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), 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 2, 2013, with a deadline of March 1, 2013. Five additional
communities will be selected in 2014. Visit www.mainehumanities.org or
www.mainememory.net/cwgrants for program details and application
materials, or contact Anne Schlitt at MHC at annes@mainehumanities.org) or
Larissa Vigue Picard at MHS (lvpicard@mainehistory.org) for more
information.