We are very honored to share the news that the Penobscot Marine Museum has again achieved accreditation from the Alliance of American Museums. AAM Accreditation is the premiere standard for best practices among museums in the United States. It affirms that Penobscot Marine Museum demonstrates excellence in education, collections stewardship, public service, planning, and organizational health, and it speaks to the talents and dedication of our staff, board of directors, volunteers, members, and supporters. 

Of the country’s estimated 33,000 museums, roughly 1,100 are currently accredited. Penobscot Marine Museum is one of only 17 museums accredited in Maine. To earn accreditation, we conducted a year of self-study and hosted a site visit by peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, then considered the self-study and visiting committee report to make their determination. 

This reaccreditation speaks to all the ways we work together to achieve excellence for the Penobscot Marine Museum. We thank you for being a part of this important and inspiring endeavor. 

Not a member? Join here.

When you enter our Stay & Play in Hilton Head, South Carolina sweepstakes now through April 14th, you will also be entered to win a 16"x20" silver gelatin print of the bark CARRIE WINSLOW! Use promo code FLASH20 and receive 20% more entries. Your donation will help us continue to share centuries of sea stories.

By Cipperly Good, Richard Saltonstall Jr. Curator of Maritime History

Over the 135-year history of the Maine Sardine Industry, people handled herring from net, to can, to shipping carton. The process changed, and automation eliminated jobs, but through it all, it took human hands to make the final product. Read on for a short history of the evolution.

By Kevin Johnson, Photo Archivist

Eliot Elisofon Collection

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Parker Dodge Collection

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Jeff Dworsky Collection

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We have made a lot of noise about the Eliot Elisofon, Parker Dodge and the Jeff Dworsky Collections the past year. It does take some time for collections to get processed and the anticipation can be agonizing. The wait is over as these three amazing collections are now being added to our new Odyssey Database. The collections are similar in that they each focus on relatively small hamlets in Maine, though at different time periods.

Parker Dodge’s Collection takes a look at the Haven Colony in Brooklin in the first two decades of the 20th Century while the Eliot Elisofon Collection explores Vinalhaven in the 1950’s-1960’s. Jeff Dworsky captured Stonington in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s during a time when the community was going through a major change. They each boast beautiful landscape photographs, local scenes on and off the water as well as intimate family photographs that make them truly personal.

We invite you to explore and enjoy these fascinating images! The advanced search page of our Odyssey database can be found here. Near the bottom of the page is the field to search for collections. Simply start typing the name of any of these three photographers and you will be able to choose their collection from the list and run the search. Enjoy!

By Jeana Ganskop, Education Director

One of our off-season focuses in the education department is kids. We had a lot of fun with the campers who spent their February break days at PMM. Their programming focused on storytelling and you can see some of their work by clicking here. What else do children do during camp at PMM? We play games, make crafts, visit exhibits, enjoy free time, and more! We’re currently accepting registrations for April break and two weeks of summer day camp. Find out more and register here.

We’re also getting ready to welcome students on field trips in May and June. Teachers who sign up for field trips get to choose what activities their students do including the Set Sail demonstration, tour of the Fowler-True-Ross House, making a craft, and interacting with primary sources. We already have ten field trips on the calendar! Field trips are free thanks to friends of Penobscot Marine Museum and we’re happy to be able to offer busing scholarships to those who qualify. Find out more and book your field trip by clicking here.

What else are we doing in our Old Vestry Education offices? This season, our temporary exhibit is Sardineland and this year’s summer programming schedule is packed (like sardines). We’ll have a speaker series, plenty of kids and family programming, monthly chantey singalongs, and a one-day, all-things-sardine festival called SardineFest in October! We’re excited, even if things get a little fishy and weir(d)*! Hope to see you when we open Memorial Day weekend. Click here to see our calendar of events.

*Weirs are traps for catching schools of fish near the shore.

When processing our photo collections, we often find ourselves looking at pictures with amazing historical significance but lacking key details—like where the photo was taken, when, or who the individuals are. The context behind these images can be just as important as the photos themselves, and your insights could be the missing piece of the puzzle!

We know these two photos were taken by Kosti Ruohomaa, and we believe this is the same building, but we could use help identifying the location and the people. Every detail you provide can help bring these photos to life and ensure that future generations have a richer understanding of history. If you think you can help, please reach out to us PMM Photo Archivist Kevin Johnson at kjohnson@pmm-maine.org.