Stay up to date with our newsletter
Category: News
News, Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens
This Month We Remember
This October marks two years since the Lewiston mass shooting, which claimed 18 lives. In response to the tragedy, one artist and teacher from Lewiston, Ellen Hodgkin, chose to use her art to aid in her healing process and raise awareness about gun violence. Her project, “Remember Lewiston,” took nearly two years to complete and […]
Read more »
Countdown to Reopening, News, Staff Happenings
What’s Been Going On at the Museum?
Gearing up for the first phase of our Grand Reopening on October 24, 2026! Are you missing the Maine State Museum? You are not alone. Many have expressed frustration that the museum has been closed for so long. The reasons for this long timeline? The renovation of the Cultural Building, the 55- year-old structure that […]
Read more »
News, Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens
Samantha Smith Featured in International Exhibit
The Maine State Museum has recently joined with museums from around the world to bring a new exhibition – The Berlin Wall: A World Divided – to international audiences. Samantha was the girl from Manchester, Maine who, as a ten-year old in 1982, wrote to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov, questioning his commitment to world peace. Shortly after […]
Read more »
News, Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens, Staff Happenings
Great Coat, Great Discoveries
Members of the public frequently contact museum staff with inquiries about items in the collection. Often, the resulting research leads to the discovery of new, exciting information. This is just what happened last spring when an individual contacted museum curator Angela Goebel-Bain to ask about measurements of a Civil War great coat that was donated […]
Read more »
News, Objects, Artifacts, & Specimens
A Flag, A Cane, and A Governor’s Best Friend
June 1, 2023 was the 100th anniversary of the death of then-Governor Percival Baxter’s beloved Irish setter, Garry II. The death of a Maine governor’s pet seems an unlikely event to note 100 years later. But Baxter’s actions following Garry’s passing made headlines around the country and are still remembered today. Baxter’s response to the criticism […]
Read more »