May 2026
May 2: Jane's Walk Maine
Jane’s Walk is a global festival of free, volunteer-led walking conversations inspired by community activist Jane Jacobs. Jane’s Walks combine the simple act of exploring a place with personal observations, local history, and civic engagement. As Maine prepares to mark America’s 250th anniversary, Jane’s Walk offers a powerful way to experience history where it happens — in our neighborhoods, on our streets, and in the ordinary places that hold extraordinary stories. This year, walk leaders are invited to explore revolutionary stories in ordinary places: how 250 years of change can be seen “underfoot,” revealing how local communities reflect the broader American story across generations.
Click here to find a Jane's Walk near you!
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May 7: Divided Loyalties - Loyalists and the American Revolution as a Civil War in Maine
The American Revolution was not just a break from Imperial Great Britain – it was America’s first civil war. In Maine, neighbors, families, and communities were divided by competing notions of patriotism.
Divided Loyalties examines how intimidation, coercion, and legal sanctions were used to enforce ideological conformity, as well as the strategies employed by individuals who resisted these pressures. Through the experiences of ordinary people, the program exposes the harsh realities of mob violence, political disenfranchisement, and personal recrimination during the Revolution in Maine.
The presentation concludes by tracing how deep social and political fractures were mended after the war, revealing the processes through which individuals and communities sought reconciliation, stability, and renewed cohesion in the aftermath of the American Revolution.
Historian Mike Dekker specializes in 17th and 18th-century Maine and New England. He is the author of the book The French and Indian Wars In Maine and is a contributing author to the book 1718-2018: Reflections on 300 Years of the Scots Irish in Maine. Mike offers talks and educational programming on a range of topics, including the 17th-century cod fishing industry and its relation to the current state of the Gulf of Maine fisheries. He regularly provides living history programming pertaining to 17th-century Maine at the Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site.
May 7, 2026 at 5:30pm | Free and open to the public!
Lithgow Public Library | 45 Winthrop Street, Augusta, ME | 207.626.2415
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May 14: Pathways Forward: Mainers Reflect on the 250th Film Screening
What do the words ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ mean to you? What are our responsibilities as citizens? What hopes do you have for our country and for Maine? Pathways Forward: Mainers Reflect on the 250th features Mainers from across the state sharing their own thoughts on the nation’s founding values and their dreams for the future. Pathways invites us all to look back on where we’ve been and consider where we go from here.
About the presenters:
Abigail Jakub is MHS’ Digital Media & Communications Specialist. She grew up in Downeast Maine and attended the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Her work has screened at the Newburyport Documentary Film Festival and the Camden International Film Festival.
Tiffany Link is Collections Curator at MHS. She is Co-Curator of the new exhibition Pathways to Freedom, exploring diverse stories of Maine and the American Revolution. She joined the staff at MHS in 2013 as a Reference Librarian and later worked as the Research Librarian. She is the co-host of the podcast Mainely History.
Jamie Rice is Deputy Director and Director of Collections and Research at MHS, where she has worked for over two decades, leading efforts in digital humanities, curatorial services, and special collections management. She is Co-Curator of the new exhibition Pathways to Freedom and a member of the Maine Semiquincentennial Commission.
Thursday, May 14, 2026 | 6pm at Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress Street, Portland, ME
- Free and open to the public, registration kindly requested.
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May 16: Walt Whitman's American Dream - A Poet | A Nation on the Brink | A Love Beyond Time
Walt Whitman’s American Dream is a powerful 90-minute ensemble play written by Sarah Vander Schaaff that explores the life, struggles, and enduring vision of one of America’s most influential poets. At the center of the story is a man with an audacious idea: that a book of poems could help hold a nation together.
Through Walt Whitman’s eyes, audiences journey from the landscapes of his youth on Long Island to the vibrant streets of New York City, where he struggles to find his voice as a writer and thinker. When Whitman publishes the first edition of Leaves of Grass, he believes he has captured something essential about the American spirit. But as the nation fractures and plunges toward civil war, he discovers that words alone cannot stop the coming storm.
As the conflict deepens, Whitman is drawn into the grim reality of Civil War field hospitals, tending to wounded soldiers and confronting the cost of a divided nation. In those moments of suffering and compassion, he begins to discover a deeper understanding of love, democracy, and the shared humanity that might still hold the country together.
Through an ensemble of voices, music, movement, and storytelling, Walt Whitman’s American Dream invites audiences to reflect on the questions Whitman wrestled with himself: What does it mean to be American? How do we remain connected to one another in times of division? And where can hope be found when the road forward feels uncertain?
May 16, 2026 at 4:00pm | Atlantic Hall | 173 Main Street, Cape Porpoise, ME
- 4:00pm - house opens for art and food
- 4:30pm - staged reading
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May 19: Reading the Revolution: Atlas of Independence: John Adams and the American Revolution (Zoom Lecture)
When the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, no one doubted who was responsible. Said one delegate: “The man to whom the country is most indebted for the great measure of independence is Mr. John Adams. . . . I call him the Atlas of American independence.” Born of humble means outside Boston, Massachusetts, Adams’s work ethic led him to become one of the colony’s most successful attorneys. Festering tensions with Great Britain thrust him onto the national stage where he became the intellectual architect of American independence. Perhaps more than any other American, he rose to the historical moment, urging his contemporaries into the unknown future. Join Chris Mackowski for a look at his new book on this fascinating founding father, Atlas of Independence: John Adams and the American Revolution.
About the presenter: Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Emerging Civil War and the series editor of the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series. Chris is a writing professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY, where he also serves as associate dean for undergraduate programs. Chris has authored or co-authored two dozen books and edited a half-dozen essay collections.
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 1pm | Zoom Lecture | Free but click here for registration
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May 20: An Evening with Alan Taylor
On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm, Maine Historical Society (MHS) and Maine Public invite the community to An Evening with Alan Taylor, a compelling program featuring one of the nation’s most distinguished historians. Two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Alan Taylor will bring fresh insight on the American Revolution in a special appearance in Portland. A Mainer, and widely respected scholar, Taylor is also recognized for his contributions to the recent and acclaimed Ken Burns’ documentary The American Revolution.
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 5:00pm
- $15 MHS or Maine Public members
- $35 non-members (or join MHS for $25 and attend for free)
Click here for tickets (RSVP by May 18)
- Lecture & Conversation: First Parish Church, 425 Congress Street, Portland, ME
- Reception: Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress Street, Portland, ME
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May 27: Revolutionary Characters: Mali Agat, Revolutionary Healer (Zoom Lecture)
Mali Agat (also known as Molly Ockett) was a Wabanaki woman from the Pigwacket homeland, widely known among Native people and settlers in northern New England and southern Quebec. She was part of a large and interrelated network of families who inhabited and traveled in the northern Wabanaki homelands—now parts of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Canada. A skilled artist and healer, Mali, like many Wabanaki people, adapted to the changes wrought by colonization in her homeland and was a witness to the war for independence.
Join MHS and author Bunny McBride for an illustrated talk about the 18th-century Pigwacket doctress who navigated the stunning upheavals of traditional indigenous life in Maine with her traditional medicine skills and ingenious adaptability.
About the presenter: Bunny McBride is an award-winning author, journalist, and exhibit curator who has worked on a range of issues and projects with Wabanaki peoples in Maine since 1981. She is the author of Women of the Dawn.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at 1pm | Zoom Lecture | Free but click here for registration.
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May 28: Reading the Revolution: American Patriarch with H.W. Brands
From George Washington's early military career and role among the Virginia gentry, to his leadership during the American Revolution and reluctant return to public service as the first president of the United States, H.W. Brands' newest book, American Patriarch, brings to life the man who was called on time and again by his peers to lead. Learn how Washington became the icon of American virtue who wrested America free from British control, gave credibility to the Constitution, and crafted the norms that would steady America as a nation for generations to follow. Arriving as the U.S. marks the 250th anniversary of American independence, this is a masterful portrait of Washington as the unrivaled leader of his times.
About the presenter: H.W. Brands taught at Texas A&M University for sixteen years before joining the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History.
Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 7pm | Zoom Lecture | Free but click here for registration.
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- March 2026
Founding Memories: America at 250 Lecture Series
March 5 at 5:30pm: The American Revolution and the Fate of the World: An Electrifying Global History of a Not-so Local War with Richard Bell
When we think of the American Revolution, we often picture a parochial drama: thirteen colonies squaring off against the British Crown in a spirited bid for independence. But this version of the story is only half the truth—and perhaps not even the most interesting half. In this riveting program, historian and author Richard Bell invites audiences to rediscover the Revolution as a world war that unleashed chaos, opportunity, and transformation across six continents. From the sugar fields of the Caribbean to the court of the King of Mysore, from refugee camps on the Canadian frontier to political uprisings in Sierra Leone and Peru, the war that gave birth to the United States was never simply America’s own. It was a seismic global event that redrew maps, toppled hierarchies, catalyzed migration, and accelerated new movements for liberty—and for empire. The program offers a bold new framework for understanding the Revolutionary War not as a tidy founding moment but as a sprawling, high-stakes struggle fought on land and sea, shaped by commerce, diplomacy, propaganda, and contingency. This is the American Revolution as you’ve never seen it before: complex, global, and astonishingly relevant to the modern world. Click here to register.
March 5, 2026 from 5:30 - 8:00pm
Hannaford Hall, Abromson Center, USM
88 Bedford Street, Portland, ME 04101- Reception 5:30pm
- Lecture 6:00pm
- Book Signing 7:30pm
- February 2026
Founding Memories: America at 250 Lecture Series
February 12 at 6:00pm: Revolutionary Dreams: A Black Power Bicentennial with Dr. Amber Wiley (virtual)
In this virtual talk for the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, Amber N. Wiley, PhD, discusses both her scholarly and pedagogical approaches to analyzing American history through the lens of the Afro-American Bicentennial Corporation (ABC). Inspired by the ABC’s work to identify and protect cultural landscapes related to Black American achievements ahead of the 1976 commemoration of the American Revolution, Wiley has taken up their charge to “continue the revolution” through the “process of decolonization, a movement toward self-realization and self-government by people determined not to be kept in a subject status.” The lecture will highlight Wiley’s public history, preservation, and teaching work in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC related to revolutionary histories in each locale.
February 12 at 7:00pm - Maine Historical Society's Reading the Revolution: George Washington's Hair (virtual)
Mostly hidden from public view, like an embarrassing family secret, scores of putative locks of George Washington’s hair are held, more than two centuries after his death, in the collections of America’s historical societies, public and academic archives, and museums, including Maine Historical Society. Why? Excavating the origins of these bodily artifacts, Keith Beutler uncovers a forgotten strand of early American memory practices and emerging patriotic identity in his book George Washington's Hair.
Between 1790 and 1840, popular memory took a turn toward the physical, as exemplified by the craze for collecting locks of Washington’s hair. These new, sensory views of memory enabled African American Revolutionary War veterans, women, evangelicals, and other politically marginalized groups to enter the public square as both conveyors of these material relics of the Revolution and living relics themselves. Join us as Beutler recounts how ordinary Americans successfully enlisted memory practices rooted in the physical to demand a place in the body politic, contributing to antebellum political democratization.
About the presenter: Dr. Keith Beutler is Professor of History at Missouri Baptist University and the author of George Washington’s Hair: How Early Americans Remembered the Founders (University of Virginia Press). His awards include a 2003 Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Washington University and the 2009 Missouri Baptist University Distinguished Professor.
- Thursday, February 12, 2026
- 7 p.m. ET
- On Zoom, registration required.
- Free and open to the public.
February 19 at 1:00pm - Maine Historical Society's Revolutionary Characters: Washington's Artillerist Henry Knox
Join Phillip Hamilton to explore Henry Knox's remarkable military career and his later years on the Maine frontier. Born in 1750 and raised in prewar Boston, Knox fortuitously met George Washington at the start of the American Revolution. Impressed by the young man's energy and abilities, the commander-in-chief made Knox his go-to man. Indeed, he heroically transported 59 heavy cannon from Fort Ticonderoga to the Continental Army outside of Boston in the winter of 1775-76, which soon led to the British evacuation of the city. Knox was then appointed by the Continental Congress to command the army’s artillery wing, and he served in every major campaign
throughout the conflict.
About the presenter: Phillip Hamilton is originally from northern New Jersey and received his PhD from Washington University in St. Louis. Hamilton is the author of a number of books and journal articles dealing with America’s founding era, including The Revolutionary War Lives and Letters of Lucy and Henry Knox (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017). He is currently a professor of history at Christopher Newport University and is writing a biography of Henry Knox.
- Thursday, February 19, 2026
- 1 p.m. ET
- On Zoom, registration required.
- Free and open to the public.
February 25 at 1:00pm - Maine Historical Society's Revolutionary Characters: African-Americans in the Continental Army
The role of African-Americans, both free and enslaved, in the regiments of the Continental Army is not well-known; neither is the fact that relatively large numbers served in southern regiments and that the greatest number served alongside their white comrades in integrated units. Prince Dunsick was an enslaved man of color enlisted by his enslaver into Learned's Brigade (Massachusetts) in 1776. He fought at the Battles of Saratoga and at the Battle of Monmouth, and moved to Maine after the war to farm. In this talk, John U. Rees, author of 'They Were Good Soldiers', will explore stories like Dunsick's and the inclusion and treatment of black Americans by the various Crown forces and in the Continental Army. Join us to learn about the wartime duties and experiences of these men, as well as their postwar fortunes as veterans facing strong racial bias in a changing society in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
About the presenter: John U. Rees has been writing for thirty-nine years on the experiences and material culture of common soldiers and women in the armies of the American Revolution. He is the author of more than 200 articles. 'They Were Good Soldiers': African Americans Serving in the Continental Army, 1775-1783 (Helion, 2019) was his first book. His second book, coauthored with Don Troiani, titled Don Troiani's Black Soldiers in America’s Wars,1754-1865, was published in 2025 (Stackpole).
- Wednesday, February 25, 2026
- 1 p.m. ET
- Free and open to the public.
- On Zoom, registration required.
- December 2025
December 7 at 2:00pm: Machiasport Historical Society Christmas Party, Machiasport
Please join the Machiasport Historical Society for their annual Christmas party from 2 to 4 pm on Sunday, December 7th, at the historic Gates House in Machiasport. Celebrate America’s upcoming 250th birthday by enjoying Maine’s traditional warm Christmas beverage wassail along with coffee, tea and an array of sandwiches and Christmas treats. Built in 1810 by Nathan Gates, the Gates House is a beautiful Federal-style home turned museum and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Gates’s House is located in Machiasport at 344 Port Road.ontent.
- October 2025
October 30 at 6:30pm: Ken Burns' American Revolution Screenings and Panel Discussion, Portland
The American Revolution, a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, premieres on November 16, 2025 on Maine Public Television. Watch the series trailer here! Maine Public is holding two community preview events in October replete with post-viewing panel discussions.
Click here to secure your free tickets!
Hannaford Hall on the campus of the University of Southern Maine
88 Bedford Street in Portland
Panelists:- Darren J Ranco. PhD, Professor of Anthropology and Coordinator of Native American Research at UMAINE
- Ashley Towle, PhD, Associate Dean, CAHS, Associate Professor of History and Women & Gender Studies at USM
- Libby Bischof, PhD, Professor of History, University Historian, Executive Director, Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at USM
October 25 from 2-5pm: Trick or Treat and Mystery & History Tour at the Gates House, Machiasport
Join the Machiasport Historical Society for their first ever "Trick or Treat and Mystery & History Tour at the Gates House" Saturday, October 25, from 2-5 pm. Machiasport enjoys a treasure trove of stories and folklore that are every bit a part of the history of our region, and they would love to share them with you with a Mystery and History Tour of the Gates House. Learn about the unexplained noises we sometimes hear upstairs and the shifting eyes from our creepy-looking dolls! Hear about the “Battle of the Margaretta,” the first naval engagement of the American Revolutionary War, the shipwrecks in our surrounding waters, and the tragedy of a cursed ship. All ages are welcome, and of course we will have treats for all the visitors throughout the tour and gift bags at the end for the school-age children. Join us, “IF YOU DARE” for a fun and educational experience in a historic home built in 1810 along the banks of the historic & legendary Machias River. The Gates House is located at 344 Port Road, Machiasport, Maine.
October 18: America from the Ashes: Revolution and the Burning of Falmouth, Greater Portland
On October 18, 1775, the British Navy bombarded the town of Falmouth—now Portland—setting it ablaze and igniting revolutionary fervor across the colonies. 250 years later, on Saturday, October 18, 2025, walk the path of history with America from the Ashes, a family-friendly trail experience that brings this pivotal moment to life.
Featuring programs, activities, and exhibits from the First Parish Church, Greater Portland Landmarks, Maine Historical Society, Maine Ulster-Scots Project, Osher Map Library, Spirits Alive at Eastern Cemetery, and Tate House Museum, the trail invites visitors of all ages to engage with the people, places, and perspectives that shaped Maine’s revolutionary journey. Enjoy hands-on activities, walking tours, historic house tours, and interactive exhibits that connect past and present.
October 16 at 6:30pm: Ken Burns' American Revolution Screenings and Panel Discussion, Auburn
The American Revolution, a film by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, premieres on November 16, 2025 on Maine Public Television. Watch the series trailer here! Maine Public is holding two community preview events in October replete with post-viewing panel discussions.
Click here to secure your free tickets!
Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center at Edward Little High School
77 Harris Street in AuburnPanelists:
- Liam Riordan, PhD, Adelaide and Alan Bird Professor of History, Department Chair at UMaine
- Joseph M. Hall Jr., PhD, Associate Professor of History at Bates College
- Mihku Paul, BA, MFA, Wolastoqey Poet & Activist “Core Advisory Council at Atlantic Black Box”
- Strother E. Roberts, PhD, Associate Professor of History at Bowdoin College
- September 2025
September 13: Maine Open Lighthouse Day, Statewide
Today is Maine Open Lighthouse Day! Lighthouses across the state, both on and off shore, will be open to visitors. Be sure to check the American Lighthouse Foundation’s website for a list of participating lighthouses, timing, and accessibility. Don’t forget to bring your lighthouse passport for a stamp!
September 17: Constitution Day, Machias
Celebrate Constitution Day, September 17, in Machias with the Hannah Weston Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and local historical societies! Beginning at Burnham Tavern at 3:45pm and continuing at the Centre Street Congregational Church at 4pm, join in the tradition of Bells Across America with the ringing of one of the few remaining original Paul Revere bells. For more information, click here.
September 19-20: Reenacting the Bombardment of Portland by the British, Portland
Our friends at the Tate House have announced a two-day commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Burning of Falmouth with their “Flames to Freedom” events beginning this Friday, September 19. As part of the event, the museum will reenact one of the most significant events in Portland’s past, with the British Ship HMS Canceaux sailing into Casco Bay to help. Click here for event details and ticket information.
- May 3, 2025
Jane’s Walk is a global festival of free, volunteer-led walking conversations inspired by community activist Jane Jacobs. Jane’s Walks combine the simple act of exploring a place with personal observations, local history, and civic engagement.
The annual Jane’s Walk festival takes place the first weekend in May, in more than 200 cities and towns around the globe. In 2025, the walk roster will be available in mid-April and the festival will be held in Maine on Saturday, May 3.
Jane Jacobs was a community activist and writer who lived from 1916-2006. She is best known for galvanizing her neighbors to stop a highway from being built in their community. She believed in the power of individuals to influence the places they live. Today, her principles represent the participatory planning approaches that have been embraced in communities around the world.
- April 18, 2025
Two Lights for Tomorrow - A Nationwide Call to Action
Two Lights for Tomorrow is a nationwide initiative to commence the celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States of America. The famous ride of Paul Revere occurred overnight April 18–19, 1775. Two Lights for Tomorrow originated out of multi-state collaboration at A Common Cause to All in Williamsburg and uses the imagery of that shining light 250 years ago as a uniting call to action today for our fellow citizens, no matter where they are, to commemorate and remind ourselves that our history is about working together for a better tomorrow.
At its heart it is a call across the country, in private homes, local communities, and statehouses alike, for two lights to be displayed to remind us all of the importance to come together to form a more perfect union.
Two Lights for Tomorrow Events Across Maine:
Augusta (Maine State Capitol)
- At 11:30 a.m. join us in the Hall of Flags in the state capitol for a press conference with Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and enjoy excerpts of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, "Paul Revere’s Ride," read by Portland Youth Poet Laureate Yashaswini Derisala.
- At 7:30 p.m., join us in Capitol Park for the lighting!
Caribou
- Lighting (not sure where yet)
Falmouth
- Lights at the Falmouth Historical Society, Falmouth Town Hall, Falmouth Congregational Church, Emmaus Lutheran Church, and OceanView at Falmouth
Gorham
- Gorham Historical Society will hold a lighting at First Parish Church and ring the Paul Revere bell.
Hampden
- Hampden Garden Club will host a potluck, reading of "Paul Revere’s Ride," story sharing, music, and other activities at Harmony Hall. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and will conclude with the ringing of the Paul Revere bell and lantern lighting at 7:30 p.m.
Orrington
- Lanterns in the Town Hall cupola
- Lanterns in individual homes
Portland
- Lights at Henry Wadsworth Longfellow House
- Lights at Maine Historical Society
- Spirits Alive at Eastern Cemetery
- 7 p.m. reading of "Paul Revere’s Ride" and lighting
- On Saturday, April 19 there will be a special tour of Eastern Cemetery featuring Revolutionary War graves.
Presque Isle
- Lights at City Hall
- Lights at Presque Isle Historical Society
South Portland
- Bell ringing at Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse at 6 p.m.
Thomaston
- Lighting and ringing of Paul Revere Bell at the Henry Knox Museum.
Winterport
- Lighting at the Union Meeting House at 7 p.m. and a reading of "Paul Revere’s Ride."