Episodes
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The Testament of Ann Lee with Ashley Rattner
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.
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The Phantom Punch with Andrew Holman
Andrew Holman discusses the infamous World Heavyweight Championship boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston held in Lewiston, Maine in 1965.
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The First Historical Society with Kanisorn Wongsrichanalai
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.
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Maine's Liberal Republicans with James Melcher
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.
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Maine's Great Awakening with Douglas Winiarski
Renowned historian of the Great Awakening Douglas Winiarski discusses the major role southern Maine played in the origins of American Evangelical Protestantism.
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The 12 Dogs of Christmas with Vaughn Joy
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.
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Death by Lightning with Gideon Cohn-Postar
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.
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Civil War Hauntings with Amy Fluker
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.
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The International Appalachian Trail with Don Hudson
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.
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Descendants Walk in York with Meadow Dibble, Danny Bottino and James Kences
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.
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Dogsledding in Maine with Jonathan Hayes
Jonathan Hayes, a breeder, musher, and historian of Seppala sled dogs discusses the history of Maine's own breed of Siberian Husky, descended from Togo, a famous canine participant in the 1925 Serum Run to Nome, Alaska.
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It's Pronounced "Jail": an Old York Live Show!
Joel Lefever and Erin Tewksbury join Tiffany, Ian, and a live audience at the Old York Historical Society to talk about the history of the Old York Gaol, and how it transformed from a prison to an icon of local history and, eventually, tourism.
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Pejepscot Portage Mapping Project with Joe Hall- A Live Show in Auburn!
Joe Hall joined Tiffany, Ian, and a live audience at the Auburn Public Library for a conversation about the project to map and commemorate the Wabanaki Pejepscot Portage.
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Agnes the Spy with Elizabeth DeWolfe
Elizabeth DeWolfe returns to talk about the life of Jane Tucker "alias Agnes," an undercover detective hired to spy on a Kentucky congressman's mistress caught up in one of the most notorious scandals of the Gilded Age.
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Remembering Lovewell's Fight with Robert Cray
Robert Cray, historian of war and memory, discusses the history and commemoration of the locally famous "Lovewell's Fight" of 1725 with Tiffany and Ian.
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Logging the Maine Woods With Jason Newton
Jason Newton starts off Season 3 by discussing the era of industrial scale logging in Maine's northern forests.
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A John Ford Christmas Western? with Vaughn Joy
Film historian Vaughn Joy triumphantly returns for another end of year bonus episode, this time assessing a genre-mixing Christmas Western directed by Maine's own John Ford.
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Return of the Right Whales with Gina Lonati
Marine Biologist Gina Lonati returns to the pod to discuss Maine's most endangered marine mammal.
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Stephen King's Maine
Author Sharon Kitchens discusses the Maine places that shaped the career of the "King of Horror" Stephen King, and his influence on the Pine Tree State.
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Maine's First (and next?) State Flag with Shenna Bellows
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows joins the show to discuss the history of Maine's state flags as voters decide whether to bring back the old "Pine Tree" flag.
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Hannibal Hamlin, Lincoln's First Vice President with Jack Furniss
Jack Furniss, historian of Civil War era party politics, discusses why Maine Republican Hannibal Hamlin made an attractive vice president for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, why he was dropped from the ticket in 1864, and what a Hamlin administration might have looked like.
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Frances Perkins with Rebecca Brenner Graham
Rebecca Brenner Graham returns to the pod to discuss Frances Perkins's little-known work aiding refugees from Nazi Germany.
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Constitution Redacted with Catherine Burns
Catherine Burns discusses the history behind Maine's 1875 redaction of parts of the state constitution dealing with public lands and obligations to Wabanaki nations.
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Polar Exploration with Genevieve LeMoine
Genevieve LeMoine of Bowdoin College's Peary MacMillan Arctic Museum discusses the controversial contest to reach the North Pole.
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Murder in a Mill Town with Elizabeth DeWolfe
Elizabeth DeWolfe discusses the tragedy, trial, and media sensation surrounding the death of a young Biddeford mill worker named Berengera Caswell in 1849.
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Diet & Riot: Vegetarianism in Maine with Avery Yale Kamila
Food writer and historian of vegetarianism Avery Yale Kamila speaks with Tiffany and Ian about dietary reformer Sylvester Graham's controversial Maine speaking tour, which drew both fans and riotous critics in the 1830s.
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Behind the Music with Bryan Den Hartog
Ian chats with composer Bryan Den Hartog about how he created the music of Mainely History.
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Patrick Dempseymas! with Vaughn Joy
Film historian Vaughn Joy returns to discuss the baffling 1988 Christmas movie "Some Girls," starring Lewiston's own Patrick Dempsey in this bonus episode.
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The Proclamation of 1763 with Alexandra Montgomery
Alexandra Montgomery returns to the pod for a discussion on the significance and complicated legacy of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 for Mainers and their neighbors on both sides of the US-Canadian border.
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The Clotilda’s Last Voyage with Jeremy Ellis
Jeremy Ellis, president of the Clotilda Descendants Association, speaks with Tiffany and Ian about the final ship of enslaved Africans illegally brought to the United States in 1860, and their ties to Maine-born slave trader Timothy Meaher.
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Henry Wadsworth Longfelloween!
Meg North and John Babin discuss the haunted past and present of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Portland home with Tiffany and Ian.
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Meet the Cohosts!
New Mainely History co-host Tiffany Link joins Ian to talk about day jobs, side-gigs, historical dinner guests, and what to expect for Season 2!
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Gathering of the Damned: A Mainely History Live Show!
In this live show at the Maine Historical Society, Hannah Peterson and Daniel Bottino spoke with Ian about the 1735 trial, incarceration, conversion, and execution of Patience Boston, a Nauset indentured servant.
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Revolutionary Women In Dependence With Jacqueline Beatty
Jacqueline Beatty discusses how New England women navigated life a new American republic that assumed their dependent status, while equating true citizenship with independence.
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The Quebec Expedition Part 2 with Tiffany Link
Part Two of Tiffany Link's discussion of the failed Quebec Expedition of 1775-1776.
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The Quebec Expedition with Tiffany Link
Tiffany Link discusses Benedict Arnold's doomed expedition through Maine to seize Quebec during the American Revolutionary War.
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Maine’s Mythical Vikings with John Sexton
Medievalist John Sexton discusses why so many 19th century Mainers were looking for lost Viking settlements, and what we know today about the actual exploits of Norse seafarers in the North Atlantic long ago.
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Doing History with Dan Mandell and Alden Vaughan
Dan Mandell and Alden Vaughan talk about the work that goes into finding and preparing historical sources for publication, and changes in the craft of history in this wide-ranging discussion.
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Eastport’s Sardine Boom and Bust with Brian Payne
Brian Payne discusses how ecological, commercial, and cultural transformations caused the decline of independent herring fishermen in Downeast Maine a century ago.
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Laughing at Work with Hanji Chang and Andy O’Brien
The creators of Temp Tales discuss the origins and reception of their cult classic animated series with Ian, including the aspects of Maine's history that influence their work.
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Masters of the House with Gideon Cohn-Postar
Gideon Cohn-Postar discusses the important legacy of Maine's two Gilded Age Speakers of the House with Ian, while making time to bash newly relevant President Grover Cleveland.
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AnnaKendriChristmas! withVaughn Joy
Vaughn Joy returns to the pod to discuss the Yuletide cinematic contributions of Maine's best-loved 21st century cultural export- Anna Kendrick- in this special end of year Bonus episode.
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Lydia Maria Child with Lydia Moland
Lydia Moland speaks with Ian about the pivotal career of a 19th century radical activist whose best known work today is a children's song about visiting grandmother on Thanksgiving.
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The Klan in Maine with Ashley Johnson Bavery and Thomas MacMillan
Ashley Johnson Bavery and Thomas MacMillan discuss the extensive--even mainstream--influence of the Klan in 1920s Maine and the nation.
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Planchettes, séances, and spiritualism with Larissa Vigue Picard
Larissa Vigue Picard speaks with Ian about a planchette held in the Pejepscot History Center, and the role of devices like these in the world of 19th century séances, mediums, and spiritualists.
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The Portland Observatory with James Risk
James Risk and Ian discuss the construction of the iconic Portland Observatory in Munjoy Hill, and its role in the network of maritime signal stations in the early American republic.
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Potato Country with Kim Smith and Craig Green
Kim Smith and Craig Green of the Presque Isle Historical Society discuss the rich history of potato farming in Aroostook County, including its impact on the region's culture and economy.
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Beer in Colonial Maine with Emerson Baker
Ian joins Emerson Baker on a special on the road episode featuring discussion of beer and other alcoholic drinks in colonial Maine, as well as tasting some modern "heritage" brews.
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Northern Threads with Jamie Rice
Jamie Rice and Ian discuss fashion from centuries past in this special episode recorded at the Maine Historical Society
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Indigenous Sovereignty with Darren Ranco
Darren Ranco talks about Indigenous nations' status in federal and Maine law, major cases shaping the current landscape, and how these issues impact ongoing legal and environmental questions in Maine and around the world.
About this show
Unscripted conversations about Maine and New England history. Join hosts Ian Saxine and Tiffany Link as they talk with writers, curators, and other knowledgeable guests, connecting colorful local stories to big ideas.
Hosted by
Ian Saxine & Tiffany Link