John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, is among America’s most widely misunderstood folk heroes. Chapman (1774-1845) is widely credited with spreading the apple gene in America. But while schoolchildren everywhere learn some variation of Appleseed’s story, it is usually inflated by myth. It seems as if we cannot decide ...

Join Maine Historical Society for a day of genealogical research at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS). NEHGS, which was established in 1845, boasts a collection of more than 200,000 genealogical and historical volumes, over one million manuscripts, as well as census records, vital records, deeds, probates, military records, ...

Leonard Reich, Colby College Professor of Science, Technology, and Society, will reflect on the causes and effects of the energy crisis decade, and comparisons to our current energy concerns. Part of an ongoing series of talks related to MHS’s current museum exhibit, Wired! How Electricity Came to Maine.

Maine Humanities Council and Maine Historical Society are pleased to invite the public to a day-long symposium marking the mid-point of the Civil War sesquicentennial. The Symposium will take place at University of Southern Maine’s Hannaford Hall. National and state-based speakers will address the beginnings of the Civil War; its ...

Linemen, technologists, and others work around the clock to keep electricity flowing safely throughout Maine. Line Trainer Dominique (Nick) Vermette moderates a panel that includes current and veteran Central Maine Power workers and trainers. They’ll discuss and tell stories about what it takes to keep the grid going, responding to ...

For Maine Historical Society’s annual Olmsted Lecture, Landscape historian and preservation consultant Judith Tankard, author of “Beatrix Farrand: Private Gardens, Public Landscapes” (Monacelli Press/Random House, 2009), presents a talk on Farrand’s life, work, and influence. Farrand was one of America’s most celebrated landscape architects renowned for private gardens, many of ...

Former Maine State Poet Laureate, Baron Wormser, kicks off National Poetry Month and reflects on his 20+ years in Maine living without electricity—and his reasons for eventually returning to life “on the grid.” The experience was the subject of his memoir, “The Road Washes Out in Spring: A Poet’s Memoir ...

Author Ernest Freeberg, Distinguished Professor of Humanities, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, discusses his new book, “Age of Edison: Electric Light and the Invention of Modern America,” which Publishers Weekly calls “illuminating.” This keynote talk is related to our current museum exhibit, Wired! How Electricity Came to Maine. Dr. Freeberg will share ...

What did people eat in this part of the country 200 years ago? Join us for an educational and gastronomical treat as cookbook writer Katherine Moose talks about food history—production and consumption—leading up to and throughout the War of 1812 years. A cooking demonstration with foods typical of the period ...

Portland resident David Buchanan’s new book traces the experiences of modern-day explorers who rediscover culturally rich forgotten foods and return them to our tables for all to experience and savor. Join us for a book talk and signing by the author.

Since they first met and became friends in 1996, Marguerite Robichaux and Elizabeth Peavey have roamed and rambled the back roads of Maine together, documenting their adventures through Robichaux’s gorgeous oils and watercolors, and through Peavey’s vivid writing. But their images and words are more than illustrative; Robichaux and Peavey ...

The Portland, Maine, 1924 Tax Records were created as part of a city-wide tax reevaluation following a reorganization of the city government in 1923. The 2 3/4″ x 4″ original black and white photographs provide extraordinary documentation of the appearance and condition of every taxable property in the city at ...

The early maps of Portland and Casco Bay include street and lot plans, nautical charts for mariners, general area charts, and insurance maps. Come have a look at, and learn more about, representatives from each of these categories including: a 1773 manuscript map of Munjoy Hill, a ca. 1800 map ...

Tuesday, November 13, 12:00 pm Book Event: Waltzing with Bracey Speaker: Brenda Gilchrist Author Brenda Gilchrist joins us to talk about her new memoir, Waltzing with Bracey: A Long Reach Home, about her journey to back to Maine, and to the Deer Isle cottage of her ancestors, to claim her ...

Tuesday, October 30, 12:00 pm Book Event: Old Tales of the Maine Woods Speaker: Steve Pinkham From a collection of more than 22,000 articles and stories of the Maine Woods, author Steve Pinkham (Mountains of Maine: Intriguing Stories Behind Their Names) selected the most exciting tales of hunting and fishing, ...

Thursday, October 25, 7:00 pm Power to the People: The Story of Rural Electrification in America Speaker: Jane Brox Join us for a special return engagement by author and Maine resident, Jane Brox, whose presentation last year on her critically-acclaimed book, Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light, was a crowd ...

Tuesday, October 23, 12:00 pm Book Event: 1812: The Navy’s War Speaker: George Daughan Join us for a 200th anniversary book talk about the War of 1812. In 1812: The Navy’s War, winner of a 2012 Independent Publisher book award, historian George C. Daughan tells the story of how a ...

Tuesday, October 16, 7:00 – 9:00 pm In partnership with the Longfellow Chorus Roundtable Discussion: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and His Music in America, 1900–1912 Moderated by: Charles Kaufmann, Director, Longfellow Chorus Some say that Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s single claim to fame rests on his opera-like setting of Longfellow’s epic poem, Song of ...

Saturday, September 29 In partnership with Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day Live! Free museum and Longfellow House admission all day Make plans now to visit Maine Historical Society on September 29 — Museum Day Live! During this annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine, participating museums across the country open their doors, ...