Maine Historical Society

09/01/2026

History may be our 💯subject, but today we’re throwing it back to these young problem-solvers at Portland’s North School, hard at work on math exercises, no calculators or smartboards in sight.

Built in 1867 at 248 Congress Street, North School was the largest school in Maine at the time and the city’s first primary school to separate students by grade. It was converted into senior housing in the 1970s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Happy back-to-school season, kids!

📚

Writing on the board, North School, Portland, ca. 1915 Collections of Maine Historical Society, MaineMemory.Net 10396

08/31/2026

Eastport certainly showed up for our Statewide Tour of the Declaration this weekend.

Our 1776 Dunlap Broadside was on view at Tides Institute & Museum of Art, with Saturday closing out with remarks from MHS’s Executive Director Steve Bromage and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Dr. Donald Soctomah (Passamaquoddy Nation), followed by a talk from University of Maine professor & historian Liam Riordan on the Broadside itself.

Shoutout to Peavey Memorial Library for workshops including zine-making and crafting Declarations with feather dip pens.📜🪶

A commemorative Broadside, designed and printed by Andrew Steeves of the Press of the Varying Hare was also a highlight of the event.

Onward. Next stop: Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft. Join us for a chance to be part of America's 250th milestone, right here in Maine.

08/29/2026

See it while it’s in Eastport! Then onto Dover Foxcroft!

08/28/2026

Day one begins: Welcoming walk in’s! shoutout to our hosts Tides Institute & Museum of Art(and staff Steve Bromage, Catherine Cyr and Tiffany Link shown in image)!

RARE 1776 DUNLAP COPY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE IS HERE! VIEWING TODAY & TOMORROW @ TIDES INSTITUTE! The Maine Historical Society of Portland, Maine has brought its rare 1776 Dunlap copy of the American Declaration of Independence to Washington County, Maine as part of a statewide tour. The Tides Institute will serve as the Washington County exhibition site today (August 28, 10 am - 5:30 pm) and tomorrow (August 29, 10 am - 3:30 pm). Shown in posted photo taken late yesterday afternoon is the installed Dunlap copy in the Tides Institute's main building with Maine Historical Society curators Catherine Cyr (left) and Tiffany Link (right) along with the Society's director Steve Bromage (center). Related exhibition elements will be at our Masonic Hall building across Water Street from our main building.

Full details on this exhibition including two remaining all ages workshops at our nearby partnering institution, the Peavey Memorial Library, in Eastport today and tomorrow, can be found on our website: https://www.tidesinstitute.org/declaration-of-independence-exhibition-programming-august-27-29/. Online timed ticket information for viewing the Dunlap copy can be found here: https://mainehistory.rezgo.com/details/425083/declaration-of-independence-tour-tides-institute-museum-of-art. At 4 pm on Saturday, August 29, following the closing of the exhibition at 3:30 pm, there will be brief closing remarks and a talk by historian Liam Riordan of the University of Maine on the Dunlap copy. These remarks and talk will take place in front of the Tides Institute's main building.

We also commissioned a large broadside to commemorate this event. Posted photos show signing of the Declaration of Independence, the 1776 Dunlap copy and the commemorative broadside. Full view of the commemorative broadside and how to purchase it online can be found here: https://tidesinstitute.app.neoncrm.com/giftstore/product?id=46/.

08/28/2026

Thank you Abbe Museum and Mount Desert Islander - great piece, great host, historic summer! If not in your plans, plenty more stops to go including Tides Institute & Museum of Art this weekend. See full schedule at mainehistory.org

BAR HARBOR — The Abbe Museum played host to an exceptional piece of history earlier this month, exhibiting one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence for members

08/26/2026

Have you hiked trails in New England's remote mountains, snowshoed its frost covered woods, or canoed its beautiful waterways? If the answer is yes, you've probably experienced the hard work and hospitality of the Appalachian Mountain Club.

Founded in Boston in 1876, the AMC is celebrating 150 years of making the outdoors more accessible and enjoyable, while ensuring the preservation of wild places. Although AMC's initial "trampers" were largely based in the White Mountain region, the club quickly expanded to include chapters from Maine to Maryland. Local chapters create and maintain trails, and host trips, programs, and lectures to help people better enjoy and preserve the outdoors.

Read the full story about the history of the Appalchian Mountain Club on Maine Connection: https://www.mainehistory.org/maine-connection/150-years-of-exploring-appalachia/

"A letter from Appalachian Mountain Club Huts..." 1951. Collections of Maine Historical Society. Pamphlet 4692.

08/19/2026

Meet Dr. Robert Abbe (1851-1928) Bar Harbor summer resident, eminent New York surgeon, and founder of Abbe Museum. In the 1920s, Abbe became fascinated by early Native American artifacts found in Frenchman Bay and began assembling a collection, which in time became a public museum (1928) that would protect and share these objects.

MHS is thrilled to bring our Dunlap Broadside to the Abbe. We're there Friday and Saturday, feel free to walk on in.

Dr. Abbe on Duck Brook, Bar Harbor. Collections of the Abbe Museum MaineMemory.Net #80718

08/19/2026

Thank you Bar Harbor Story and the Abbe Museum. We’re gearing up and cannot wait for the weekend!

The Dunlap Broadside will be displayed beside the Watertown Treaty of 1776 at the Abbe Museum, creating a rare opportunity to see two foundational documents through a Wabanaki lens.

08/17/2026

Seagull: "I’m here to see the Pathways to Freedom exhibit. Seagull. Party of one."🐦🐦‍⬛
MHS: "Sorry, closed Mondays. 😬Join us Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.– 5 p.m. We’ll save you a spot. "