Maine Historical Society

The third-oldest state historical society in the United States.

Located in the heart of Portland’s downtown cultural district, the Maine Historical Society is the third-oldest state historical society in the United States. It is comprised of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House and Longfellow Garden; the Maine Historical Society Museum and Store; the MHS Research Library; and the Maine Memory Network. The 1786 Wadsworth–Longfellow House was the childhood home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 19th-century America's most famous poet. The Maine Historical Society opened the house to the public in 1901, making it the first historic house museum in Maine. One of Maine’s oldest treasures, the house is a National Historic Landmark.