Upcoming Programs & Events
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On-Demand Programs - Videos and Podcasts
VIDEOS: Watch topical dialogues, lessons & demonstrations related to Maine history.
PODCASTS: Hear audio recordings of MHS public lectures, stories, and events.
February Programs
Wednesday, February 2, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
1822 Leadership Circle: MHS Insider's Briefing
Executive Director Steve Bromage will share a brief organizational update and preview exciting, upcoming initiatives with 1822 Leadership Circle members. Much of this informal session will be devoted to your questions, insights, and feedback.
• Learn more about active Collections projects underway.
• Get up to date on our spring exhibition and program series, "Northern Threads: Two Centuries of Dress at Maine Historical Society"
• MHS, and Maine, in their third centuries.
• Maine History Maker award.
To register: email Hilary Hendricks, Donor Relations Manager, at hhendricks@mainehistory.org
Open to all 1822 Leadership Circle members; Zoom link sent after registration.
Wednesday, February 2, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
*CELEBRATING 200 YEARS OF MHS SERIES*
Faces of Statehood: Photographs in the Maine Historical Society Collections - With Earle Shettleworth, Jr.
State Historian Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. will explore sixty (60) photographic images of people who contributed to Maine's development during its first 50 years of statehood between 1820 and 1870.
Drawing upon MHS' extensive collection of early Maine photographs taken between 1840 and 1870, Shettleworth will bring us face-to-face with well-known and not so well-known individuals who helped build the foundation of the state we enjoy today. Included will be some of the first members of Maine Historical Society, who founded the organization 200 years ago.
Cost: Free & open to the public.
Location: online via Zoom. REGISTER
Tuesday, February 8, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Book Talk with Kimberly Erico MacIsaac
Peaks Island: Past and Present
Josiah's Cove, Peaks Island, 1901; Collections MHS / MMN #11596
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. Join Kimberly Erico MacIssac as she discusses her new book and the island she calls home.
About the author: Kimberly MacIsaac is a fourth-generation Peaks Islander who has researched, written, and lectured about Peaks Island history for over 30 years. She authored The Casco Bay Islands: 1850–2000 and created the Maine Civil War Trail for the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Civil War in 2013.
Cost: Free and open to the public.
Location: online via Zoom. REGISTER
Wednesday, February 23, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Panel discussion for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 215 Birthday
Whence these stories? History in Longfellow’s Poetry
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, London, ca. 1868; Collections MHS/MMN #4114)
In partnership with Longfellow House Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site
February 2022 brings 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 are hosting 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?
Join us to learn more and reflect on the life and work of Maine’s Fireside Poet.
PANELISTS:
Lise Pelletier, Director of the Acadian Archives/Archives acadiennes at University of Maine Fort Kent.
Katrina Phillips, Assistant Professor of American Indian History at Macalester College.
Robert Shimp, Research and Adult Program Director at Paul Revere Memorial Association.
Cost: Free and open to the public.
Location: online via Zoom. REGISTER
Ongoing Programs
Wadsworth-Longfellow House Tours - May - October. See details.
Exhibition Galleries (self-guided) - See details.
Historical Walking Tours of Portland - See details.
Current Exhibitions
Northern Threads:
Two Centuries of Dress
at Maine Historical Society
Part I: Clothing circa 1780–1889:
March 16–July 30, 2022
Part II: Clothing circa 1890–1980:
August 12–December 31, 2022
Maine Historical Society in Pictures: Exploring Our First 200 Years
March 16–May 21, 2022
Group Trips
Stay tuned for information on upcoming trips!
Regional Genealogy Programs, Events, and Conferences
Find out about regional conferences and other family history instruction and workshops.
