Season 5, Episode 4: Making War Part II: "He has plundered our Seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our Towns, and destroyed the Lives of our People"
Images 1-3 courtesy of Maine Memory Network
This is part two out of a three-part look at the geography, characters, and events that shaped the first years of the American Revolution. In this episode, we discuss Revolutionary-era Maine and the burning of Falmouth in 1775. We visited the Maine Historical Society to discuss the bombardment of present-day Portland by Captain Henry Mowat and the Royal Navy as well as how residents viewed the conflict. We are joined by Tiffany Link, Collections Curator at the Maine Historical Society and co-host of the Mainely History podcast. We also examine two documents in the Massachusetts Historical Society’s collections relating to the Revolution in Maine.
This episode was produced in collaboration with Mainely History, the podcast hosted by Ian Saxine and Tiffany Link. We encourage you to listen to their upcoming episode featuring items from the Massachusetts Historical Society’s collections. Learn more here.
Pathways to Freedom: Maine Stories of the American Revolution, which features the Burning of Falmouth as well as other major events, is currently on view at the Maine Historical Society until December 31, 2026. (Please note that the MeHS copy of the Dunlap Declaration of Independence will be on display until July 4, 2026 when it will begin a tour around Maine.)
Click the images above to learn more about each item.
Episode Special Guest:
Tiffany Link is the Collections Curator for Maine Historical Society (MeHS). Formerly, Tiffany worked for ten years as the MeHS research librarian, developing an intimate knowledge of the collection and appreciation for researchers’ needs. As Collections Curator, she handles all collection donations and researches existing collections to enhance their stories. She also assists with, and sometimes curates, MeHS exhibits. She holds B.A. in History and a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree. She grew up in Missouri and now lives in Gorham, ME with her husband and two (adorable) dogs. She enjoys reading, hiking, true crime, and traveling to historic sites.
This episode uses materials from:
Cloudbank by Podington Bear (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported)
Psychic by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)
Curious Nature by Dominic Giam of Ketsa Music (licensed under a commercial non-exclusive license by the Massachusetts Historical Society through Ketsa.uk)
