Mapping Black History in Maine
A visual exploration of the Black experience in Maine
Welcome to a research work-in-progress.
Maine Preservation’s Mapping Black History in Maine provides a visual exploration of the Black experience in Maine through the lens of the physical places these Mainer's lived and worked. This map is intended to shine a light on histories and places that have often been overlooked, actively ignored, hidden, or destroyed, in order to build a more complete history of Maine and its citizens.
Our goal with this map is to make information that has been researched and vetted by many wonderful historians in Maine accessible to the public in an interactive and engaging way to help build a common understanding of the rich contributions of Black Mainers to our collective history. This story map is a living document. We currently have over 50 sites on this map and it continues to grow as we collect more information. We welcome your participation in this project. If you have a story to share, please contact us.
Sources
The base information in this map comes from a database of information that Maine Preservation built using the following sources, identifying stories that we can connect to a physical site in Maine, both extant and demolished:
Gerald Talbot’s and H.H. Price’s invaluable book “Maine’s Visible Black History: The First Chronicle of Its People,” published in 2006 that tells the stories of Black Mainers from pre-statehood to the mid-20th century and spans the entire state.
Maureen Elgersman Lee’s book “Black Bangor: African Americans in a Maine Community, 1880-1950”
“Important Places of Portland’s African-American History,” Greater Portland Landmarks
“Blacks in Maine,” Maine Historical Society
“Black History in Maine: The Stories and Contributions of Maine's Black Individuals and Communities,” Maine Public
Maine’s local historical societies and other Maine expert sources have also been contacted to collect information
Navigating the Map
In this map, you can virtually visit each site and read a summary of the history of the site, views photos, and where available, obtain more information about the site via links to other content.
You can either follow the narrative tour by clicking the large black arrow buttons on the map or you may use the map to zoom in on a location and click a map marker to view that site’s story.
Map Note: Depending on your internet connection, this map may be VERY slow to load due to its size. Please be patient. Maybe grab a coffee while you wait. If the map does not load in a couple of minutes, you may want to clear your browser cache of saved images to speed the load time. Learn how to clear your cache (PC Mag).
