Exhibit on display from 3/5/2020 to present

The State of Maine is celebrating its bicentennial in 2020. Maine began the process of achieving statehood in 1819 when voters approved separation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. After the vote, the residents of the District of Maine faced additional steps toward achieving statehood. They were charged with writing a Constitution that would be accepted by the people of Maine, and they had to seek Congressional approval to be admitted to the United States.

This exhibit features many of the records held at the Maine State Archives that document Maine’s process of attaining statehood.