Sailors' Valentines are a form of sea shell art, popular in the 1800s, when sailors brought them home to their wives, girlfriends, mothers, or sisters. Most Sailors' Valentines were made in the West Indies, on the island of Barbados, between 1830 and 1880, but production continued into the early 20th century. In this workshop, you can make your own Sailors' Valentine to take home. All materials and tools provided. Come back on Sunday if you need a little more time. Register online or contact Jeana at  jganskop@pmm-maine.org or 207-548-2529 x 213.

In 1880, teenage Margaret Oakes settled into her cabin on the Barkentine MARY JENNESS. Her father captained the vessel to Marseilles where they discharged a cargo of oil and remained in port for two months. During this exciting journey and after, Margaret kept a journal! She recorded details about her trip, plus practiced her French, and later even wrote down a collection of recipes. The journal is now in the Penobscot Marine Museum archives and much of it is transcribed and available here.

The "cookbook" in Margaret's journal contains a variety of recipes. Many are attributed to different women Margaret must have met in her travels. As was common at the time, cooking instructions are rarely included. I tried out the gingersnaps recipe contributed by Mrs. Leighton of Barkentine G. Rusens. Margaret's recording of the recipe neglected the flour or ginger. Perhaps she felt those were obvious.

Here's my adjusted recipe:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
2. One tablespoonful shortening, one tablespoon of hot water, fill the cup up with molasses.
3. Do this three times.
4. Add one teaspoonful salt, one tablespoonful soda, and one tablespoonful ginger.
5. Mix in 2.5 cups of flour.
6. Roll into small balls, squish flat. (Or roll out thin and cut into small circles.)
7. Bake for 5 minutes.

Do you enjoy experimenting with old recipes? Do you have a cherished family recipe? Searsport is kicking off their 175th celebration with a day full of festivities including a potluck dinner. Join us Thursday, February 13th at 5pm at the Searsport Congregational Church's Curtis Hall for a potluck featuring recipes from 1845 to 1950. Please bring a dish to share. For more information, visit  searsport175.com or Facebook.com/searsport175.

Think outside the (jewelry) box this Valentine's Day with a timeless gift from the Penobscot Marine Museum.

Choose a vintage map that reminds you of your honeymoon or  family camp.

Or, give your history lover a beautiful signed photography book.

Place your order by noon EST on February 10 to allow time for production and shipping.

A couple hamming it up for the photographer

 job and these negatives back that  theory up!

 

A new group of 31 Eastern Illustrating negatives has emerged and we are raising money to acquire them. The images are from Caribou and New Sweden. The Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection continues to grow as negatives that escaped the collection in decades past bubble up. In order to purchase this new set and reunite them with the larger collection, we need to raise $1,000. Can you help? Any amount raised above the $1,000 needed to purchase this collection will be used towards the purchase of future glass plate collections that come up for sale.

It's seldom an arbitrary event that someone seeks out a volunteer spot or a paid position in the PMM photo archives. We are an avid bunch. Everyone who lands here loves photography and loves a good story (as history often makes). Not surprisingly, everyone seems to have an intriguing personal story. Alison Gilchrist is no exception.

When Alison moved to Belfast in summer of 2016, her younger brother had already been settled here with his family for years. Yet the family had an intimate acquaintance with Maine which dated back to Alison's childhood, given their regular summer visits to Deer Isle. As many reading this will understand, the Maine coast is quietly spellbinding. The place began to work its magic on a younger Alison, though the peak experience came for her during a summer break from college when she took a cruise aboard her stepfather's 35' Hinckley around Penobscot Bay (she admits her retirement dream job would involve leisurely sailing in some way). The shifting sea- and landscapes among our local islands, the pristine quality of the light and air just offshore, were enough to capture her for good. As she admitted to us, she's always wanted to live here.

As an undergrad at Smith and at Wesleyan, Alison studied art and architecture; later, she received her MS in Historic Preservation at Columbia. Her later work experience made her a natural for the kind of work she now does here. For several years, she researched and wrote nomination proposals for the National Register of Historic Places. She worked as an archivist at the Taft School in Watertown, CT. She also worked at the Gunn Museum in Washington, CT, near where she spent many of her formative years.

It won't be a surprising to learn that she found it easy to move her life from Connecticut to Maine. Barring the distaste she shares with everyone here for 30° days when freezing rain blows sideways against the windows, Maine is home in every way now. She appreciates the friendly and laid-back demeanor which we're known for. She relishes being near the coast. In retirement, her schedule has opened up time for creative or otherwise enriching pursuits: cooking, dancing, rug hooking, reading, visiting museums, checking out local architecture.

And, of course, she has time to volunteer at the PMM photo archives. Since she loves historic photography and research, she's become a fixture in our cataloging workforce. The word "cataloging" belies the fascination the activity can hold. The process of closely examining the world of a photograph, learning more about its contents and context in order to present the most meaningful description to an audience, Alison finds to be the next best thing to...time travelling.

Thanks, Alison, for contributing your time, your personality, and your story to our nerdy world of wonders.

Do you know a high school, college, or graduate student or recent graduate looking for a summer internship? Our internships give interns an introduction to museum work, including hands-on experiences in multiple departments plus field trips to 4 other cultural institutions in Maine! Our Geiger Museum Exploration Internship is for local high school or college underclassmen and review of applicants will begin on February 15th. Find out more here. For the two Emerging Museum Professional Internships, we accept applications from any college student, graduate student, or recent graduate. Review of applications has begun and the positions are open until filled. Apply today! Find out more here.

Besides internships, PMM currently has a number of other employment opportunities.

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