Events at Member Institutions

From 1919 to 1921, Augusta was home to a movie production company founded by Edgar Jones and local businessmen. His goal was to make “North Woods” films. He chose the Augusta area because of the Kennebec River, surrounding lakes and forestland, and its four seasons. Jones brought in a company of actors and a film crew, who all lived together at 129 Sewall Street. Jones used locals as extras in the films. The films premiered at the Colonial Theater in Augusta.

Jones worked with local writer Holman Day to adapt many of Day’s stories for the films. In 1921 Day and local businessmen took over the company, ousting Jones. Day soon bankrupted the company.

Six of the dozens of two-reel films from this era are known to survive. Four are archived at the Library of Congress in various collections, and British Film Institute donated a pair to Northeast Historic Film in Bucksport. Digital scans of the original 35-millimeter films, with new music scores added, were screened in June 2023 at the Colonial.

KHS presenter Ed Lorusso previously showed four of the films, Caught in the Rapids and Cupid, Registered Guide, back in August 2024 and Border River and A Knight of the Pines in November 2024.  At this presentation, he will show two different films, Brother of the Bear and My Lady O’ the Pines, roughly 25 minutes each.  As before, Lorusso will provide commentary, then answer questions after the viewing.

Lorusso has been restoring silent films since he retired. Six of his projects have been licensed by Turner Classic Movies, including The Enchanted Cottage (1924), which aired in late September. His projects have been screened at various theaters and silent film festivals across the country. He’s also the author of The Silent Films of Marion Davies and is working on a book about filmmaking in Maine during the silent era.

The Kennebec Historical Society presentation is free to the public (donations are gladly accepted) and will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, at Augusta City Center, located at 16 Cony Street in Augusta.  If you have questions about the program, call Scott Wood, executive director, at 622-7718.

Saturday, October 18, 10:00 am (rain date: October 25)  and repeated on Sunday, October 19, 10:00 am (rain date: October 26)

Join Georgia Zildjian and Lisa Lutts for a tour of the Castine Town Cemetery focusing on the lives of Castine residents. This event is co-sponsored by Castine Historical Society and the Wilson Museum. Participants are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and to expect uneven terrain. Reservations are required and limited to 15. For details and to register visit castinehistoricalsociety.org

Thursday, September 4, 7:00 pm, Mitchell Room, Castine Historical Society, 17 School Street, Castine.

Dr. Liam Riordon, Professor of History at the University of Maine, will speak on the Declaration of Independence’s meaning and political ideals in relation to US public life today.  Reservations required for in-person attendance. Visit castinehistoricalsociety.org for more details, to register for attendance, or to get the YouTube link to watch remotely.

Thursday, August 21, 4-6 pm.

The CHS Annual Meeting, open to the public, is held at the Castine Inn and is followed by a social hour.  No reservations required to attend in-person.  Visit castinehistoricalsociety.org for YouTube link to watch remotely.

Presented by Castine Historical Society, Wednesday, August 16, 7:00 pm, Delano Auditorium, Leavitt Hall, Maine Maritime Academy, Castine. 

James Eric Francis Sr, the Penobscot Nation's Director of Cultural and Historic Preservation and Tribal Historian, will speak on "Penobscot Sense of Place". No reservations required to attend in-person. Visit castinehistoricalsociety.org for the YouTube link to watch remotely.

 Thursday, July 17, 7:00 pm

Dr. Stephen J. Hornsby of the University of Maine will be speaking on New England, Castine, and the cod trade in the 19th century. A book sale and signing follows for his new publication “Cod Coasts: Cultural Landscapes of the Cod Fishery from Cape Cod to Labrador“. Mitchell Room, Castine Historical Society. Reservations required to attend in-person. See details and register for the in-person event or watch the livestream on YouTube at castinehistoricalsociety.org.

Join us for a free reception to meet the new Executive Director and to view the exhibits.  Refreshments will be served. No reservations required.

Tate House Museum to Hold Annual Spring Plant Sale May 17, 2025 

Wide Range of Annuals, Perennials, Herbs, Succulents, Native Plants for Sale Benefitting the Museum

Gently Used Garden Books and Tools for Sale

Book Signing with Award-Winning Author Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Raffle of One-Of-A-Kind Handmade Birdbath

Portland—Tate House Museum will hold its popular annual Spring Plant Sale from 9 am - 1 pm on Saturday May 17, 2025.   

This year, there will be a wide variety of beautiful blooms on offer - ranging from annuals, perennials and herbs to succulents and native plants. All plants are locally grown and will be something for everybody, experienced gardeners and beginners alike. Additionally,  members of the Tate House Gardening Committee will be on hand to answer questions and help you find the right plant for you.

This year, the sale will feature a range of gently used garden books to help inspire your spring garden planning, as well as pre-owned tools for sale, all donated by local neighbors.

Stroudwater resident and award-winning children’s author and illustrator Maryann Cocca-Leffler will be signing copies of her latest book, Marabella’s Moment, along with other titles. Maryann is also a potter and has donated a stunning, one-of-a-kind bird bath crafted in her charming home studio to be raffled on the day.  Raffle tickets can be purchased online https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tate-house-museum-annual-plant-sale-and-raffle-tickets or at the plant sale, with the prize drawing taking place at the conclusion of the sale at 1 pm.

All proceeds benefit the Tate House Museum, the only pre-Revolutionary building in Cumberland County open to the public and whose mission is to invite everyone to experience 18th century life in Maine.  

The Tates House is located at 1267 Westbrook Street in Portland.

For more information, visit: tatehouse.org.

FMI: Holly K. Hurd

Tate House Museum

1267 Westbrook Street

Portland ME 04102

hkhurd@tatehouse.org

 

Tate House Museum Presents “Birth of the American Revolution” in collaboration with the Stroudwater Neighborhood Association and Maine Ulster-Scots Project

Portland—Tate House Museum is commemorating the Semiquincentennial of the events of 1775 that marked the beginning of the American Revolution 250 years ago with a free program open to the public on the evening of April 18 from 7:00-8:30 pm. The program will feature the hanging of two lit lanterns on the flagpole at the Means House to remember the two lanterns placed in the belfry of the Old North Church as a signal that the British were moving to Lexington-Concord by sea (the Charles River). This action aligns with a nationwide call for all statehouses in the U.S. to hang “Two Lights for Tomorrow” (see america250.org/event/two-lights-for-tomorrow) on the evening of April 18. Our program includes a colonial-dressed portrayal of a member of the Tate family, youngest son Robert Tate, who trained as a minuteman of Portland (then Falmouth) and was called up at the Lexington alarm. The program will feature a reading of the Longfellow poem “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” and a brief account of James Means and fellow Ulster-Scots who served in the American Revolution.

The Means House is located at 1267 Westbrook Street in Portland and all are welcome to join as witnesses in this commemorative event. Mustering begins at 7:00 pm and the historical program will commence at 7:30 pm. Refreshments provided by the team of collaborators.

For more information about each organization visit their websites: tatehouse.org,

stroudwaterassociation.org, and maineulsterscots.com

FMI: Holly K. Hurd

Tate House Museum

1267 Westbrook Street

Portland ME 04102

hkhurd@tatehouse.org

ᖃᓪᓗᓈᖅᑕᐃᑦ ᓯᑯᓯᓛᕐᒥᑦ  Printed Textiles from Kinngait

This exhibit will open at 7:00 p.m. on May 20, 2025, at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, with a Gallery talk by Roxane Shaughnessy, Senior Curator and Collections Manager, Textile Museum of Canada, followed by an opening reception.

This exhibit is on loan from the Textile Museum of Canada in collaboration with the West Baffin Cooperative of Kinngait, Nunavut, Canada.

This installation of the exhibit was made possible by a generous grant from The Coby Foundation, Ltd. and the Russell and Janet Doubleday Endowment.

More information about ᖃᓪᓗᓈᖅᑕᐃᑦ ᓯᑯᓯᓛᕐᒥᑦ  Printed Textiles from Kinngait can be found below:

https://www.bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum/exhibits/2025/printed-textiles-from-kinngait-studios.html