Maine State Museum Opens New Exhibition

Maine Voices from the Civil War
on Saturday, June 29, 2013
Museum’s Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War Features
Many Artifacts on View for the First Time; Free Museum Admission All Day
Augusta, Maine - Saturday June 29, 2013 marks the opening of the Maine State Museum’s newest exhibit, Maine Voices from the Civil War.   Organized to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the exhibit’s opening also coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 – 3, 1865.

“Maine Voices from the Civil War draws almost exclusively from the extensive collections of the Maine State Museum,” notes Museum Director Bernard Fishman.  “These collections include thousands of letters, documents, diaries, sketches, paintings, flags, and other objects from the turbulent Civil War period.  Museum Chief History Curator Laurie LaBar chose the objects because they highlight historic events or themes from a Maine perspective.  We are also pleased to feature many items that will be on exhibit for the first time.”

“Over 70,000 Mainers from every corner of the state and every walk of life, representing more than 10% of
the state’s whole population in 1860, fought in the Civil War,” says LaBar.  “The voices of these Maine people will be heard in Maine Voices from the Civil War through the letters they wrote to loved ones and the diaries they kept.  The objects and photographs carried, used, and made by Maine soldiers and their families will also be featured, as they tell of wartime experiences, hopes and fears, and prejudices and heroism.  The exhibit’s documents, objects, and photographs reflect the political climate of the day and how Mainers viewed and experienced the war in all its complexity, glory, and horror.”

The exhibit will have a web presence including photos of artifacts, full transcripts of the letters quoted in the
exhibit, and brief biographies of the soldiers and civilians whose thoughts or possessions are featured.  The museum has also published a companion volume, titled Maine Voices from the Civil War and authored by Laurie LaBar.  Available exclusively in the Museum Store, the book includes objects and stories from both of the Maine State Museum’s Civil War exhibits: Maine Voices from the Civil War and To the Highest Standard: Maine’s Civil War Flags.

Maine Voices from the Civil War will remain on view until spring 2015.  With this exhibition, the Maine State Museum joins 22 other museums and historical societies in Maine’s Civil War Trail, a statewide collaborative effort to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.

The Maine State Museum, located at 230 State Street in Augusta, is open from Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  For more information, contact the Maine State Museum at (207) 287-2301 or visit the museum’s website: www.mainestatemuseum.org.

Photos Courtesy: Maine State Museum