Madame History

02/03/2025

How did we bear the long winter nights before modern heating? Bed warmers!

09/01/2024

"Shoe repair is a whole mood" and other things nobody tells you when you start a heritage tour business. 😂

08/19/2024

Bangor's Tall Paul got a well-deserved refresh this week! Be sure to check him out on your next drive by!

Paul Bunyan has watched over the City of Bangor from Main Street since 1959. Standing at 31 feet tall has afforded Paul a great deal of sun exposure over the years, and it was time for a new coat of paint! Thank you Davinci Signs LLC for helping bring life back to this Bangor icon!

07/05/2024

It was a beautiful day to introduce people to the city of Bangor!

06/10/2024

What a fantastic partnership between the DownEast Scenic Railroad and the Ellsworth historical Society!

All aboard on June 23rd at 1pm! Join Downeast Scenic Railroad in Ellsworth, Maine, for an exclusive Roaring Twenties Train Ride to benefit the Ellsworth Historical Society, commemorating the historic arrival of the first revenue train.

Enjoy prohibition mocktails, live music by Mike & Susie Fay, surprise adventures, and railroad history. Costumes are encouraged—flappers welcome! Reserve your spot in advance at https://www.downeastscenicrail.org/special-events/

Proceeds benefit the Ellsworth Historical Society.

04/25/2024

Are you an educator who'd like your students to experience art and history?

I'd love to take your students on a walk through Bangor's historic Mount Hope Cemetery and share the beautiful iconography of its 19th-century gravestones. Your students will never see a cemetery the same way again!

Grant funding to defray the cost of travel for Maine schools wishing to visit Maine arts based venues and events as part of a well-rounded curriculum.

04/11/2024

Penobscot Theatre Company is offering tours of Bangor's oldest (and I think only remaining!) opera house one Saturday a month take a guided tour through our historic and beautiful home. There are only two left this year - April 27 and May 11.

The tour begins at 1:30pm and lasts 45-60 minutes. Tickets are $21 (inclusive of service charges). Reservations are required 72 hours prior to tour day.

Learn more at:

Bangor Opera House Tours September 16 – May 11 Celebrating over 100 years of history The return of our popular Bangor Opera House Tours! One Saturday a month take a guided tour through our historic and beautiful home. The tour is 45-60 minutes. Reservations are required 72 hours prior to tour day....

04/05/2024

Maine's Indigenous languages permeate the geographic landscape, and we're fortunate to be living in a time when language preservation is recognized as an essential part of culture.

Learn from Passamaquoddy language keeper Dwayne Tomah this Sunday at 12:00 pm (Repeat on Monday at 12:00 pm) on Maine Public's "State of the Arts" program.

03/14/2024

There are only a few more showings of the wonderful "My Story is Gluskabe" at Penobscot Theatre Company which closes on March 17th.

These sacred stories, adapted by Carol Dana and other story-keepers of the Penobscot Nation, are supported by a marvelous cast including George Loring and Lilah Akins and fabulous sound design by Jason Firefly Brown. So many of our friends and neighbors are part of this production, you owe it to yourself to go see it this weekend!

https://vimeo.com/918020242

https://www.penobscottheatre.org/project/my-story-is-gluskabe/

This is "My Story is Gluskabe | Full Promo" by Penobscot Theatre Company on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

03/14/2024

Yesterday I met up with fellow history fan Jessica Couture, Outreach Coordinator of the Waterville Historical Society , for a field trip. We headed to Portland where we had a lively discussion about cemetery walking tours with the fantastic folks from Spirits Alive at the Eastern Cemetery.

The Waterville Historical Society is currently in the exploration phase, and I've been helping with the darker Mount Hope Cemetery tour for many years now.

In addition to daily seasonal walking tours, Spirits Alive offers a full cast cemetery tour in October that covers a different theme related to the history of the Portland region. I was very grateful to learn how Spirits Alive approaches the experience. Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge and patience as I asked so many questions!

If you're visiting Portland this summer, absolutely take a tour of the Eastern Cemetery and give some support to a fantastic organization preserving and sharing Maine history.

02/24/2024

We can appreciate the past and acknowledge gratefully how far we've come.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1aNgdnc1qFpa22fU/?mibextid=xfxF2i

6 P.M. April 23,1909.

"Two of the youngest workers in Bates Manufacturing Company, Lewiston, Me. They have worked there for 8 years."

Image and caption courtesy of the Library of Congress.

02/11/2024

https://www.pressherald.com/2024/02/09/maine-museums-to-create-visual-dictionary-of-wabanaki-basketry/

The Penobscot Nation Museum and the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine Orono received a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the project.

02/10/2024

I'm quite excited to check out a beautiful historic bed and breakfast just a little bit north west of Bangor, and in the context of a live murder mystery game!

They're held roughly monthly, so follow the Guilford Bed and Breakfast to be sure you don't miss out.

Step into a life-size CLUE game where each guest personifies a specific character. This evening includes a formal sit-down dinner where the game actually begins. By 7 o'clock, Valentines Crime of Passion commences on foot. Bring your sleuthing skills and let's have some fun!

02/10/2024

If you're looking for something interesting to do today in the Bangor region, visit Curran Village and enjoy sled rides and winter festivities.

You can also learn about the traditional ice harvest! (Unfortunately, it's not safe to harvest the ice this weekend due to the warm weather and overall loss of ice thickness on Field's Pond.)

Don't forget we'll be giving SLED rides with this team of Belgian draft horses tomorrow starting at 10AM. We charge $5, and you can ride more than once if you like after everyone else gets their first ride at the Ice Harvest Event.

01/30/2024

Maine wouldn't be what it is had it not experienced the crushing power of the ice age.

Did you know that when you visit Maine, you can visit many of the places where that event shows its dramatic impact on the landscape?

Consider visiting the sites on the Maine Ice Age Trail Map and Guide - soft-topped mountains and islands, Sommes Sound fjord, sand barrens, peat bogs, plies of glacial till, and eskers are just a few of the sights you'll see on this fascinating geologic trail!

The new home of the new Maine Ice Age Trail Map & Guide! A self-guided tour of the profound effects of the Ice Age on Maine's landscape.