. Baker's forceful case served as a seeming coda to the era of print, and presaged issues and arguments that organizations like MHS face in the digital age. Why, we are asked, do we need to keep all this ephemeral stuff now that it can be digitized? Baker revisits the intellectual underpinnings of his newspaper crusade, shares tales of research recently done in the MHS library, and reminds us of the essentialness of real, physical things.
Sat, 18 Apr 2015 - 66min - 45 - Downtown Corridors: Franklin and Spring Streets
Recorded March 20, 2012 - A panel of presenters examines Portland's downtown corridors, how they help define Portland's urban landscape, and what future development might look like. While roadways like Congress and State Streets are defined by architecture, travel patterns, business and residential development, pedestrian routes, and landscape features, certain corridor--like Franklin and Spring Street--are the source of much dissatisfaction. In Partnership with Greater Portland Landmarks.
Tue, 12 Aug 2014 - 60min - 44 - The Nature of Lost Things
Speaker: Rosamond Purcell, Photographer; Recorded April 5, 2012 - Rosamond Purcell speaks about her 2003 book Owls Head: On the Nature of Lost Things in which the unique 13 acres mounded high with scrap, antiques, and historical ephemera owned by William Buckminster. One day, in passing "Bucky" mentioned that the only person he would like to have acquire his two-centuries-old brass foundry would be the former Director of Maine Historical Society, Richard D'Abate, who, he said "seems like a decent sort of fella." On Bucky's behalf, Purcell took up the song.
Tue, 19 Aug 2014 - 45min - 43 - The Civil War of 1812
Speaker: Dr. Alan Taylor, Professor of History, University of California, Davis; Recorded April 19, 2012 - The year 2012 marked the bicentennial of the War of 1812, a formative moment in both Maine and U.S. history and the subject of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Alan Taylor's new book. Taylor tells the riveting story of a war that redefined North America--an often brutal and sometimes comic war--and helps illuminate the tangled origins of the United States and Canada. Taylor, a Portland native, is one of the foremost historians of early America.
Tue, 26 Aug 2014 - 72min - 42 - Gateways to Portland: Rebuilding Veterans Memorial and Martin's Point Bridges
Recorded April 24, 2012 - The bridges and roadways that connect Portland to the interstate and surrounding communities play an essential role in the life of the city and are a defining characteristic of its landscape. This panel presentation explorers the rebuilding of the Veterans Memorial and Martin's Point bridges which mobilized diverse stakeholders, and raised issues ranging from cost to traffic efficiency, to the impact on local neighbors. In Partnership with Greater Portland Landmarks.
Tue, 2 Sep 2014 - 78min - 41 - On the Waterfront: Heritage, Re-use, and Economic Development
Recorded May 15, 2012 - Development and use of the Portland waterfront is an ongoing policy balancing act, and has significant implications for Portland's economic development, harborside landscape, and the city's identity and heritage. This panel presentation explores the issues that the city, developers, business and property owners, fishermen and lobstermen, preservationists, and city residents face and think about when they consider development along the waterfront. In Partnership with Greater Portland Landmarks.
Tue, 16 Sep 2014 - 72min - 40 - Book Event: Maine: The Wilder Half of New England
Speaker: Historian William David Barry; Recorded July 12, 2012 - A concise, solid, and surprising overview of 500 years of Maine history, Maine: the Wilder Half of New England , ranges from first contact between Native Americans and European explorers to the achievement of a Down East identity, national political power, and worldwide cultural identification. Historian and MHS staff member Barry explorers how changes in the economy, religion, ethnicity, arts, leisure, and education have all shaped Maine and Mainers, with some intriguing results.
Tue, 23 Sep 2014 - 61min - 39 - Book Event: John McDonald's Maine Trivia: A Storyteller's Useful Guide to Useless Information
Speaker: Storyteller John McDonald; Recorded July 26, 2012 - Professional storyteller John McDonald, author of the now-classic A Moose and a Lobster Walk into a Bar , offers up his unique take on Maine trivia. John delivers an educational and hilarious mix of basic and fun facts about the Pine Tree State, including, of course, more than a few wicked funny stories, and the illustrations by Mark Ricketts add spice to the stories. Readers are sure to learn a lot about both the Pine Tree State and the United States, as well as have a few laughs in the process.
Tue, 30 Sep 2014 - 67min - 38 - Book Event: When We Were the Kennedys
Speaker: Monica Wood; Recorded September 27, 2012 - Maine author Monica Wood presents her latest book, When We Were the Kennedys which the Maine Sunday Telegram calls "a marvel of storytelling." Subtitled A Memoir from Mexico, Maine , the story takes place in 1963, beginning with the April morning when Wood's father, a foreman at Oxford Paper Company, died on his way to work. From there, the book follows three deeply entwined threads: grief and renewal; the assassination of JFK; and the paper mill's first protracted labor strike. Wood's talk highlights that bygone era: the mill's founding, its impact on the region, and a moment in time when everything started to change. In addition to When We Were the Kennedys , Wood is the author of four works of fiction.
Tue, 7 Oct 2014 - 27min - 37 - Book Event: The Reverend Jacob Bailey Maine Loyalist: For God, King, Country, and for Self
Speaker: James S. Leamon; Recorded October 2, 2012 - What were the reasons for--and the price of--loyalism during the American Revolution? James Leamon, Bates College professor of history emeritus, explores the complexities of the Loyalist stance in his new book, The Reverend Jacob Bailey Maine Loyalist: For God, King, Country, and for Self . Bailey, a former Congregational preacher, converted to the Church of England and became an Anglican missionary in Pownalborough (now Dresden). There he refused to renounce allegiance to King George or to publicize the Declaration of Independence from his pulpit. He and his family eventually were forced into exile in Nova Scotia for his beliefs, where Bailey wrote obsessively about the trauma of opposing the Revolution. Leamon relies on much of that writing--particularly journals and correspondence--to reveal how Bailey came to feel the way he did, and how revolutionary ideas clashed with more traditional convictions of order and hierarchy.
Tue, 14 Oct 2014 - 49min - 36 - Power to the People: The Story of Rural Electrification in America
Speaker: Jane Brox; Recorded October 25, 2012 - As part of an ongoing series of talks related to the 2012-13 museum exhibit Wired: How Electricity Came to Maine , Jane Brox focuses on the topic of rural electrification, the process that brought electricity to America's countrysides and farm families in the early part of the 20th century. In addition to the extensive research on the topic that she did for her acclaimed 2010 Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light , Brox brings a personal angle to the subject, based on her trilogy of memoirs about her family's farm in Massachusetts and the evolution of the American farm in general.
Tue, 21 Oct 2014 - 34min - 35 - Book Event: Waltzing with Bracey
Speaker: Brenda Gilchrist; Recorded November 13, 2012 - Author Brenda Gilchrist talks about her 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. The cottage, coincidentally, was designed by Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Henry's nephew. 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. Gilchrist was Senior Editor in Charge of the Art Books Division at Praeger Publishers, and General Editor of The Smithsonian Illustrated Library of Antiques series.
Tue, 28 Oct 2014 - 37min - 34 - Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America
Speaker: Ernest Freeberg, Distinguished Professor of Humanities, University of Tennessee-Knoxville; Recorded March 28, 2013 - Ernest Freeberg, author of Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America , which Publishers Weekly calls "illuminating," delivers the keynote talk related to the 2012-13 museum exhibit, Wired! How Electricity Came to Maine . Dr. Freeberg shares his research on the inventor and the Menlo Park laboratory environment, the history of electric light generally, and how that technology shaped American culture.
Tue, 4 Nov 2014 - 57min - 33 - Student Spotlight: When the Confederates Terrorized Maine: The Battle of Portland Harbor
Speaker: Carter Stevens, 2013 Colby College Graduate; Recorded July 9, 2013 - Recent Colby College graduate Carter Stevens presents a talk based on his thesis about the 1863 Confederate raid on the city of Portland. While the maritime battle ended with the Confederates surrendering, a U.S. Revenue Cutter was sunk. Stevens's research covers the details of the battle, how it was reported in local and national media, the reactions of Mainers to the raid, and how this small incident fits into the larger picture of the Civil War.
Tue, 11 Nov 2014 - 48min - 32 - Student Spotlight: A Land Without Peace: Indians, Colonists, Speculators, and the Struggle for Maine, 1688-1763
Speaker: Ian Saxine, Ph.D. Candidate, Northwestern University; Recorded July 23, 2013 - In 2012, thanks to a Graduate Research Grant from Northwestern University, Ph.D. candidate Ian Saxine spent six months at the MHS library researching how different ideas about land ownership between Indians and colonists led to decades of violence in frontier Maine. In this "Student Spotlight" presentation, Ian shares the fruits of his research.
Tue, 18 Nov 2014 - 50min - 31 - Book Event: The Last of the Doughboys
Speaker: Richard Rubin; Recorded September 19, 2013 - Maine author Richard Rubin, gives a talk on his acclaimed 2013 book, The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World . The Boston Globe calls the book, "engaging . . . memorable . . . The book succeeds by creating degrees of connection, even as it reshapes our consciousness." Rubin shares his decade-long journey to find and interview living veterans of the "Great War"--all of whom are now gone.
Tue, 25 Nov 2014 - 59min - 30 - The Shadow and the Substance: Civil War Photography
Speaker: Elizabeth Bischof, Associate Professor of History, University of Southern Maine; Recorded October 10, 2013 - Photography was still in its infancy during the Civil War, but it was artfully employed as a new and powerful tool to tell the story of the battlefields and beyond. University of Southern Maine history professor Libby Bischof delivers a presentation about the impact of this new technology on American perception of war and death.
Tue, 2 Dec 2014 - 66min - 29 - Book Event: Another City Upon A Hill
Speaker: Joseph Conforti; Recorded October 17, 2013 - Joe Conforti, Distinguished Professor of American and New England Studies Emeritus at the University of Southern Maine, gives his first talk in Maine about his memoir, Another City Upon a Hill . The book is both a personal story and a portrait of a distinctive New England place--Fall River, Massachusetts, once the cotton cloth capital of America. Conforti, whose mother was Portuguese and father was Italian, recounts how he negotiated those identities in a city where ethnic heritage mattered. Simultaneously, he shares the multi-generational story of these immigrants groups making their way in a once mighty textile city that had fallen on hard times beginning in the 1920s. Conforti is the author of five books, including Saints and Strangers: New England in British North America and the acclaimed Imagining New England .
Tue, 9 Dec 2014 - 55min - 28 - Book Event: The Changing Nature of the Maine Woods
Speaker: Andrew Barton; Recorded October 22, 2013 - Using a diverse range of historical and ecological evidence, University of Maine at Farmington Professor of Biology Drew Barton discusses the past, present, and future of the Maine Woods. Drew reads narrative selections from his recent book, The Changing Nature of the Maine Woods , and discusses the natural and human-caused changes over the past 15,000 years. He peers into the future to assess how key ecological forces such as climate change, insects and disease, nonnative organisms, and changing land use are likely to further alter the forests of Maine.
Tue, 16 Dec 2014 - 66min
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