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AUGUSTA — The first in the Maine in World War I themed collaborative series at the Maine State Museum, “Over There and Down Home: Mainers in World War I” is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15.
The museum, Maine State Archives and Maine State Library are collaborating on the special exhibits and collections spotlighting World War I stories, documents, photographs and artifacts. The free event is in the Cultural Building at 230 State St., adjacent to the Maine State House.
The exhibit’s curator, Angela Goebel-Bain, will be on hand to show some artifacts from the museum’s collections that are not in the exhibit.
“At the Maine State Library, we will bring out some little-known and seldom seen items in our special collections,” said Alison Maxell, the director of the library’s public and outreach services. “This includes a fascinating scrapbook compiled by Isadora Linscott of Farmington and several photographic and pictorial books, including one featuring the work of Lucien Jonas, a French soldier-artist whose captivating drawings, oil paintings, sketches, and illustrations were reproduced in magazines and books world-wide.”
“Neutral No More: Maine Mobilizes for the Great War,” a special exhibit by the Maine State Archives will also be featured in the March 15 open house.
According to archivist Sam Howes, the exhibit includes documents and images that show how Maine government and its citizens responded to World War I. One special section of the exhibit highlights Maine’s emergency response to the massive Halifax explosion, which occurred in December 1917, when two ships, one a munitions carrier, collided in Halifax Harbor, killing 2,000 people.
Future presentations in the series will be: March 29 – “The World War I Dye Shortage: Color, Clothes, and Chemistry” by Jacqueline Field; and April 12 – “Maine and World War I” Talk and Book Signing by Jason Libby and Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. All programs begin at 6:00 p.m.
For more information, visit www.mainestatemuseum.org, or call the museum, 207-287-2301.
PHOTO: One of the many historical photographs shown in the Maine State Museum’s World War I exhibit is this 1917 recruiting activity in Livermore Falls. (Franklyn Burbank family photo)
