maine history

Published
January 1, 2023

Maine Voices: Looking back on 150 years of Emancipation Day celebrations in Portland

Old newspaper reports show us that celebrations of Black freedom and Black activism have a long history in Maine.
Published
December 7, 2022

Maine Voices: Portland Museum of Art’s new wing must not make old mistakes

Not everybody regularly gets inside the museum; how it looks from the outside matters.
Published
November 27, 2022

If you’ve soured on B&M beans, get sweet on baking your own

It's a simple process, but choices along the way can help you find a signature recipe.
Published
November 27, 2022

‘No hunting ground left — the moose, the deer and beaver are all gone’

A newly discovered 1839 letter spotlights the poverty and powerlessness of a Penobscot Nation trying to survive.
Published
October 21, 2022

Commentary: If we’re serious about moving to clean energy, Maine needs Pine Tree Power

Thanks to our natural resources and our tradition of self-reliance, Maine could become a regional clean-energy powerhouse. The transition must work for everyone.
Published
October 9, 2022

Maine Observer: Doing my bit to fight the fires of 1947

I was drafted to help the fires that ravaged parts of the state, but we had no idea of what was in store for us.
Published
August 27, 2022

The humble Farmer: Memories are made of music and long-ago favors

On singing along to songs from the 1940s and recalling kindnesses extended to those in tractor cabs.
Published
August 21, 2022

Hannibal Hamlin bash spotlights Lincoln’s vice president, and a town rich in 19th-century charm

A celebration Saturday in Paris Hill calls attention to the often-overlooked village where Abraham Lincoln's first vice president was born.
Published
August 21, 2022

Bates College’s baseball team once played the Ku Klux Klan (and won)

At least two New Engand baseball teams after the Civil War were named after the KKK, including one in Bangor
Published
June 5, 2022

A forgotten 19th-century Maine comic writer gets his day in the sun

Lots of fascinating material in 'Diggio, Haybis Korpus & E Plewrisy Unicorn!' if you can get past the fact that the imaginary Ethan Spike was a 'reprehensible bigot.'