Events at Member Institutions

Maine Preservation is excited to be collaborating with Friends of Congress Square Park, Greater Portland Landmarks, Maine Downtown Center, and Portland Downtown to bring Jane's Walk to communities across Maine on Saturday, May 7.

What is Jane’s Walk? 

Jane’s Walk is a global festival of free, volunteer-led walking conversations inspired by community activist Jane Jacobs. Jane’s Walks combine the simple act of exploring a place with personal observations, local history, and civic engagement. The annual Jane’s Walk festival takes place the first weekend in May, in more than 200 cities and towns around the globe. 

Who was Jane Jacobs? 

Jane Jacobs was a community activist and writer who lived from 1916-2006. She is best known for galvanizing New Yorkers to stop a highway from being built in her neighborhood. She believed in the power of individuals to influence the places they live. Today, her principles represent the participatory planning approaches that have been embraced in communities around the world. 

Who can lead a Jane’s Walk? 

You can! Anyone is welcome to lead a Jane’s Walk. Whether you are affiliated with an organization or an impassioned individual, Jane’s Walk is an opportunity to share your knowledge and experience with your community.

Click here to learn more about Jane's Walk ME!

Join our free, virtual Speaker Series event on Wednesday, March 2nd at 12:30 pm ET!

Free speech around the world today is in retreat. Authoritarian and nationalist figures from Narendra Modi in India to Viktor Orbán in Hungary are silencing dissenting voices in an effort to entrench power.

Even in democracies, where it is hailed as the “first freedom” and a bedrock democratic value, the free speech debate is weaponized by the political left and right, as different groups aim to curtail it on college campuses, in classrooms, and on digital platforms — undermining the very culture of tolerance and open-mindedness on which this freedom ultimately depends.

Join author Jacob Mchangama for a conversation on the global history of free speech, from the ancient world to today. Register at https://firstamendmentmuseum.org/event/free-speech-a-history-from-socrates-to-social-media/

Join the First Amendment Museum on Monday, February 28th at 7 pm for a free online presentation!

The First Amendment Speaker Series presents Dr. Ashley Robertson Preston, author of Mary McLeod Bethune in Florida: Bringing Social Justice to the Sunshine State.

Mary McLeod Bethune was often called the “First Lady of Negro America." Historian Ashley Robertson Preston explores the life, leadership, and amazing contributions of this dynamic activist.

For more information and to register, visit https://firstamendmentmuseum.org/event/mary-mcleod-bethune-and-the-necessity-of-black-womens-leadership/

Join us for this unique event as we celebrate the end of Black History Month and the beginning of Women's History Month!

The Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity is excited to announce that it will offer a three-part virtual lecture series this January, February, and March 2022. Join us one Wednesday a month as we explore the life, times, and legacy of Rufus Porter with guest lecturers from across the state and New England.

February 2022 Virtual Lecture

Rufus Porter's Clock

February 9th, 7 pm

Presented by Bob Frishman, horologist and previous owner of the clock, this lecture will focus on the history of the only known clock attributed to Rufus Porter. Through images and insights, Bob will tell the story of this remarkable device that the Museum is very grateful to have in its collection.

Free. Suggested donation: $10. Donations can be made at https://rufusportermuseum.square.site/donation

Registration is required. A Zoom link will be provided before the lecture.

https://www.rufusportermuseum.org/event-details/2022-virtual-lecture-series-rufus-porters-clock/form

Tate House Museum is hosting a Colonial Christmas Open House on

Saturday, December 11 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. This event will feature an afternoon of inside and outside activities for the whole family to enjoy.Outside, families and friends will have the unique opportunity to have their photos taken in front of the decorated front door of the 1755 Tate House by photographer Ari Kellerman. There will be no extra charge for this activity, but donations are appreciated!

Inside the Tate House Museum docents donned in period attire will lead visitors on an abbreviated tour of the kitchen and sitting room in the 1755 home of Captain George Tate and his wife Mary. They will talk about some of the traditions and customs of the time, including the holiday food that might have been served and how the Tate’s celebration differed from how we celebrate today.

Across the street in the historic Means House, you’ll be able to peruse the museum shop for unique holiday gifts and enjoy a Colonial Christmas special of 10% off your entire purchase.

Please note that tours of the Tate House will be limited to 8 people per tour and shoppers in the Means House will be limited to 4 at a time. Also, face masks must be worn inside regardless of vaccination status. Thank you for helping us keep all our guests, staff, volunteers, and families safe and healthy!

While you wait for indoor activities or to have your photo taken you will be able to sip some wassail or cider while enjoying a homemade cookie near an outdoor fire.

Please join us on Saturday, December 11th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the sights, sounds, and tastes of a Colonial Christmas at the only pre-Revolutionary home in Greater Portland open to the public.

Admission is $5.00 for Members, $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 to 17. Children under 12 are free. FREE Admission to this event with a NEW membership to THM.

FMI:

Holly Hurd, Executive Director

Tate House Museum

1267 Westbrook Street

Portland ME 04102

207-774-6177

hkhurd@tatehouse.org

It’s Museum Store Sunday on November 28^th at the Tate House Museum Store. Come in between 12 to 4 PM to start your holiday shopping. Members usually get 10% off when shopping at the store but on the 28^th a 20% discount is being offered to all shoppers

Drop by and share a drink of hot chocolate. Perhaps you can pick up some stocking stuffers that you wouldn’t find anywhere else, or that favorite book for you or your loved one. All purchases support the Tate House Museum.

Apologies for multiple postings, but we need as many responses as possible.

At the 2020 Maine Archives and Manuscripts conference, a session of the same title presented current projects to create access to manuscript collections at multiple repositories. Can Maine build such a system which will cater to the different resources of repositories at historical societies, public libraries, academic institutions, and government agencies?

A Maine union manuscript catalog would benefit both users and repositories. The very fact that 23 states have created shared systems proves their value.

The Maine Union Catalog Survey seeks information on repositories in Maine (where, type), existing access systems, and what description elements they want in a shared system. Using this data, we can build a shared access system that will serve repositories as they exist now.

Please fill out the survey form below. It only takes 5 minutes. If you have trouble accessing google form, please contact susie.bock@maine.edu.

https://forms.gle/bhtGoLW4vJaSAed86

We are excited to announce that the Arctic Museum galleries are now open Tuesday-Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and a reservation is required.

• To make a reservation, contact the outreach coordinator, at least one working day before the time you want to visit. Email pmam@bowdoin.edu or call (207) 725-3416.

• Because of staffing schedules, we regret that drop-ins cannot be accommodated

• A proof of vaccination is required of all visitors age 5 and older (and booster for age 12 and older). Please follow the directions on this link to upload your vaccination card to the CLEAR app and get a health pass.

• If you do not want to use the CLEAR app, please arrive ready to show us your vaccination card [photos of the front and back of the card will suffice] and a valid federal or state ID.

• We are allowing outside groups (maximum 10), using reservation requirements.

• Unvaccinated children ages 2-4 must wear masks while visiting the museum.

• All visitors are encouraged to wear masks within the museum.

• Bowdoin College faculty, staff and students should make a reservation and arrive with your college ID.

• You can find a list of exhibits currently on view in the galleries here.

• A large selection of online exhibits are found here.

Tate House Presents ColoniAle 2021

Portland__ Due to concerns about Covid exposure to our guests the Tate House Museum and Mast Landing Brewing Company are offering a scaled down version of ColoniAle on September 25^th. This will be a beer focused event with a presentation by our docents and speaker outside in the back yard of the Tate House overlooking the Stroudwater River. The evening starts at 6:30PM with an overview of beer related activities in the 18^th century presented by our docents. This is followed by a talk by Ben Lisle entitled “Ale for Invalids: Brewing and Drinking Beer Under the Maine Law in 19^th Century Portland.”

Ben is an assistant professor in American Studies at Colby College. He is the author of Modern Coliseums: Stadiums and American Culture published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2017.

His current research investigates the way craft beer has reshaped urban landscapes since the 1980s. Lisle also manages the Maine Beer Project (https://mainebeerproject.com/) and writes a bi-weekly beer column for the Portland Press Herald. He is on Twitter at @bdlisle.

Tickets for the event are $25 General Admission, $20 Members and can be purchased by going to the Tate House website, www.tatehouse.org. Membership purchases are also available at that website. Admission includes a Tate House pint glass and a 16 ounce can of Mast Landing Brewing Company ale. Rain date is September 26^th.

This is an outdoor lecture so please bring a lawn chair or blanket for open seating. The backyard

can be cooler or breezy in the evenings so please plan accordingly.

For more information contact Director Holly K. Hurd, hkhurd@tatehouse.org or 207-774-6177

– Tate House Museum is pleased to announce our third illustrated Outdoor Summer Lecture to be held on Wednesday, September 15 at 7:30 pm on the beautiful lawn behind the Tate House. Rain date is Thursday, September 16.

Andrew Vietze is the bestselling author of more than a dozen books. He splits his time between the coast of Maine and the deep North Woods serving as a ranger for half the year at Baxter State Park. His books include bestseller “Boon Island” and “Becoming Teddy Roosevelt,” which won a silver Independent Publishers Book Award, was a finalist for the Book of the Year Award, and was honored by the Maine State Legislature. As a freelance journalist, Vietze has published in a number of online and print magazines and other publications. His talk will focus on his book “White Pine: American History and the Tree that Made a Nation” with a special focus on the mast trade in the Portland area that was central to the lives of the Tate family.

Tickets are $15 per person for the general public and $12 for Tate House Museum members. New member sign-ups will receive a free “Tate Tote” bag as part of our promotional Summer Membership Drive. Tickets are available in advance at the Tate House Gift Shop during open hours (Thurs-Sat 10-4) or starting at 7:00 PM on the day of the lecture.

This is an outdoor lecture so please bring a lawn chair or blanket for open seating. The backyard can be cooler or breezy in the evenings so please plan accordingly.

Located at 1270 Westbrook Street in the historic Stroudwater Neighborhood, the 1755 Tate House was constructed for Captain George Tate, Senior Mast Agent for the British Royal Navy. The Tate House Museum is the only Pre-Revolutionary home in Greater Portland open to the public and offers an insightful glimpse at the 18th century and life in Colonial Maine through impressive period furnishings, beautiful grounds, herb gardens, and unique architecture.

For more information contact Director Holly K. Hurd, hkhurd@tatehouse.org or 207-774-6177

www.tatehouse.org