Events at Member Institutions

Have you ever wanted to go to the Arctic? Dr. Paul Andrew Mayewski, an internationally acclaimed glaciologist, climate scientist, and polar explorer, has led over 60 expeditions throughout the remotest polar and high elevation reaches of our planet and lived in the Arctic for nearly two years.

On Monday, February 13 (6 pm), Dr. Mayewski will share insights from his award-winning research and extensive experiences in the Arctic focusing on the significant impact this apparently isolated part of the globe has on the rest of the world, especially as it is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the planet.

This presentation is free of charge and can be attended in-person or virtually. If attending virtually, please register in advance of the program via the registration link on the Wilson Museum’s calendar of events: https://www.wilsonmuseum.org/events/the-role-of-the-arctic-in-a-warming-world.

The program is part of the Arctic: Changes in a Northern Climate segment of the Wilson Museum’s Connecting to Collections program series made possible through the generous support of Bangor Savings Bank.

National History Day in Maine is currently looking for volunteers to judge middle and high school aged historical research projects at their regional and state contests!

For the first time in three years, the contests will be in-person for the 2023 season. The 2023 contest schedule is as follows:

Southern Lewiston Contest: March 3, 2023

Northern Bangor Contest: March 25, 2023

University of Maine State Contest: April 29, 2023

You may be asking, “who can judge?” We are looking for teachers, professors, historians, museum professionals, or anyone with a substantial interest in history to serve as judges. Anyone interested is welcome to serve as a judge, no prior experience is necessary. Please pass this along and encourage your colleagues to participate this year too! 

Registration is easy and you can participate in multiple contests. Click the link(s) (below) for the contest you want to judge, go to “create an account” at the top right, choose “judge” in the dropdown menu, and follow the instructions. It’s that easy. For further instruction or to sign up for multiple contests using one account please reference our  2023 Virtual Judging Guide.

As you register, consider which categories you might be interested in judging. You may request a specific category (exhibit, website, paper, performance, or documentary) that aligns with your profession or interests. If you do not choose a specific category we will assign one for you.

Before the contest (Roughly 3 weeks prior) you will receive your judging assignment from me, this will include names and contact information of your fellow judges within your team and further instructions and information on the category you will be judging.

Here are the links. Please take note of when judge registration closes.

Southern Lewiston Contest Judging: Registration Closes February 10, 2023

Northern Bangor Contest Judging: Registration Closes March 3, 2023

University of Maine State Contest Judging: Registration Closes April 7, 2023

As a notification, there are a few changes or carryovers from the virtual contests that will now be part of the fun. They include the following:

• From now on it will be expected that you bring an electronic device (i.e. a computer, tablet, etc.) with you on contest day in order to fill out the online evaluation forms.  Please understand that a smartphone is NOT compatible with the online system and therefore should NOT be the device you choose to rely upon. If you cannot provide one for yourself please contact Coordinator John Taylor john.m.taylor@maine.edu to work out other arrangements.

• Students will be required to upload process papers and annotated bibliographies prior to contest day. This means you will be able to access them before the contest and read them at your own leisure through our contest portal. Be sure to remember your username and password when you register to judge.

• Lunch will NOT be provided at the regional contests. You will be offered heavy snacks and beverages throughout the contest, but most judging will end by 1:00PM. Lunch will still be provided at the state contest.

• • For better understanding of the contest schedules, please click here (schedules are subject to change).

Thank you for your consideration. Please contact the State Coordinator John Taylor at john.m.taylor@maine.edu if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Sat, Feb 25

Stevens Brook Elementary School

Create a 19th-Century Style Floorcloth

Welcome to Painted Floorcloths

Time & Location

Feb 25, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Stevens Brook Elementary School, 14 Frances Bell Dr, Bridgton, ME 04009, USA

About the Event

Welcome to Painted Floorcloths. Using designs inspired by Moses Eaton and other 19th Century stencil artists, this class is suitable for beginners or those who have limited experience with stenciling. For more information about Moses Eaton: https://www.mbhistoricdecor.com/uploads/1/0/1/6/101615892/moseseatonstencils.pdf

Participants will be creating a 2' x 3' floorcloth to take home. All materials will be provided to complete the project. The Instructor  will share a bit of history on the use of floorcloths and decorative stenciling in a brief presentation. All materials are provided. Bring a lunch and a hair dryer (if you have one). 

Cost = $80.00

Registration Required. Register here: https://www.rufusportermuseum.org/event-details/create-a-19th-century-style-floorcloth

Portland--- The Tate House Museum is hosting a Colonial Christmas Open House on Saturday, December 17 from 12 to 4 PM with Christmas-themed tours of Tate House from 12-3 PM. This event will feature docents sharing stories of colonial life around the holidays in the time of the Tate family.

This year the open house will encompass all of the rooms of the Tate House where docents clothed in 18 th century attire will tell visitors about life in colonial times in a merchant class British colonial household. They will talk about some of the customs and traditions of the time around the holidays and how these customs may have differed from their Puritan neighbors. The special foods made for Christmas, New Years, and Twelfth Night celebrations will also be described.

Following your tour of the Tate House cross the street to the Means House for some wassail, cookies, and music. This is also your opportunity to shop for unique holiday gifts in the gift shop with a 10% discount off your entire purchase.

Please join us on Saturday, December 17 from 12 to 4 PM for the sights, sounds, and tastes of a Colonial Christmas at the only pre-Revolutionary home in Greater Portland open to the public.

Admission in the Means House is $15 adult non-member, $12 adult member, $10 child 5-12 years non-member, $8 child member, under 5 free. Family rate (up to 4 people) non-member $30, member $25. Advance tickets are available on our website tatehouse.org or at the door.

FMI:

Holly Hurd, Executive Director

Tate House Museum

1267 Westbrook Street

Portland ME 04102

hkhurd@tatehouse.org

Eventbrite Link:

on Wednesday, November 16, Holly K. Hurd, Executive Director, and Laura F. Sprague, Consulting Curator, Tate House Museum, will present an illustrated Zoom program at 5:30 pm. The lecture will be moderated by Aimee Keithan, PhD,  Research Associate, University of York. They will highlight new research about colonial Portland & perspectives on Indigenous and Enslaved people that will expand the interpretation of historic Tate House. Recent interpretations shared with visitors to the historic site in Portland's Stroudwaterneighborhood have focused primarily on the lives of George and Mary Tate, of a wealthy merchant class family, who built the house in 1755 and lived there until 1794. With the support of a Maine Humanities Council grant, Tate House Museum has been working to expand its narrative to understand the lives and work of enslaved people in the neighborhood and perspectives and representations of Indigenous people who also lived in the region. The lecture will include research about Colonel Thomas Westbrook and Samuel Waldo and describe how their actions affected Native people as well as what is known and not known about enslaved people and domestic servants in Stroudwater. Tate House Museum’s objective is to engage in important community conversations about Maine’s colonial history to make its educational offerings more inclusive and to tell a more complete story.

Registration for the lecture is free and open to the public. Information about ticketing is available at www.tatehouse.org. Please direct questions to Holly Hurd at hkhurd@tatehouse.org.

The Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center is pleased to announce that Chris Sockalexis is the next speaker in its Wabanaki Voices Speaker Series. On Thursday October 13 at 7pm,  Chris will present Penobscot culture, history, and archaeology within the traditional landscape of the Penobscot Nation.  This will include an overview of the archaeological record mixed with traditional knowledge and traditional / contemporary drumming and singing.  

Chris Sockalexis is a member of the Penobscot Nation and is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Penobscot Nation. He is a graduate of the University of Maine Anthropology Department as well as the Climate Change Institute.  Chris is also an accomplished singer who travels throughout the northeast to various powwows and other gatherings with his drum group, The RezDogs.  He loves being out on the waterways of Maine and is one of the lead contacts for the Penobscot Nation Cultural Tourism Program which offers guided canoe trips along the Penobscot River.

This event is free and takes place at Tewksbury Hall on Weston Avenue in Skowhegan and will also be broadcast via Zoom. Masks are required for in-person attendance.  

To register for the Zoom link, visit https://msad54.maineadulted.org/

FMI: (207) 474-6632.

WWII: Why They Fought
An Interactive Presentation on WWII History

On Saturday, October 8, 2022, at the Canton Historical Society in Canton, Doug Culver will present an interactive talk on WWII, using original artifacts to tell the story of these ordinary men and women and their extraordinary achievements. The program includes hands-on demonstrations of the uniforms and equipment used during the War and will highlight the stories of several local residents’ family members who served in various branches of the military.  

You will learn about the War and why we fought, as told through the vivid stories of the men and women who served, made even more dramatic by a first-hand view of the uniforms they wore and the equipment and supplies they carried. You will gain a new understanding of the unfolding events of WWII and how they shaped our country and the world. The program provides guidance on identifying WWII uniforms, ribbons, medals, and other artifacts found in family collections, and how these items can help trace the service of your family’s WWII veterans.

Doug Culver has presented free WWII programs for the past 40 years for high schools, veterans’ groups, museums, libraries, historical societies, and other organizations.

Admission is free and open to the public. Program times: 1-3 pm. Doors open at 12:30 pm. Seating is limited. Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Not recommended for very young children.  

Saturday, October 8, 2022
Canton Historical Society
25 Turner Street, Canton, ME www.cantonmehistory.org

Free admission – nonprofit event – open to the public

For more information, contact the Canton Historical Society: Email: cantonmehistorical@gmail.com

On Saturday, October 8 from 3 to 6PM the Tate House Museum presents ColoniAle 2022 at the museum. Come find out what you don't know about making beer in colonial times while you tour the Tate House museum on a special guided tour. What is spruce beer? How did a woman in the 1700's make beer for the family? What kinds of “cocktails” can you make with beer? This is a one hour tour followed with a social time in the "backyard" where you will be given a Tate House pint glass, 2 pints of Mast Landing Ale and a Tate House tote. Imbibing is encouraged!!

Tours 3-5PM with social hour 4-6PM. Admission is $25 for General Admission and $20 for Museum Members. Tours are timed when you arrive and can be purchased by going to Eventbrite with the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/coloniale-2022-tickets-409358882437 . 

Or go to www.tatehouse.org

For More Information:

Holly K Hurd

Tate House Museum

1267 Westbrook Street

Portland, ME 04102

hkhurd@tatehouse.org

207-774-6177

-On Wednesday, September 14 at 7PM the Tate House Museum presents the third in its series of outdoor lectures on the lawn of the museum.

Nathan Lipfert, Curator Emeritus of the Maine Maritime Museum, will offer an illustrated

talk about the history of Maine shipyards, and the shipbuilders and vessels they built,

concentrating on the 200 years since statehood. During the wooden shipbuilding era,

Maine shipyards built more ships than any other state, and every coastal community

participated in this industry. Maine continues as an important shipbuilding region into

the present, providing well-paid skilled employment to thousands of people who build

vessels of wood, metal, and composite materials that have an impact around the world.

Lipfert’s presentation will be based on research from his recently published book, Two

Centuries of Maine Shipbuilding: A Visual History. (book will be available for sale)

For Advance Tickets visit tatehouse.org or https://www.simpletix.com/e/two-centuries-of-maine-shipbuilding-lectur-tickets-114200. Tickets are $12 General Admission, $10 Tate House Museum members. Tickets At the Door $15 General Admission, $12 Tate House Museum members.

Bring lawn chairs or blankets. Note: Rain date will be Thursday Sept 15 (same time).

Please check our website if weather predicts rain. Beverages and snacks will be available for purchase.

FMI: Holly Hurd

hkhurd@tatehouse.org

207-774-6177

Tate House Museum

1267 Westbrook Street

Portland, ME 04102

The Wabanaki Voices Speaker Series, sponsored by Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center, continues with a talk by Ashley Smith on Thursday August 25th from 7pm to 8pm.  Ashley's talk is entitled, “Stories of Nanrantsouak/Norridgewock Village: Understanding the Legacies of our Shared Histories of Violence.”

This event is free and takes place at Tewksbury Hall on Weston Avenue in Skowhegan and will also be broadcast via Zoom. Masks are required for in-person attendance.

To register for the Zoom link, visit msad54.maineadulted.org.

FMI: (207) 474-6632.

Ashley Smith was born and raised in Madison, Maine where some members of her family have been for multiple generations. She is a child of factory and papermill workers in the heart of this region of Maine. She also understands herself to be a product of the deep histories of Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships and struggles that have shaped this region. As a child, her grandfather regularly took her to gather water at the site of the Wabanaki village Nanrantsouak or Norridgewock, known locally as “the Pines” in Madison. She grew up hearing stories of this place and the horrible violence that the English had brought to Wabanaki people here. For a high school project, she decided to research the history of this place and learned, to her surprise, that much of what she found in published books contradicted what she had grown up knowing and what her family had taught her about this place. Since then, she has spent much of her adult life learning about this place and its stories and memories from multiple perspectives, both book research and interviews with Indigenous descendants and non-Indigenous locals. She tries to understand how competing narratives like the ones she faced come about, how they impact people into the present, and what we might do about it. She holds a PhD in Anthropology and Native American and Indigenous Studies and is affiliated faculty at Hampshire College in Massachusetts where she used to teach. She recently left academia to return home and serve the Maine communities that mean so much to her. She now works as a legal aid paralegal and consumer advocate at Pine Tree Legal Assistance.