Maine Historical Society opens bicentennial exhibit and hosts conversation about Acadian history on YouTube

The Maine Historical Society (MHS) in Portland is celebrating its state’s 200th anniversary with an exhibit, called State of Mind: Becoming Maine, that tells the story of becoming Maine from the perspectives of the Wabanaki, Acadians, African Americans, and English-speaking people.

When the society scheduled the exhibit’s run from March 13, 2020 to January 31, 2021, they had no idea that COVID-19 would turn our world, and the way we do things, upside down.

Now, with a number of precautionary measures in place, MHS re-opened on Wednesday the museum, galleries and library, including the State of Mind: Becoming Maine exhibit.

MHS had been closed to the public since mid-March.

A “robust” schedule of public programs are also being developed for online engagement, and the historical resources and digital exhibits on Maine Memory Network will continue to be accessible, including an online version of State of Mind: Becoming Maine.

Acadians in Maine
One of MHS’s latest online initiatives is Acadians in Maine: A conversation with Lise Pelletier, who is the director, Acadian Archives at the University of Maine – Port Kent and a key advisor on the exhibit, and Tilly Laskey, who is the exhibit curator.

During the 30-minute YouTube video, Ms. Pelletier talks about the founding of Acadia and the distinct history and culture of Acadians.

Did you know the French established the first permanent European settlement in Maine in 1604? Why were Acadians forcibly removed from Maine during Le Grand Dérangement? What is the relationship between Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem Evangeline and Acadian culture? 

Ms. Pelletier will do a longer talk about Acadians on Zoom later this year.

Acadians in Maine appears on page four in the State of Mind: Becoming Maine online exhibit.

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