Mainely History

Elizabeth DeWolfe returns to talk about the life of Jane Tucker "alias Agnes," an undercover detective hired to spy on a Kentucky congressman's mistress caught up in one of the most notorious scandals of the Gilded Age. 

Robert Cray, historian of war and memory, discuss the history and commemoration of the locally famous "Lovewell's Fight" of 1725 with Tiffany and Ian.

Jason Newton starts off Season 3 by discussing the era of industrial scale logging in Maine's northern forests.

Film historian Vaughn Joy triumphantly returns for another end of year bonus episode, this time assessing a genre-mixing Christmas Western directed by Maine's own John Ford.

Marine Biologist Gina Lonati returns to the pod to discuss Maine's most endangered marine mammal.

Author Sharon Kitchens discusses the Maine places that shaped the career of the "King of Horror" Stephen King, and his influence on the Pine Tree State.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows joins the show to discuss the history of Maine's state flags as voters decide whether to bring back the old "Pine Tree" flag.

Jack Furniss, historian of Civil War era party politics, discusses why Maine Republican Hannibal Hamlin made an attractive vice president for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, why he was dropped from the ticket in 1864, and what a Hamlin administration might have looked like.

Rebecca Brenner Graham returns to the pod to discuss Frances Perkins's little-known work aiding refugees from Nazi Germany.

Catherine Burns discusses the history behind Maine's 1875 redaction of parts of the state constitution dealing with public lands and obligations to Wabanaki nations.

Genevieve LeMoine of Bowdoin College's Peary MacMillan Arctic Museum discusses the controversial contest to reach the North Pole.

Food writer and historian of vegetarianism Avery Yale Kamila speaks with Tiffany and Ian about dietary reformer Sylvester Graham's controversial Maine speaking tour, which drew both fans and riotous critics in the 1830s.

Elizabeth DeWolfe discusses the tragedy, trial, and media sensation surrounding the death of a young Biddeford mill worker named Berengera Caswell in 1849.

Ian chats with composer Bryan Den Hartog about how he created the music of Mainely History.

Film historian Vaughn Joy returns to discuss the baffling 1988 Christmas movie "Some Girls," starring Lewiston's own Patrick Dempsey in this bonus episode.

Alexandra Montgomery returns to the pod for a discussion on the significance and complicated legacy of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 for Mainers and their neighbors on both sides of the US-Canadian border.

Jeremy Ellis, president of the Clotilda Descendants Association, speaks with Tiffany and Ian about the final ship of enslaved Africans illegally brought to the United States in 1860, and their ties to Maine-born slave trader Timothy Meaher.

Meg North and John Babin discuss the haunted past and present of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Portland home with Tiffany and Ian.

New Mainely History co-host Tiffany Link joins Ian to talk about day jobs, side-gigs, historical dinner guests, and what to expect for Season 2!

In this live show at the Maine Historical Society, Hannah Peterson and Daniel Bottino spoke with Ian about the 1735 trial, incarceration, conversion, and execution of Patience Boston, a Nauset indentured servant.

Jacqueline Beatty discusses how New England women navigated life a new American republic that assumed their dependent status, while equating true citizenship with independence.

Part Two of Tiffany Link's discussion of the failed Quebec Expedition of 1775-1776.

Tiffany Link discusses Benedict Arnold's doomed expedition through Maine to seize Quebec during the American Revolutionary War.

Medievalist John Sexton discusses why so many 19th century Mainers were looking for lost Viking settlements, and what we know today about the actual exploits of Norse seafarers in the North Atlantic long ago.

Dan Mandell and Alden Vaughan talk about the work that goes into finding and preparing historical sources for publication, and changes in the craft of history in this wide-ranging discussion.

Brian Payne discusses how ecological, commercial, and cultural transformations caused the decline of independent herring fishermen in Downeast Maine a century ago.

The creators of Temp Tales discuss the origins and reception of their cult classic animated series with Ian, including the aspects of Maine's history that influence their work. 

Gideon Cohn-Postar discusses the important legacy of Maine's two Gilded Age Speakers of the House with Ian, while making time to bash newly relevant President Grover Cleveland.

Vaughn Joy returns to the pod to discuss the Yuletide cinematic contributions of Maine's best-loved 21st century cultural export- Anna Kendrick- in this special end of year Bonus episode.

Lydia Moland speaks with Ian about the pivotal career of a 19th century radical activist whose best known work today is a children's song about visiting grandmother on Thanksgiving.

Ashley Johnson Bavery and Thomas MacMillan discuss the extensive--even mainstream--influence of the Klan in 1920s Maine and the nation.

Larissa Vigue Picard speaks with Ian about a planchette held in the Pejepscot History Center, and the role of devices like these in the world of 19th century séances, mediums, and spiritualists.

James Risk and Ian discuss the construction of the iconic Portland Observatory in Munjoy Hill, and its role in the network of maritime signal stations in the early American republic.

Kim Smith and Craig Green of the Presque Isle Historical Society discuss the rich history of potato farming in Aroostook County, including its impact on the region's culture and economy.

Ian joins Emerson Baker on a special on the road episode featuring discussion of beer and other alcoholic drinks in colonial Maine, as well as tasting some modern "heritage" brews.

Jamie Rice and Ian discuss fashion from centuries past in this special episode recorded at the Maine Historical Society

Darren Ranco talks about Indigenous nations' status in federal and Maine law, major cases shaping the current landscape, and how these issues impact ongoing legal and environmental questions in Maine and around the world.

John Morton discusses how different religious networks among Wabanakis, American citizens, and British subjects created and gave meaning to the Maine-New Brunswick border after the American Revolution.

Laura Chmielewski talks about colonial Maine's earliest Catholics, including Indigenous converts, secret faithful in English towns, and loud, proud Jesuit missionaries.

Amy Fried discusses Ross Perot's history making independent bid for the presidency in 1992, and why Mainers were so receptive to the Texas billionaire's message. 

Kyle Volk discusses Maine's pioneering foray into prohibition in the 19th century.

Vaughn Joy stops by to talk about the emergence of Christmas films as a genre, and to analyze several notable movies with a Maine connection.

David Silverman talks with Ian about what the Plymouth Colonists of Thanksgiving fame were doing in Maine during the 17th Century.

The conclusion of Emerson Baker's discussion of George Burroughs and the Salem Witch Trials

Emerson Baker discusses the curious case of George Burroughs, a Harvard educated minister on the Maine frontier who found himself among the accused--and executed--in the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Part One

Sara Georgini discusses John Adams's formative years as a young attorney, including his experiences riding the circuit through Maine, and how the legal system operated in the years just before the American Revolution.

Keri Holt discusses John Neal, an 19th century writer, activist, and literary influencer, who helped shape an emerging New England "Yankee" character, even while trying to challenge it.

Gina Lonati spouts off about North Atlantic Right Whales, answering Ian's questions about whale sounds and personalities, while explaining scientists' role in efforts to save this critically endangered species.

Ian Stevenson stops by to discuss Civil War veteran organizations and the rise of the modern summer vacation in Maine.

Kristalyn Shefveland, Alexandra Montgomery, and Ian present their chosen candidates before a live audience in a contest to determine the most petty, corrupt figure in colonial North America.

Tiffany Link joins Ian to discuss why the British singled out Falmouth (future Portland) for destruction in 1775, the course of the attack, and the legacy of that day.