Increased Access: MHS Online Database Updated

MHS Museum registrar, Holly Hurd-Forsyth, outside the Brown Library. From her office inside, Holly processes all MHS's museum accessions.

Earlier this month, Maine Historical Society’s PastPerfect Online database was updated substantially. Museum registrar Holly Hurd-Forsyth reports adding 900 new records and nearly 3,000 images bringing the total catalog to almost 33,000 searchable records and 26,400 images for museum objects, photographs, manuscript letters, architectural drawings, and newspapers.

This database is not to be confused with Maine Memory Network, which does have many items from MHS’s own collections, but also thousands of others from Contributing Partners around the state as well. The PastPerfect database features items in our collections only.

So what does a bigger online PastPerfect database mean for you? A lot more historical goodies to look at, learn from, and fall in love with. Two major MHS collections, in particular, have been beefed up: objects and photographs from the Central Maine Power collection, and gems from the John S. H. Fogg autograph collection, including letters by Charlotte Bronte, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Robert Browning.

If all this overwhelms you, clicking on the “Random Images” button is a great way to sample the scope of our collections.