This 1929 Maine Development Commission guide provides a glimpse of Maine roadways in the early days of motor travel. The text reports, “Maine’s good roads are the result of a progressive program of highway construction, improvement and maintenance that has been consistently adhered to for many years. During the last fourteen years $84,000,000 has been […]

Albert W. Stevens was an aerial photographer, balloonist and U.S. Army officer. Born in Belfast, Maine in 1886, he received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1907 and a master’s degree in 1909 from the University of Maine. Stevens, a U.S. Army officer, balloonist, and early aerial photographer, took the first photograph of Earth’s […]

Special Collections at the University of Southern Maine recently transferred to our department two oversized aerial views of the Orono campus that were taken in the 1960s. These photos have become a favorite of several visitors, including students, staff, and community members, as well as our interim Department Head, Greg Curtis. Particularly at their size, […]

With all the news about the demise of shopping malls, it’s interesting to look back at the history of one of Maine’s malls. This aerial photograph from the Sewall Company Aerial Photographs Collection shows the Bangor Mall construction site on November 1, 1977. The Mall opened the following year in October of 1978. Access and […]

As photography seems like a great activity to pursue this fall, our books on photography are Desiree’s new favorite.  Our collection includes books on the history of photography, travel guides on scenic places, guidebooks on improving techniques, artist collaborations that may serve as models for similar projects, and books about renowned Maine photographers Berenice Abbott, […]

Books on the topic of fairy houses are definitely one of Elaine’s favorites. Stories differ on how the tradition began of building fairy houses in the woods of Maine, an activity associated particularly with Monhegan Island and other coastal islands. Some sources speculate that Irish, British, and German folklore and settlement patterns may have sparked […]

While working on the Maine Women’s History Collection, Paul noticed that the newsletters of the League of Women Voters of Maine covered an impressive variety of topics to help voters make informed choices, including topics in the 1980s on nuclear disarmament.  These included the details of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in January, 1988, […]

As many businesses, schools, and organizations moved activities outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic, photographs began appearing in the media showing similar efforts during the influenza pandemic of 1918, a time when hospitals, classrooms, and even some court proceedings were moved outside. Efforts to treat tuberculosis during the first half of the 20th century also recognized […]

Beth’s recent favorite is this copy of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, a book published as a promotional piece by the department store Montgomery Ward. Our library’s namesake, Raymond H. Fogler, was president of the New York-based company when the first edition of the book was published in 1939.  Fogler was instrumental in the selection of […]

Several recent articles have highlighted the history of wearing face masks to prevent the spread of disease, particularly during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919.  This brought to mind a photograph in our Eastern Maine General Hospital School of Nursing Collection of an unidentified patient wearing a face mask, seated with two women, one of them […]