Maine’s First Ship – The Virginia Project

Phippsburg, Maine

Almost 400 years ago, the first ship built in Colonial America was constructed at the mouth of Maine’s Kennebec River. Called the Virginia, the pinnace crossed the Atlantic at least twice before fading into history. Since that time, more than 5,000 Maine-built vessels have sailed the oceans of the world. Now, as part of Maine’s First Ship – The Virginia Project, a replica of the 17th century pinnace is being re-created in celebration of Maine’s maritime heritage. Through classroom activities and the Virginia’s voyages along the coast, school-age children and adults will be able to experience firsthand their maritime heritage and study the natural ecosystems of the marine environment. Maine’s First Ship is a nonprofit educational organization. For information, call (207) 389-2990, write to P.O. Box 358, Phippsburg, ME 04562, or visit www.mainefirstship.org.

The Maine Folklife Center

University of Maine, Orono, Maine

The mission of the Maine Folklife Center at the University of Maine is to enhance understanding of the folk life, folklore and history of Maine and Atlantic Canada, to encourage appreciation of the diverse cultures and heritage of the region, and to strengthen and enrich its communities. For more than 40 years, the Folklife Center has collected and preserved material through interviews, videos, recordings and photographs. The center is committed to using new media and technology to carry cultural stories from the 19th and 20th centuries into the future. The center is open to the public year-round. Hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information, call (207) 581-1891, e-mail

folklife@maine.edu or visit www.umaine.edu/folklife.

WoodenBoat School and magazine

Brooklin, Maine

WoodenBoat Publications Inc. and WoodenBoat magazine are independently owned and were founded in 1974. The publishing company produces magazines including WoodenBoat, Professional BoatBuilder, and Maritime Life and Traditions, as well as books, monographs and boat plans. In 1981, the company started the WoodenBoat School, enabling wooden-boat enthusiasts to acquire and hone wooden-boat-building and seamanship skills. For information, call (207) 359-4651 or visit www.woodenboat.com.

Penobscot Nation Cultural and Historic Preservation Department

6 River Road, Indian Island, Maine

The Penobscot Nation Cultural and Historic Preservation Department’s mission is to address the tribe’s cultural and historic preservation needs. Departmental activities include managing historic sites on tribal lands, Penobscot language revitalization, cultural education and outreach and museum operations. For information, call (207) 827-4168.

Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance

P.O. Box 3253, 240 Main St.,

Old Town, Maine

The Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance is a nonprofit American Indian arts organization, dedicated to preserving the traditions of ash and sweet grass basketry among the Maliseet, Micmac, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes of Maine. The alliance’s mission is to preserve and document the tradition of basket making among the four tribes, to expand markets for baskets in Maine and beyond, to ensure a supply of high-quality brown ash and sweet grass for present and future generations and to provide outreach, education and apprenticeships to young tribal members to keep alive the traditions. At the Wabanaki Arts Center at 137 North Main St. in Old Town, visitors can view sweet grass fancy baskets, brown ash baskets, educational exhibits, carvings and jewelry. Proceeds benefit the alliance’s nonprofit activities. The gallery is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. For information, call (800) 827-0391 or visit www.umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum-miba.

Hudson Museum

Maine Center for the Arts, University of Maine, Orono, Maine

Housed in the Maine Center for the Arts, the Hudson Museum is the University of Maine’s gateway for exploring and understanding the cultural diversity of human experience. The museum’s permanent collections include pre-Hispanic Mexican and Central American pieces; American Indian collections from the Northwest, Plains, Southwest, Maine, South America and the Arctic; and artifacts from Oceania, Asia and Africa. The museum has six permanent exhibits and presents two to four special exhibits each year. The museum offers guided tours and educational programs for elementary and secondary school pupils, university students and adult groups; lectures by distinguished anthropologists and archaeologists; and an annual Maine Indian Basketmakers Alliance sale and demonstrations. Hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. The museum is closed Sunday, Monday and holidays. Admission is free. For information, call (207) 581-1901 or visit www.umaine.edu/hudsonmuseum.

Leonard’s Mills: Maine Forest and Logging Museum

Route 178, Bradley, Maine

Leonard’s Mills forms the centerpiece of the Maine Forest and Logging Museum. Located on 265 acres on Blackman Stream, Leonard’s Mills is an authentic reconstruction of a logging and milling community of the 1790s. The site contains a stone dam, several house foundations and other original remains from a pioneer settlement. The public is invited to participate in a variety of activities or enjoy hiking nature trails through the nearby forest. For more information, call (207) 581-2871 or visit www.bairnet.org/organizations/leonardsmills.

Brooklin Keeping Society

Brooklin, Maine

Founded in 2000, the Brooklin Keeping Society strives to collect, keep, preserve and exhibit the history of Brooklin. The society is a nonprofit organization and has collected many photographs, oral histories, period clothing, tools, toys and other artifacts pertaining to town history. Volunteers archive and preserve artifacts for use in exhibitions and for genealogy research. The society meets at 6:30 p.m. the last Thursday of each month in the Little Red School House in the center of town. The Brooklin Keeping Society is open to the public 1-4 p.m. every Tuesday.

St. George Greek Orthodox Church

Bangor, Maine

St. George Greek Orthodox Church is the center of the Greek community in Bangor and the surrounding region. Northeastern Maine has a long tradition of Greek Orthodox immigration. The Bangor church was built in 1930 to serve families of many European nationalities. George N. Brountas was among the first Greek Orthodox immigrants to arrive in the Bangor region at the turn of the 20th century. The St. George Orthodox Church was dedicated on Sept. 7, 1930, and the service was conducted by Bishop Joachim Alexopoulos of Boston. The church’s iconostasis was a gift of the Ladies Aid Society. The icons were donated by individual families in the community. In 2005, the church will celebrate its 75th anniversary at the Sanford Street location.