Mainely History

Ashley Rattner, a scholar of early American utopian movements, discusses The Testament of Ann Lee, a recent biopic of the 18th century founder of the Shaker movement, whose three remaining members live in Sabbathday Lake in Maine. 

Andrew Holman discusses the infamous World Heavyweight Championship boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston held in Lewiston, Maine in 1965. 

Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai, Chief Historian at the Massachusetts Historical Society--America's first and oldest state historical society--hosts Ian and Tiffany for this special road show episode about the creation of the oldest historical society in the United States. 

James Melcher returns to the show to discuss the Pine Tree State's history of electing liberal Republicans, and the 20th century political coalitions making that not only possible, but common. 

Renowned historian of the Great Awakening Douglas Winiarski discusses the major role southern Maine played in the origins of American Evangelical Protestantism. 

Tis the season for our Christmas bonus episode, featuring returning film historian Vaughn Joy and a discussion of The 12 Dogs of Christmas, a movie about a fictional Maine town that outlawed dogs during the Great Depression.  

Gilded Age historian Gideon Cohn-Postar returns to the show to discuss the Netflix Series Death by Lightning, which dramatizes the election and assassination of James A. Garfield, and includes a major focus on Maine's own James G. Blaine. 

Amy Fluker is the guest for this Halloween discussion of Civil War hauntings, the marketing and reception of ghost stories, and which states are the most haunted.

Tiffany and Ian discuss the founding of the International Appalachian Trail, which now extends from Maine to Morocco, with one of its early architects, Don Hudson. 

Three organizers of the November 2024 Descendants Walk in York discuss the practice of public history and commemoration of tragic local history, in this case York's role in the 1724 massacre at Norridgewock.