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Science Collections
About the Maine State Museum Collections
The Maine State Museum builds and maintains systematic collections regarding Maine’s pre-history, history, and natural science. The museum also holds title on behalf of the people of Maine to artifacts and natural scientific specimens located on or beneath state-owned land, including the bottoms of navigable waterways and coastal waters. The museum researches, interprets, and exhibits its collections for the benefit of the public. Its goal is to promote public awareness of Maine’s natural resources and historical richness. The museum provides access to its collections for those interested in pursuing questions about Maine’s cultural and natural history.
The Science division consists of two departments, Archaeology and Natural Sciences
Curates anything that was recovered underground or underwater that is associated with past human activity on the landscape.
Curates all materials associated with living organisms and the earth.
Exhibit highlights for the division include:
12,000 Years in Maine (under renovation)
The Revolutionary War ship Defence interactive exhibit in the Lunder Education Center – opening in 2026
Vector: A Whale’s Life in the Gulf of Maine – a new exhibit opening in 2026
Cabinet of Curiosities (under renovation)
The Hall of Natural Sciences (under renovation)
Discovery Drawers and Bird Case in the Lunder Education Center – opening in 2026
Please Note: The Science Division staff is available to field questions from interested members of the public via email and phone.
Archaeology
The Maine State Museum Archaeology laboratories serve as Maine’s primary archaeological repository and as a workspace for the archaeological staff and visiting researchers. The museum’s archaeological collection includes material recovered throughout Maine, and ranging in age from the Paleo-Indian period through the 19th century. These holdings are the largest such collection in the Northeast.
The Archaeology Department engages in a variety of multidisciplinary research relating to human interactions with the natural environment since the end of the last ice age. The museum collection is open for visiting scientific researchers. Research visits average over 200 hours annually. Please see the research request form below.
Review our Archaeology Department guides and collection links
Archaeology Collections Summary (coming soon)
Current and former research projects/publications (coming soon)
Natural Science
The Natural Science Department of the Maine State Museum serves as an essential repository for researchers from Maine and northern New England. The museum’s geological collection dates back to the 1830s, when systematic collecting was first undertaken in the region, and is especially strong in minerals from the historic pegmatite district of western Maine.
The Natural Science Department’s biological holdings were significantly expanded in 2004 with the incorporation of the University of Maine Department of Ecology’s comprehensive statewide collection; in 2006 with the addition of the Maine Geological Survey collections, and in 2012 with the transfer of the University of Maine insect collection.
Additionally, the department collaborated with the Maine Forest Service to make the State’s insect collections accessible online. The Maine State Museum is now the premier research repository for biological materials in the State of Maine.
