Maine Historical Society - Programs Podcast

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 .

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 .

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.