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Home > For Libraries > Learning & Technology > Ed. Video Library > Maine Studies - History Videos

Maine Studies - History Videos

Dawn of America

45 min.; 7-12; History, Maine Studies; Produced by: Foster Films (1971)

This program, produced in celebration of Maine's sesquicentennial year, relates with graphic illustrations and still photographs the history of Maine from its discovery. The program also explores the role Maine has played in the nation's development.

Flowing Past: Maine's Kennebec and Dead Rivers

9-12; Energy Use & Conservation, Environment, History, Maine Studies, Native Americans; Maine Public Television, Lewiston, ME (2003)

Examines the histories of the Kennebec and Dead Rivers. Topics covered: Native American Life; The Popham Colony; Shipbuilding; Logging; Transportation; Benedict Arnold's March to Quebec; Ice Harvest; Paper Industry; Hydroelectric Power; White Water Rafting.

Heritage 350

120 min.; K-12; History, Maine Studies; Produced by: WGAN-TV (1982)

A series of historical vignettes celebrating the 350th birthday of Greater Portland, narrated by Jim Brunelle. A list of the vignettes is available upon request.

Home: The Story of Maine

7 programs - 30 min. each; 9-12; Environment, History, Maine Studies, Social Studies; Produced by: Maine Public Television

HOME: The Story of Maine explores the unique heritage of Maine through an on-going series that documents the state's rich history.

  1. A Place Apart (The image of Maine)
  2. A Part of the Main (European Settlement and natural resources
  3. They Came By Sea
  4. A Love for the Land (Agriculture)
  5. The Nation's Playground (Tourism)
  6. Trails, Rails & Roads (Transportation)
  7. Power Lines (Electricity)
  8. People of the Dawn (Native Americans)
  9. Rolling Back the Frontier (1600's)
  10. The Frontier Wars
  11. The Penobscot Expedition and the Revolution
  12. Land of Liberty
  13. Struggle for Identity

Ice Age in Maine

30 min.; 7-12; Environment, Geology, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Geological Survey (1992)

Documents the ice age in Maine and shows the various geological formations left behind by the glaciers.

Last Log Drive

30 min.; 7-12; Forests & Forestry, History, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Public Broadcasting (1977)

The last logs transported by the Kennebec River moved down Wyman Lake to the Wyman Dam Sluiceway in September, 1976. By October 1, the Kennebec River flowed free of logs for the first time in 150 years and the change from waterway to roadway had been made.

Night Portland Burned (The)

30 min.; 7-12; History, Maine Studies; Produced by: WCSH-TV (1976)

Historical report on the July 4, 1866 fire in Portland, Maine.

Norse Coin

30 min.; 9-12; Archaeology, History, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Public Broadcasting (1981)

The Norse Coin, taped at the excavation site near Blue Hill, Maine, and at the Maine State Museum in Augusta, examines the validity of the now famous Norse coin and theorizes on how it made its way to Maine.

Penobscot: The Battle No One Ever Heard of

30 min.; 9-12; History, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Public Broadcasting Network, Orono, ME (1980)

The Battle of the Penobscot (1779) has been described as the worst defeat (save Pearl Harbor) our navy has ever suffered. This program about the Penobscot Expedition is an account of the expedition and the historical events surrounding it, and a report on the reenactment of the battle which was staged as a Bicentennial celebration.

Quittons Pour Mieux Vivre

30 min.; K-12; Anthropology, Fine Arts, Franco-Americans, History, Maine Studies; Produced by: Hyde School, Bath, ME (1981)

Quittons Pour Mieux Vivre depicts the reasons for the French-Canadian immigration to Maine, the contributions of the Franco-Americans, and the ethnic traditions of Franco-American families. Presented in dramatic musical form, each scene contains traditional, contemporary, and original songs and dances performed in both French and English.

Remember the Maine

60 min.; 7-12; History, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Public Television (1998)

The battleship "USS Maine" sank on February 15, 1898. This documentary looks at the history of the ship, the prelude to war which took her to Cuba, and the reaction to her sinking.

Remembering Pearl Harbor

60 min.; 9-12; History, Maine Studies; Maine Public Television, Lewiston, ME (2002)

The "big picture" story of Pearl Harbor is familiar. But on the 60th anniversary of the attack, Maine PBS provided an unforgettable, personal view of what it was like to be part of that momentous day. Remembering Pearl Harbor tells the story of the attach through six Maine people who experienced it in a variety of ways. Among them are a sailor who escaped the sinking battleship West Virginia; another sailor who helped rescue comrades in the harbor, and a third who watched, helplessly, from his ship just offshore. Viewers meet an army veteran who was injured by bombs at a nearby airfield, and a report and his wife, who together sent some of the first messages to the U.S. mainland that fateful morning. Their stories give a dramatic account of life and death, and of how lives were changed forever. They also look at September 11, 2001, and reflect on how America's latest national tragedy and call to arms compares to that memorable day of 60 years ago.

Shanty Boys

30 min.; 7-12; Forests & Forestry, History, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Public Broadcasting (1976)

A program designed to recreate both the myths and the realities of the men of Maine who worked in the woods. The program consists of tall tales of the woodsmen's life, woodsmen's songs, and film of woods operations taken circa 1937.

Story of the Acadians

2 programs - 30 min. each; 9-12; Anthropology, Foreign Countries, Maine Studies; Produced by: Maine Public Broadcasting (1980)

  1. The Story Of The Acadians - The program centers on the enforced deportation of the French from British Canada in 1755, and traces the historic reasons for the deportation and includes interviews with contemporary historians and native Acadians. It also examines the current life styles of the present day Acadians with glimpses of traditional cooking, dancing, and music.
  2. The Madawaska People - The Madawaska People captures in vivid form the town's annual Acadian Festival, a celebration of their Franco-American heritage. The program also visits Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives John Martin, himself a Franco-American from Eagle Lake, to talk about the economy of the St. John Valley. (1985)

Then It Happened

15 min.; 7-12; Environment, Forests & Forestry, Maine Studies, Safety; Distributed by: Maine Dept. of Conservation (1987)

A documentary on the 1947 forest fires in Maine with an introduction by Governor John McKernan