Showing 381 - 390 of 512 Records
1884 Atlas of Maine
- Atlas of the State of Maine. Including Statistics and Descriptions of Its History, Educational System, Geology, Rail Roads, Natural Resources, Summer Resorts and Manufacturing Interests. Compiled and Drawn from Official Plans and Actual Surveys and Published by George N. Colby & Co., Houlton, ME, 1884.
An Act of Admission of the State of Maine into the Union, March 3, 1820
- The Act of Admission of the State of Maine into the Union, passed by the U.S. Congress on March 3, 1820, officially established it as the 23rd state. This Act formalized Maine's transition from a district of Massachusetts to a sovereign state within the United States. The Act of Admission was passed as part of the Missouri Compromise, which also admitted Missouri as a slave state.
Maine State Archives Guides and Finding Aids
- This collection includes Archives-created posters and publications as well as unpublished guides that provide explanations of some of the diverse materials held at the Archives. It features a list of Maine men who perished at the infamous Andersonville prison during the Civil War, a history of the wild lands of Maine (which served as a revenue source for the State) and a report on claims regarding island ownership from 1913. Additionally, there is a guide to the Indian Affairs Collection, which was compiled as part of a federally-funded project by the Civil Works Administration in 1934. Although this guide is incomplete, it organizes Wabanaki-related materials found within the Maine Executive Council collection.
Stereoview Photographs
- Popular in the late 19th century, stereoscopy is a photographic technique which attempts to enhance the illusion of depth. During the time which stereoviews were most abundantly produced, the prevalent printing technique was the albumen print, so named for its use of egg whites in the paper coating process. These stereoviews, most of which are albumen, are rich in detail and depict historic events in Maine history, such as the great Portland fire of 1866 and images of the sunken wreck of the Battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor, 1898.
Civil War Era Soldiers' Portraits
- The Maine State Archives holds almost 2,500 identified images and 350 unidentified images of Civil War veterans. Additionally, many photographs in our collection remain unclassified. These cartes de visite (CDV) photographs were typically albumen prints mounted on cards measuring about 2 ½ inches wide by 4 inches high. First patented in 1854, these affordable photographs gained widespread popularity during the Civil War. During this conflict, Maine Adjutant General John Hodsdon issued a circular urging Maine’s officers to submit copies of their photographs. Since then, numerous CDVs have been donated to the Maine State Archives, including the Tom MacDonald and Hosmer-Low collections, as well as many individual images contributed by the descendants of these veterans.
Plantation Returns
- Plantations are a unique form of local government in Maine, existing in sparsely populated areas as a step between unincorporated areas and full town status. In 1840, a law provided that plantations could organize “for election purposes,” only requiring a return to the Secretary of State of the date of organization and a description of bounds. This act was the impetus for groupings of scattered settlers or lumbermen to gather as communities, and large areas were often organized into one plantation. These records range from 1840 – 1891.