Local & Legendary: Maine in the Civil War

The state of Maine holds a special place in the history of the American Civil War. To recognize and celebrate the role of Mainers on the battlefield and the home front, Maine Historical Society (MHS) and Maine Humanities Council (MHC) are offering 10 Maine communities the opportunity to explore their local Civil War history through a new joint program, “Local & Legendary: Maine and the Civil War.” This project, which is meant to bring communities together around their stories, has received major support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Each community involved in “Local & Legendary” will form a team consisting of a local historical institution, a library, and an education institution. The team will work collaboratively on a variety of activities including digitizing local historical collections, creating online exhibits on Maine Memory Network (www.mainememory.net<http://www.mainememory.net>), and hosting a series of “One Story, One Community” programs. Each participating community will receive a $2,000 grant and substantial training and resources to support their work. A one-day public symposium on April 27, 2013 at USM’s Hannaford Hall, featuring national and state-based speakers, formally kicks off the project.

The community application process for the first five communities opens on January 1, 2013, with a deadline of March 1, 2013. Five additional communities will be selected in 2014. Visit www.mainehumanities.org<http://www.mainehumanities.org> or www.mainememory.net/cwgrants<http://www.mainememory.net/cwgrants> for program details and application materials, or contact Anne Schlitt at MHC (annes@mainehumanities.org<mailto:annes@mainehumanities.org>) orLarissa Vigue Picard at MHS (lvpicard@mainehistory.org<mailto:lvpicard@mainehistory.org>) for more information.