Midcoast Villager: Lost Stories Found: 124 Years of Midcoast History, Online and At Your Fingertips. “Last week, 1,500 editions of the The Courier-Gazette — one of the four historic newspapers whose legacy is now carried forward by the Midcoast Villager — were uploaded to the Maine State Library’s DigitalMaine Repository, joining the existing historical archives which spanned from the […]

How soon people forget...

A century ago, #FrancoAmericans were targeted in #Maine like today’s #Somali #immigrants

Opinion by Tommy Pinette, March 3, 2026

"Two years ago, I learned the infamous #KuKluxKlan exploded in popularity throughout Maine during its resurgence in the 1920s. Across the United States, the terrorist group amassed hundreds of thousands of new followers in a rather clever dissemblance as a community service and fraternal organization. At one point, in fact, approximately 30% of Maine’s native-born population were enrolled members of the KKK. Yet they did not target Somali-Americans, people on work visas, or permanent residents from Africa — they vehemently attacked the people we now call Franco-Americans.

"Prominent Franco communities in #LewistonME, #RumfordME, #OldTownME, #AugustaME, and #WatervilleME, called 'petits Canadas,' became targets of violence for the #KKK.

"One local history of the Franco-American community of Old Town recounts a horrific stand-off at French Island: holding torches and weapons, a mob of angry klansmen attempted to cross the bridge onto the island in order to burn it down. Only the rapid efforts of men in the community to block the bridge physically kept the island from going up in flames.

"And yet, I hear many of my Franco relatives talk poorly about immigrants. They repeat similar slogans to the ones President Donald Trump spreads about immigrants who come from Africa, particularly those from East Africa: “they shouldn’t be here … Somalia is not even a country” Animus defines how many Franco-Americans understand immigrants, the people who stand in the very same place their ancestors once stood a couple generations ago.

"Do not forget that our #WhitePrivilege came at a great historical cost in the forms of systemic French language suppression, decades of shameful stereotypes, and barriers to higher education. For almost 70 years, the state of Maine had a legislative policy of only offering public education in English. We must remember our ancestors, the memères and pepères who endured the same xenophobic insults immigrants in America face today."

Read more:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/03/03/opinion/opinion-contributor/franco-americans-targeted-like-todays-immigrants-joam40zk0w/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/83Hi6

#USPol #WorldPol #MainePol #NewAmericans #NewMainers #USHistory #MaineHistory #ICESucks #AbolishICE #Hypocrisy

#CastineME - Mači-pikʷátohsək: A Wayfinding Walk

Featuring the voices of #JenniferNeptune and #FloEdwards

Sunday, October 5, 2025
1–6 p.m.

*Related programming Saturday, October 4*

"Mači-pikʷátohsək (Majabigwaduce), or #Castine, is known for its unique historical signs first installed by the Village Improvement Society in 1908. While these panels are considered by many to be a distinctive part of the town's character, they reflect outdated historical interpretations and contain problematic content, often focusing on European #colonization while invisibilizing #Wabanaki history and sense of place and erasing the traces of Castine’s #Black residents.

"Mači-pikʷátohsək : A Wayfinding Walk will use signage as a central theme, examining both the stories these signs tell and the histories they leave out, encouraging participants to critically reflect on visible elements of the commemorative landscape while learning about Penobscot worldview, wayfinding techniques, and relationship to place.

"Join us as we walk together to reflect and reimagine the many layers of stories that unfold in this landscape.

"In addition to the Wayfinding Walk on Sunday, all are invited to join WHERE and the Castine Historical Society on Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 2:00 - 5:00 pm for a lecture and performance that will provide critical insight into the suppressed history of this region’s role in the slave trade while illuminating some of the ways that people of African heritage have made their own freedom."

Events are free, but pre-registration is required (and a liability waiver for the walk on Sunday).

FMI and to register:
https://www.walkwhere.org/castine

#MaineEvents #NativeAmericanHistory #BlackHistory #MaineHistory #CastineMaine

Most of #HollisME burned down as well!

The Year a State Burned: #Maine Fires of 1947 Wipe Out 9 Towns

It also destroyed half of Acadia National Park and many Bar Harbor mansions

"An eight-mile-long wall of fire burned in #Kennebunkport. In #NorthWaterboro, nearly 60 residents and volunteers were trapped for more than an hour behind a line of fire before escaping.

"In #YorkCountyME, the fires destroyed most of the homes in #Shapleigh and #Waterboro. then swept toward the sea and consumed swathes of #Alfred, #Lyman, #Newfield, Kennebunk, #Kennebunkport, #Arundel, #Dayton, #Wells, #Biddeford and #Saco."

Read more:
https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/maine-fires-1947-year-state-burned/

#Drought #Wildfires #MaineHistory #FireDanger

Piscataquis Observer: Thanks to the community, Sponsor the Observer Project completed: “The digital archive maintained by the Thompson Free Library and the Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society is a tremendous resource for our community. And now, we have made it even better by rescanning the Piscataquis Observer collection between 1921 and 1986, replacing badly damaged images with clean ones, […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/19/piscataquis-observer-thanks-to-the-community-sponsor-the-observer-project-completed/

Portland Press Herald: Brick Store Museum launches Just History Project. “The Just History Project website, an initiative aimed at uncovering and documenting the often-overlooked histories of Black, Indigenous, and people of color in Kennebunk and the surrounding towns of Wells, Kennebunkport and Arundel, has been launched by the Brick Store Museum.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/06/portland-press-herald-brick-store-museum-launches-just-history-project/

ICYMI - From 2016:

Tuesday Marks 20th Anniversary of #Maine’s Worst #OilSpill

Maine Public | By Keith Shortall
Published September 27, 2016 at 5:34 PM EDT

"It was 20 years ago Tuesday that the tanker Julie N crashed int the bridge connecting #PortlandMaine and #SouthPortlandMaine, spilling 180,000 gallons of oil into the #ForeRiver in the worst oil spill in Maine’s history.

"The spill was contained primarily to the Fore River, but approximately $40 million was spent on cleaning up 14 miles of contaminated #shoreline. The Coast Guard said at the time that nearly 80 percent of the spilled oil was recovered. Much of the rest stayed west of the bridge, toward the #marshes near the Portland Jetport and away from Casco Bay and the islands.

"#PortlandHarbor was closed, and fishing and shellfish harvesting was banned in parts of #CascoBay and the Fore River for more than a month."

https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2016-09-27/tuesday-marks-20th-anniversary-of-maines-worst-oil-spill

#OilTankers #MaineHistory

DONALD EDWARD MICUE
"Valiant Hearts"

I am looking for a readily available copy of the historical novel, "Valiant Hearts," by Harmony, Maine, native Donald Edward Micue. Through the period when he researched and wrote this book, Micue was an active member of the Harmony Historical Society. As far as I can tell, no libraries have it; and copies to buy are scarce, to say the least. Some descendants of Jessie Micue, a very close friend of my family, would like to read it. I only know of two copies. Seeking a third.

Donald Edward Micue, "Valiant Hearts," Carlton Press, 1987.

It is entirely possible that Micue's lead male character is based on my ancestor, Antoine Lyshon of Orono, Maine.

:

#antoinelyshon #donaldedwardmicue #donaldemicue #donaldmicue #harmonyhistoricalsocietyinmaine #harmonymaine #mainehistory #micue #oronomaine

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