Upcoming Programs & Events
Program fees and registration details are listed in the program description. Programs for MHS members are free or discounted. Support MHS by becoming a member today. All programs take place at our facilities at 489 Congress Street in Portland, unless otherwise noted. Click here for Directions or Parking information.
Please review our Refund and Return Policies for tickets and event admissions.
If you have questions about any of the programs listed below, please contact us at (207) 774-1822.
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Ongoing Programs
Wadsworth-Longfellow House Tours - Daily, May - October. See details.
Exhibition Galleries (self-guided) - Changing schedule, year-round. See details.
Historical Walking Tours of Portland - June - Columbus Day. Tours offered Monday through Friday at 1:30pm, and on select special weekend dates. See details.
Library Tours - First Wednesday of the month at noon (with a few exceptions). See below for next scheduled tour.
December Programs
Wednesday, December 12, 7:00 pm
Christmas Bells: A Holiday Handbell Concert
In partnership with The Pine Tree Academy Bell Ringers
Join MHS and The Pine Tree Academy Bell Ringers for a program of seasonal music, including arrangements set to the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, Christmas Bells (I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day).
The Pine Tree Academy Bell Ringers play five octaves (61 bells) of English handbells and five octaves of choir chimes. The group consists of young musicians in grades 9 through 12. The Bell Ringers have performed throughout New England, Europe, and South America.
Performance venue: First Parish Church, 425 Congress Street, Portland, ME
For more information on The Pine Tree Academy Bell Ringers visit www.pinetreeacademy.org.
Ticket Price: $10 for MHS, $15 general admission
May Programs
Friday, May 10 – Saturday, May 11, 2019
The Magical History Tour & Mr. Longfellow's Cocktail Party
Give your friends and family an awesome experience this holiday season! Now through December 31st receive a discount on 2019 Magical History Tour and Mr. Longfellow's Cocktail Party Tickets.
Our fifth annual exploration of fascinating historic sites in Portland will include places your friends and family have never seen – and maybe didn’t even know existed! The Magical History Tour is their key to unlocking fascinating historical places in Portland that are not usually open to the public.
It’s a self-guided tour guaranteed to amaze and amuse both adults and children. Equipped with a map, and at your own pace, you and your friends will be greeted by guides at each location ready to share the history of the tour stop. You’ll find out where the tour will take you when you get your map on Saturday, May 11—or join us for the grand reveal at Mr. Longfellow’s Cocktail Party Friday, May 10 at Portland's Masonic Hall.
+Mr. Longfellow's Cocktail Party: Friday, May 10
+Magical History Tour: Saturday, May 11
Click here to view ticket discounts and to purchase tickets today!
Program Podcasts
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Group Trips
Splendors of the Nile River & Ancient Jordan
September 28 - October 13, 2019. From $6,672 per person
Maine Historical Society is pleased to announce its 2019 trip—The Splendors of the Nile River and Ancient Jordan! We will begin in Egypt for 12 adventure-filled days and experience the Nile's most wondrous sites in style and luxury on an eight-day voyage onboard the all-suite Uniworld River Tosca—a manner once reserved for queens and pharaohs! From Egypt we are on to a 5 day visit to Jordan, a land rich in natural wonders and sites so ancient, that by comparison, the Crusader forts guarding the old trade routes are considered recent additions. Get Trip Details.
Exhibitions
Maine Eats: The Food Revolution Starts Here
March 2, 2018 through February 9, 2019
MHS Gallery
Food is a universal building block of life—if we don't eat, we will die. But food has a power that goes far beyond biology. The food we eat shapes our lives and our memories. Sourcing food, preparing food, and eating food are all part of the heartbeat of Maine's culture and economy. Maine Eats: The Food Revolution Starts Here explores Maine's relationship with food and innovative food solutions to challenges through diverse stories from around the state. Read More
Maine Brews
October 5, 2018 through January 26, 2019
Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. Lecture Hall
Maine is experiencing a beer renaissance. Formed in 1986, the Maine Brewers Guild today counts over 120 independent craft breweries who produce a wide range of beers in different styles marketed locally, regionally and internationally. But Maine’s beer scene did not always thrive. Prohibition in Maine lasted much longer than in the rest of the nation. Beer was still made in Maine in limited quantities, but not easily accessed. Today, Maine is making up for the long dry spell with a thriving beer industry. This exhibit explores the history of Maine’s beer and the booming industry in our state today.
Maine Memory Network - Over 300 Online Exhibitions
Offers online access to numerous Web–based exhibits and a constantly growing collection of nearly 45,000 historical documents, images, and objects contributed by as many as 270 organizations around Maine. New exhibits added regularly. Go to www.mainememory.net.
Regional Genealogy Programs, Events, and Conferences
Find out about regional conferences and other family history instruction and workshops.
