Museum sights in Maine
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Pejepscot Museum
On the Bowdoin campus, the Pejepscot Historical Society preserves several house museums, which provide a fascinating glimpse into the past. You can visit them all for an $8 combination ticket. The Pejepscot Museum displays changing exhibits relating to Brunswick history, with photographs and artifacts pulled from its 50,000-piece inventory. Skolfield-Whittier House, an adjacent 17-room brick mansion, is a virtual time capsule, closed as it was from 1925 to 1982. Victorian furnishings and decor are handsomely preserved – even the spices in the kitchen racks are authentic. It’s only open for tours. The Joshua L Chamberlain Museum exhibits artifacts from the late owner’s…
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Joshua L Chamberlain Museum
The Pejepscot Historical Society preserves several house museums on the Bowdoin campus, which provide a fascinating glimpse into the past. The Joshua L Chamberlain Museum exhibits artifacts from the late owner’s eventful life as college professor, Civil War hero, president of Bowdoin College and four-term governor of Maine. Tours are included with the admission fee. The Pejepscot Museum displays changing exhibits relating to Brunswick history, with photographs and artifacts pulled from its 50,000-piece inventory. Skolfield-Whittier House, an adjacent 17-room brick mansion, is a virtual time capsule, closed as it was from 1925 to 1982. Victorian furnishings and decor are…
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Wilhelm Reich Museum
Austrian-born psychiatrist and scientist Wilhelm Reich (1897–1957) devoted his life to proving the existence of biological sexual energy in humans, which he called ‘orgone energy.’ Needless to say, Reich’s experiments attracted a lot of attention, and things ended badly for him, with the FDA destroying his equipment and burning his books and publications; he was also sentenced to prison and died there of heart failure. To learn about his life and work, visit the museum, for guided tours through Reich’s fieldstone mansion. The 160 acre grounds have nature trails, and there are impressive views from the roof of the Orgone Energy Observatory.
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Fishermen’s Museum Lighthouse
Along a 3500-mile coastline famed for its natural beauty, Pemaquid Point stands out because of its tortuous, grainy, igneous rock formations pounded by restless, treacherous seas. Perched on top of the rocks is the 11,000-candlepower Pemaquid Light, built in 1827. It’s one of the 61 surviving lighthouses along the Maine coast, 52 of which are still in operation. The keeper’s house now serves as the Fishermen’s Museum Lighthouse, displaying fishing paraphernalia and photos, as well as a nautical chart of the entire Maine coast with all the lighthouses marked.
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A
Museum at Portland Head Light
Fort Williams Park, on Cape Elizabeth, has rolling lawns dotted with bunkers and gun emplacements, from WWII, although the fort actively guarded the entrance to Casco Bay from 1873 to 1964. Right next to the park stands Portland Head Light, the oldest of Maine’s 52 functioning lighthouses. It was commissioned by President George Washington in 1791 and staffed until 1989, when machines took over. The keeper’s house has been passed into service as the Museum at Portland Head Light, which traces the maritime and military history of the region.
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Woodlawn Museum
Just north of Mt Desert Island, the small town of Ellsworth is a slice of old-school Americana, with a pretty Main street lined with shops, galleries and restaurants. Nearby is the Woodlawn Museum located 0.25 miles south of US 1. The former home of three generations of the wealthy Black family dates from the 1820s and has marvelously preserved furnishings, decorations and family artifacts dating from 1820 to 1920. Formal gardens and a picturesque lawn surround the mansion, with a pleasant trail circling the woods.
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Penobscot Marine Museum
Just north of Camden on US 1 lies Belfast, a sleepy often-overlooked town, of grand architecturally eclectic houses and a diverse population mingling in the galleries and cafés of town. Five miles northeast, Searsport has a fine historic district with its share of 19th-century mansions. Searsport is also home to the superb Penobscot Marine Museum, housing Maine’s biggest collection of mariner art and artifacts, which are spread through a number of historic buildings.
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B
Portland Museum of Art
Works of Maine painters Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth are showcased here. Maine's finest art museum also boasts solid contemporary collections; post-Impressionist works by Picasso, Monet and Renoir; and a brilliant collection of Portland art glass. If you enjoy period homes, be sure to stroll through the restored 1801 McLellan House, entered through the museum and included in the ticket price.
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Lincoln County Jail Museum
The first prison in the district of Maine opened in 1811 and surprisingly remained in operation until 1953. The hilltop structure of granite, brick and wood holds 12 tiny cells, complete with graffiti and other mementos from its earliest days. In addition, the jail functions as a museum, with changing exhibitions covering episodes from Wiscasset’s history. It’s located about a half-mile north of US 1.
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C
Museum of African Culture
This museum houses over 1500 pieces of art and craftwork from sub-Saharan Africa, with a particularly impressive collection of ceremonial masks. Traditional pottery, ivory flutes and nicely executed changing exhibitions add to the portfolio. At the time of research the museum was temporarily closed in preparation for a move to its new Brown Street location.
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Ogunquit Museum of American Art
Beautifully set overlooking the shore, this museum, houses an exquisite collection of paintings, sculpture and photography made by American artists. Standouts are works by Reginald Marsh, Charles Demuth and Robert Henri; the museum also has two changing exhibitions each summer, which in the past have included works by Jamie Wyeth and Ansel Adams.
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Discovery Museum
If you have kids in tow, don’t miss the huge Discovery Museum, the largest kids’ museum north of Boston. Hands-on exhibits include a nature exploration, a sound studio, an anatomical journey through the body, space exploration and travel-the-world exhibits on Peru, the Australian outback and a Ghanaian market.
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Farnsworth Art Museum & Wyeth Center
Rockland is famous for its Farnsworth Art Museum & Wyeth Center, one of the country’s best small regional museums. Its collection of 5000 works is especially strong in landscape and marine artists who have worked in Maine, such as Andrew, NC and Jamie Wyeth; Louise Nevelson; Rockwell Kent; John Marin and others.
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Wells Auto Museum
Lover of a well-made touring car should pay a visit to this fanciful museum. Here you’ll find a collection of restored classic cars powered by steam, electricity and gasoline. There’s over 70 cars on hand, representing 45 different makes, including Rolls-Royce, Stutz, Cadillac, Packard, Pierce Arrow and Knox.
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Owls Head Transportation Museum
Three miles south of Rockland, the Owls Head Transportation Museum collects, preserves (yes, everything works!) and exhibits pre-1920s aircraft, vehicles and engines that were instrumental in the evolution of transportation. Besides its year-round exhibits, the museum hosts WWI air shows and specialty vehicle shows.
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D
Museum
Trolleys, the light-rail systems that provided most urban transportation a century ago, are the focus of this museum. There are over 250 streetcars (including one named Desire), as well as antique buses and public transit paraphernalia. Head north on North St from Dock Sq to reach Log Cabin Rd.
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Old Fort Western
Located in its own riverside park, Old Fort Western was originally built as a frontier outpost in 1754. The restored 16-room structure, now a museum, is New England’s oldest surviving wooden fort. It’s also open in the off-season – call ahead to find out the hours.
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Cole Land Transportation Museum
Dedicated to preserving the history of Maine’s transportation equipment, the Cole Land Transportation Museum houses a wistful collection of antique vehicles, snow-removal equipment, fire trucks, logging vehicles and thousands of photographs from Maine’s bygone days.
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Boothbay Railway Village
This endearing village is a historical replica of a New England town, with 27 buildings and a narrow-gauge steam-train line running through it. It’s basically a nonprofit educational park, and has a collection of more than 55 antique steam- and gasoline-powered motor vehicles.
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Bangor Museum and Center for History
The Bangor Museum and Center for History houses a rambling collection of Civil War artifacts and historic clothing (some 800 gowns, dresses, hats, suits and handbags dating from 1918 to the present) as well as thousands of photographs. Check the website for current admission rates.
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E
Abbe Museum
Abbe has fascinating presentations on the Native American tribes that hail from this region and thousands of artifacts ranging from pottery dating back more than a millennium to contemporary woodcarvings and baskets.
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Maine Lighthouse Museum
Lovers of maritime history should pay a visit to the lighthouse museum perched over Rockland harbor. Collections here include lighthouse artifacts (enormous jewel-like prisms), foghorns, marine instruments and ship models, with hands-on exhibits for children.
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Musical Wonder House
On the way to Castle Tucker, don’t overlook this sweet museum. Its outstanding collection of antique music boxes, player pianos and early talking machines (gramophones) are displayed in period rooms.
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Peary-Macmillan Arctic Museum
The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum holds memorabilia from the expeditions of Robert Peary and Donald MacMillan, Bowdoin alumni who were among the first explorers to reach the North Pole.
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Wilson Museum
Near Fort Pentagöet this museum holds a good collection of Native American artifacts, historic tools, farm equipment and other relics from Maine’s past.
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