Collections

Meet Maine here.

Collections

Meet Maine here.

History

The over 500,000 artifacts in the history collections at the Maine State Museum range from silver spoons to a three-story, water-powered woodworking mill. These items can be seen in five long-term exhibits covering 30,000 square feet as well as several temporary exhibits.

Additional artifacts are available to researchers in storage facilities totaling some 20,000 square feet. Collection strengths include Maine-made furniture, wood-working tools, silver, ceramics, glass, and textiles, including rug stencils and patterns from the E. S. Frost Company; over 24,000 historic images; artifacts from Maine’s industrial history, especially logging, ice harvesting and textile manufacture; and artifacts relating to Maine’s participation in the Civil War.

Our collection of Civil War flags is the first in the nation to have been conserved and exhibited. The over 1300 linear feet of archives and manuscripts document the lives and histories of Maine’s people. We also oversee collections in Maine’s State House and the Blaine House, home of Maine’s governor.

 

Questions?

For information about borrowing history collection artifacts, please review the museum’s outgoing loan policy and procedures.

For questions about collections, feel free to contact a staff member.

Maine State Museum