UPCOMING EVENTS
Images: Collections of Maine Historical Society/MaineToday Media, left #12575, right #104859; Maine Historical Society, center #12087
Exhibit Opening
January 22, 2026 - 4:30 pm
Discover how Portland's identity has been carved by the routes we've traveled. From maritime commerce that built a bustling port city to the streetcars, railways, and highways that connected neighborhoods and spurred growth, transportation has been the invisible architect of Portland's landscape. Watch as neighborhoods took root near wharves and rail yards, clustering around the workplaces that sustained them, then follow the transformation as trolleys and automobiles unlocked suburban expansion and reshaped the boundaries of community.
Opening Night Lecture
January 22, 2026 - 5:30 pm
Scott Hanson will present an illustrated talk about the critical role of transportation in shaping the city of Portland over more than three centuries. From birchbark canoes to modern highways and air travel, every era of the city's history has been deeply affected by the means available to move people and goods to, through, from, and around Portland.
Program Starts February 26
The Portland History Docent Program (PHD) is a collaborative effort by Greater Portland Landmarks, Maine Historical Society, Tate House Museum, Victoria Mansion, the Maine Jewish Museum, the Fifth Maine Regiment Museum, Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, Spirits Alive at the Eastern Cemetery, the Maine Irish Heritage Center, Friends of Evergreen Cemetery and Stewards of the Western Cemetery.
Each spring, these organizations join forces to provide a ten-week training program for new and prospective volunteer guides at each organization's respective museum site.
Upon graduation, PHD participants become eligible to volunteer at the site(s) of their choice. Specific site training is scheduled on an individual basis. Please be prepared to commit to a full year of time post graduation.
MORE PROGRAMMING TO COME!
cHECK bACK TO lEARN MORE ABOUT THESE UPCOMING lECTURES
Down the Road Apiece: Moving Maine’s Buildings w/ Aimee Keithan
Type: Lunch and Learn
Date: Thursday, February 12, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Online via Zoom
Portland, Maine: Cosmopolitan Window to the World w/ Seth Goldstein
Type: In Person
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: Rines Auditorium, Portland Public Library
The Evolution of Casco Bay Transportation and Tourism w/ Donna Damon
Type: Lunch and Learn
Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Online via Zoom
The Modern Mile: Forest Ave’s Transportation Transformation w/ Phil Morse and Myles Smith
Type: In Person
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: Rines Auditorium, Portland Public Library
Redlining and Portland’s Jewish Community w/ David Freidenreich
Type: Lunch and Learn
Date: Thursday, April 15, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM
Location: Online via Zoom
