Events at Member Institutions

October 15 6pm to 7 pm
Livestream only

Join Castine Historical Society Executive Director Dr. Kate McMahon to learn about ongoing research into Castine, Penobscot Bay, and global slavery during the Age of Sail. This talk will focus on newly discovered slave ship the brig Baron de Castine and other ongoing research into the region’s connections to global slavery during the mid-19th century.

https://www.castinehistoricalsociety.org/events/castine-penobscot-bay-and-slavery-with-dr-kate-mcmahon/

This is a livestream only event. Please register for this webinar using this link.

Rare Book School is still accepting applications for a fall online course centered on digital sustainability practices. L-130v Digital Sustainability for Cultural Collections will be of interest to curators of cultural heritage who are interested in building familiarity with the long-term care of digital content.

Taught by Nancy Y. McGovern and Kari R. Smith, this course covers: 1) fundamentals of good practice, including core concepts and community standards; 2) adopting, adapting, and applying tools and techniques for digital collections; 3) developing knowledge and skills for digital content and collections roles; 4) identifying right-sized infrastructure for digital collections; and 5) responding to relevant ongoing technological change for digital collections.

This 12-hour online course includes an asynchronous portion, which will be made available on 8 September. The first synchronous meeting will be held during the week of 12 October, as scheduled by the group. Regular synchronous meetings will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET, from 19 October to 4 November.

To apply, click here. More information about the course can be found here.

Thursday, September 24, 5pm to 7:30pm

Join Dr. Liam Riordan of the University of Maine for a lecture on the Penobscot Expedition, co-hosted by the CHS and Maine Historical Society to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Prior to the lecture, attendees will have the opportunity to view the CHS’s incredible collection of archival material related to the Penobscot Expedition.

This event will be livestreamed here: https://youtube.com/live/j7GEJ3-nuWw

Thursday, September 17, 5:00 pm.

The 1836 burning of the steamship Royal Tar in Penobscot Bay became one of Maine’s most remarkable maritime disasters. In this illustrated presentation, Capt. Dennis Dorsey will discuss the findings of an eighteen-year investigation into the vessel, its operation, the people and animals aboard, its final voyage, the development of the fire, rescue efforts, conflicting witness accounts, and the events that followed.

The presentation also examines how archival records, contemporary newspaper accounts, maritime evidence, and other surviving information were compared and evaluated to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding the disaster. Dorsey’s investigation culminated in his recently published book, SJ23 Totality of the Circumstances, The Burning of the Royal Tar, 1836.

To register for in-person attendance or for the link for livestream, visit https://www.castinehistoricalsociety.org/events/lecture-with-capt-dennis-dorsey-the-burning-of-the-royal-tar-1836/

This event will take place in the Mitchell Room, at 17 School Street, Castine.

CANTON, Maine—The public will have another chance to learn local history by listening to entertaining stories at the Canton Historical Society’s second “Our Ancestors in the Attic” event, to be held on Saturday, September 12, 1:00-2:30 p.m., at the historic Hayford Hall (25 Turner St, Canton.).

Members of the Society’s Board of Directors will share historical insights into past and present Canton landmarks, including Bradbury Chapel, Canton Mountain, the old Corn Shop, the Tannery, and the former Catholic Chapel in Gilbertville.  

The event is free, although donations are always welcome. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Canton Historical Society is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization devoted to the preservation and celebration of Canton's heritage, history, and community. The Society maintains a museum that exhibits original artwork, artifacts, photographs, furniture, and documents related to Canton’s history. During the summer, the museum is open on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, from 10-2.

Canton Maine Historical Society
25 Turner St., Canton ME 04221
cantonmehistorical@gmail.com
http://www.cantonmehistory.org/

Press Contact:
Lorri Nandrea, Secretary, Canton Historical Society
lorrinandrea@gmail.com
715-303-8119

Preservation: Storage and Cleaning of Antiques in Historic Houses

With Cipperly Good, The Richard Saltonstall Jr Curator of Maritime History

Whether you’re caring for your family’s heirlooms, managing a museum collection or volunteering at your local historical society, this class will teach you how to clean delicate objects and display them in houses without HVAC systems. In an ideal situation, antiques would be tucked away in climate-controlled storage, but we want to live with our heirlooms and enjoy them. This class helps you develop a plan to preserve your antiques based on object type and maximize the environmental conditions of your home or historic building. The Museum’s historic houses are our living laboratory. We will visit one to illustrate these concepts. Bring an item that fits into a shoe box to try out the techniques we learn in class.

Date: Friday, March 12, 2027, 1:00pm - 4:00pm via Zoom

To register, visit Penobscot Marine Museum website

Topics Covered:

• Planning the move to conducive relative humidity zones in the home
• Mitigating environmental conditions in the home on a budget
• Basic Preservation and Cleaning Techniques
• Do-it-yourself repairs versus calling the experts
• What materials to use to store or display your heirlooms and family letters

Program Benefits:

• Showcasing the antiques while preserving them
• Reducing Mold and Environmental Concerns
• Improve the humidity in the house for your objects…and You!
• Learn how to clean without hurting your heirlooms
• Learn when to call the experts, and when you can do it yourself

Target Audience: 

• Collecting Institution (Museum and Historical Society) volunteers 
• Antiques collectors 
• Anyone who was gifted an antique

Experience Level: Novice - Has minimal or textbook knowledge without connecting it to the practice.

Program Fee: $90  Contact Hours: 3  

Delivery: Lecture/Interactive

MAM Member receive 20% discount with discount code MAM20

Contact: For more information, please contact Shelly Patten, Office Manager at 207-548-2529 or spatten@pmm-maine.org.

This is a POP Studies program from the Penobscot Marine Museum.

Register: https://form.jotform.com/250435068978064

About the Instructor:

Cipperly Good (she/her) The Richard Saltonstall Jr. Curator of Maritime History cgood@pmm-maine.org Cipperly Good serves as the Curator at PMM, where she has been on staff since 2010. In her many roles at the Museum, Cipperly cares for, preserves, and provides access to the object, archive, and library collections. She also serves as the registrar and exhibit designer. Cipperly holds a Bachelor’s degree from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where she double majored in History and American Studies. She holds a Masters of Arts in Museum Studies, with a concentration in American History, from The George Washington University. Maritime museums combine Cipperly’s two passions: sailing and maritime history! When not at the Museum, you will find her sailing around Penobscot Bay or cross-country skiing in Maine's woods.

Oct 27, (12:30-1:30pm)   

Planning a preservation project or thinking ahead to future funding opportunities? This webinar will cover key considerations for preparing local, state, federal, and foundation grant applications. Presented by NEDCC Director of Preservation Services Ann Marie Willer, the session is designed to help organizations build stronger preservation grant proposals.

Register:https://www.nedcc.org/event-template/?eventtemplate=20-grant-writing-for-collections-preservation

Saturday, June 13 - 3-6 pm
25 Turner Street, Canton, Maine
All Welcome!

The Canton Historical Society (CHS) and the Lake Anasagunticook Association are co-hosting a History Hour and Spaghetti Dinner. Spend the afternoon with members of both organizations, hear about life on and around the lake, and enjoy a spaghetti dinner and dessert. 

The History Hour starts at 3:00 p.m. (free!) and the spaghetti dinner is 4:00-6:00 p.m. (Suggested donation of $5 per adult; $3 per child).  Dinners are available for carryout.  Doors open at 2:45 p.m., and the Country Store and museum will be open for business.  The venue is handicap accessible.

The Canton Historical Society is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization devoted to the preservation and celebration of Canton’s heritage and history.  The Lake Anasagunticook Association is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization concerned with the preservation and protection of the lake as a natural resource.

For more info: email cantonmehistorical@gmail.com, or go to www.cantonmehistory.org/events or the “Canton Maine Historical Society” Facebook page.

The Margaret Chase Smith Library will be hosting the 2026 Maine Town Meeting on Friday, May 15th. Come join in a conversation with panelists - Kerrie Lattari, Cathleen Miller, and Nicole Rancourt - about recent attempts to ban books in school and public libraries in Maine and nationwide. What are the consequences of book bans and what responsibilities do we have to shield vulnerable populations from disquieting information? How do we decide what is right?

Agenda

9:30-10:00 Pastries and Coffee

10:00-10:15 Welcome and Introductions

10:15-11:30 Panel and audience discussion

12:00-1:00 Box Lunches available ($10 + handling fee)

RSVP HERE

Speaker Bios

Kerrie Lattari is a Library Media Specialist for York School Department in York, ME. She is an ALA Law for Librarians Trainer and sits on the Maine Association of School Libraries Intellectual Freedom Committee.

Cathleen Miller works at the University of New England as the Education and Outreach Archivist and liaison to the School of Arts and Humanities. She holds an MLS from Drexel University and an MA in Poetry from Temple University. Cathleen is currently the Chair of the Maine Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee, serves as a Law for Librarians trainer, and is on the steering committee of the New England Intellectual Freedom Helpline. Outside of library-land, Cathleen spends as much time as possible with her hands in the earth, whether it be in her gardens or making vessels out of clay.

Nicole Rancourt a recovering public educator, is the Program Manager at the Maine Humanities Council and the organization’s primary liaison to Maine’s library and school networks. She served as a library trustee for over a decade and is currently a member of the I’m Your Neighbor Books board. Nicole believes books, when at a conversation’s center, provide a common ground that invites people to reflect on their own experiences and insights in new and unexpected ways. Along with literacy, they are critical to the creation and maintenance of a democratic society. Nicole lives on unceded Wabanaki land now called Minot with her husband and pup.

The Maine Town Meeting is made possible in part through support provided by the Colonel Paul D. LaFond, USMC (Ret.), Fund. Colonel LaFond was a frequent participant at Maine Town Meetings. The Margaret Chase Smith Foundation is grateful to his family for the generous donation in his honor, which enables this forum for civic reflection and civil discussion to continue.

The Margaret Chase Smith Library is located at 56 Norridgewock Avenue, Skowhegan, Maine 04976.

Date: April 11, 2026, 1:00-2:30 pm
Location: Canton Historical Society, 25 Turner St, Canton, Maine

CANTON, Maine—The public will have a chance to learn local history by listening to entertaining stories at the Canton Historical Society’s “Our Ancestors in the Attic” event, to be held on Saturday, April 11, 1:00-2:30 p.m., at the Historical Society's Hayford Hall (25 Turner St.).

Members of the Society’s Board of Directors, whose roots reach deep into the history of Canton, will share stories of their ancestors. Whose great-grandfather moved to Canton in the early 1900s to become Postmaster of the Canton Point Post Office? Whose more distant ancestor, a revolutionary war soldier, was buried on his own land in 1804—land that later become the Ludden Cemetery?

The event is free, although donations are always welcome. Light refreshments will be provided. The building is handicap accessible, with ramps and a stairlift chair.

The Canton Historical Society is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization devoted to the preservation and celebration of Canton's heritage, history, and community. The Society maintains a museum that exhibits original artwork, artifacts, photographs, furniture, and documents related to Canton’s history. During the winter, the museum is open on the first Saturday of each month, from 10-2. 

Questions?
Email: cantonmehistorical@gmail.com  Or visit: www.cantonmehistory.org