Browse Items (352 total)
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The Lively Legacy of Blackie Langlais
Brief profile of Old Town, Maine native and recently deceased sculptor of Cushing, Maine, Bernard "Blackie" Langlais. Several photographs of his work, including one of the artist outside his home. -
The Fragrance of Rose : The Cult of Woonsocket's 'Saint' Endures Despite Official Doubt
Report on famed Woonsocket, Rhode Island woman of Catholic piety, Marie Rose Ferron, and the faith community that developed around her during her short life and after her death in 1936. The alleged stigmatist whose shrines continue to exist; whose cult of believers lingers after she was denied sainthood, and still long after evidence has been amounted against the legitimacy of her healing powers and stigmatic wounds. -
A Boy's Dream Come True : Becoming a Maine Woodsman
Yarmouth, Maine man's personal account of his first day - with his new small axe - in the "BIG WOODS" with Uncle Edmund, a woodsman in North Yarmouth. His uncle and grandfather, woodcutters, as role models for an author who recalls the boyhood joys of cutting and stacking cord wood. Brief guest article written and submitted by a magazine reader. -
Antoinette's Patience : A Canadian Family in Epping
Article profiling Antoinette Bernier, 79, and her family in Epping, New Hampshire. Her young life in a New Hampshire town shaped by the brick yards there and the French Canadians - her relatives and husband included - who immigrated to work in them. On baking bread: how she learned it, her methods, and its popularity among her children. Based on an interview with Mrs. Bernier, conducted while she makes bread, and written largely in her voice. Illustrated in black and white photograph. Presented in an issue of of Salt entitled, "I could never call myself a Yankee: Five Immigrant Experiences." -
To be French in North America
Critical article exploring the author's notion of a "fundamental unity" among French heritage peoples in North America: a consciousness unified in historical defeat and nostalgic glorification. The ways in which North American political, artistic, and literary figures engage this idea in their French- and English-language works, both successfully and unsuccessfully. Refers to Jack Kerouac, Iry LeJeune, and others. How Québec - as political entity and population - is both an example of and an exception to the author's chosen theme. Featured in a Toronto, Ontario magazine of arts and literature. -
Les Acadiens du Madawaska
Article describing the town of Madawaska, Maine, in the St. John River Valley, through the perspectives of three generations of the Hébert family. Introduction to Acadian history in the St. John Valley, the twentieth-century industrialization of Madawaska, the role of language and tradition in local communities. The relationship of each interviewee - Jeanne, son Réal, grandson Duane - to the French language, and their personal thoughts on Madawaska's changing cultural and linguistic shapes. -
Brunswick's French Connection
Historical essay marking the links between the Franco American community of Brunswick, Maine, and the city's historic liberal arts institution, Bowdoin College. Details of Brunswick's French history alaongside notes on Bowdoin's Franco American enrollment, college employees, and various historical commitments to local research and local people. Introductory notes on immigration from Québec, labor in local industry, community life, and the diverse ethnic make-up of neighboring cities. Illustrated in black and white photograph. Based on research conducted for an exhibition of the Pejepscot Historical Society entitled, "Pejepscot's Little Canadas: Franco Americans of the Region." Featured in the official magazine of Bowdoin College. -
Heritage Lost and Refound : Franco-Americans in Vermont
Feature article on French Canadian and Franco American heritage in Vermont. Early 20th-century discrimination and violence against French Catholics in Vermont. Characterizations of Franco American community life among other Vermont ethnic groups; testimonies of French language loss; recent attempts to revive cultural traditions in daily life. The ways in which certain interviewees find value in their cultural heritage. Includes brief interviews and personal profiles of Vermont journalist, Tena Starr; Roman Catholic Brother Adrian Bouchard; Burlington mayor, Peter Alfred Clavelle; and musician, Martha Pellerin Drury. -
Justice and the memory of a song
Free-lance journalist's piece on overhearing her "first French joke" among students in a Maine high school. Her experience of the joke as an outsider, and her thoughts on French ethnic humor in Maine. Recalling this joke and its effects after being moved and empowered by a performance by French-speaking Franco American musicians. -
The Quilted Invitation
Newspaper piece on a woman's decision to share the quilts of her Franco American mother-in-law with Brunswick, Maine's local historical society. The family stories held within the quilts, the experiences of ethnicity and socioeconomic class they signify, and the questions of what it means to pass them along to a local, not historically Franco institution of high esteem. -
Où est Woonsocket?
Newspaper feature on the changing cultural landscape of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Comments on the city's once-predominant French Canadian population centered around its Social District. French heritage in Woonsocket as repositioned after WWII by suburban sprawl, new politicians and businessmen, and an appreciation for language and culture that adapted to American processes acculturation. Examples of cultural and linguistic idioms that are uninterpretable to many new Woonsocket residents and young people. The contemporary ways in which people in Woonsocket are working to promote their city's historic offerings. Includes references to the upcoming filming of the Montreal production, "The Mills of Power"("Les tisserands du pouvoir"), to take place in Woonsocket; l'Union Saint-Jean-Baptiste; Representative Rene Lafayette and Mayor Charles Baldelli; and Richelieu International. Featured in an issue of the Providence Sunday Journal Magazine. -
Vermont's Hidden Heritage : French-Canadian Culture Sinking From View
Article on Franco American culture in Vermont: from its perceived "decline" to concerted efforts at its revival in different parts of the state. Suggestions on the potential cultural and political reasons for local assimilation. Particular emphasis on French heritage in the city of Winooski. Comments from University of Vermont professors, André Sénécal and Peter Woolfson; St. Michael's College professor, Anne McConnell; musician, Martha Pellerin Drury; former mayor, Ronald "Pete" Lacourse; and Vermonter, Marc Choiniière; among others. -
'down the Plains' : Love and Language Through Three Generations of Franco-American Women
Autobiographical magazine piece by a writer from Waterville, Maine. Reflections on her women ancestors and the Waterville neighborhood where they once lived, "down the Plains." Thoughts on the contemporary Franco-American woman experience, with a particular emphasis on the writer's relationship with the French language. Includes personal and other photographs. Featured in Portland Magazine's Maine Ethnicity issue, among articles about Italian, Greek, Polish, Lithuanian, Native American, and other Maine communities. -
Lucky Yvon : How a starving Yosemite ironmonger became the King of Patagonia
Magazine feature on American climber, outdoors enthusiast, and entrepreneur, Yvon Chouinard, founder of the Patagonia company. Profile of Chouinard's climbing adventures, his company's successes, and the convergence of a love for the outdoors with a knack for business. How Patagonia has changed the climbing industry, and how a climber relates to the business world. Chouinard's image featured on magazine cover. -
Teaching French to Franco-Americans : A Controversial Problem
Brief article on bilingualism among third-generation Americans of French Canadian heritage in Maine, and the common instances of their superior French language skills in school. Thoughts on psychological approaches toward teaching French to Franco Americans among non-francophone students, with suggestions for specific educational methods in phonetics, vocabulary, grammar, and cultural studies. -
The Canadian-French invasion of New England
Opinion piece comparing 21st-century Mexican and other Latin American immigration in the United States with the late 19th- and early 20th-century immigration of Québécois and Acadian people from Canada to New England. Thoughts on historical patterns and general experiences of assimilation. The writer's response to some comments on contemporary immigration made by US radio personality, Howie Carr. -
Roger AuClair : First fishery biologist for Moosehead Lake Region
Profile of the former lead fishery biologist for the State of Maine, Roger AuClair, of Rockwood, Maine. His statewide impact on wildlife conservation, and his lifelong relationship with the Maine outdoors. -
New Hampshire's French-Speaking People : Part I of II
Part one of a historical profile of Franco Americans in the state of New Hampshire, with an emphasis on the origins of their community in the city of Manchester during the 19th- and 20th-century period of Quebec immigration to New England. Photographs of famous personalities and locales in Manchester, New Hampshire, some Franco American students there, and parochial schools, teachers, and classrooms. -
New Hampshire's French-Speaking People : Part II of II
Part two of a historical profile of Franco Americans in the state of New Hampshire, with an emphasis on New Hampshire French language journalism and Franco American clubs and fraternal benefit societies. Remarks on late-19th-century labor research and demographics on Franco Americans in New England, with reference to the work of Carroll D. Wright. Photographs of men's and women's clubs in Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester workers, and notable locales there. -
The Language of Reconciliation
Article on past prohibitions against French language usage in the schools of northern Maine's St. John River Valley, the lasting impacts of these prohibitions, and recent unique efforts to nurture and strengthen bilingualism in that region. Emphasis on the 1996-1997 program begun in the elementary schools of Madawaska, Maine. How this case is situated in the nationwide conversation on language and culture in US public education, in the context of national advances made in bilingual education in the 1960s and 1970s. Comments from the program's director, and reactions to the program from families in other towns in the St. John Valley. Subtitled, "Once, French-speaking students on the Canadian border were prohibited from speaking French at school. Today, an experiment at two of those schools is trying to bridge the French/English divide." -
An Explanation of "Petits Choux"
Short article describing the origins of "petits choux" as a term of endearment among francophones, and of certain myths used by Franco Americans in New England cities like Lewiston, Maine to explain to young children how new babies are brought into the world. -
Franco-Americans eye Quebec : 'We don't need another Cuba up there'
Article on Maine Franco Americans' opposing positions relative to Québec separatism in the 1970s. Comments from state legislators, loggers, and university professionals from across the state. Thoughts on the possible positive and negative impacts of Québec's potential independence on Canada and on Franco Americans in Maine. -
The Franco Factor : A French Canadian genetic disorder can cause killer cholesterol levels in even the healthiest person
Article on instances of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a genetic disorder related to high cholesterol, in some Lewiston, Maine families. Its high rate of occurence in people of Native American and French Canadian heritage, and its frequency among Franco Americans in the Lewiston-Auburn area. Online article includes video of those interviewed. -
Artist's stark portraits suited to his subjects
Article on a 1983 exhibition of art held at the University of Maine at Orono. Entitled "Calling forth the Spirits - Souffle Vital," this exhibition featured drawings and other prints created by Peter Archambault, a Madawaska, Maine native and then-resident of Edmunston, New Brunswick. Some of the artist's comments on his method and medium, and some thoughts on how his work is received. -
Beyond a U.S. - 'Anglo' Curriculum
Short essay describing the inability of current education models to serve the needs of Maine "native non-English bilinguals." Arguments in favor of acknowledging cultural difference through education policy and curriculum development. General suggestions based on linguistic scholarship on bilingualism and diglossia. Certain examples of French-English language realities in Maine. Featured in an issue of Maine Emphasis entitled, "Curriculum Design." -
The Franco-American Presence in America
Interview with Professor of French at Penn State University, Gerard J. Brault. Marks his participation in a Bates College symposium entitled, "The Franco-American Presence in America." Some of his thoughts on research on Franco-Americans, his involvement with Franco-American Institutes on language and culture in the 1960s, and modern language education more generally in relation to federal educational policy. Featured in an alumnus issue of the Bates College Bulletin entitled, "Language Is The Key." -
When French became beautiful in the St. John Valley
Article describing how how the public schools of northern Maine's St. John River Valley embraced French-English bilingual education in the early 1970s. Recalls a speech in favor of a 1968 bilingual education bill given by Maine state senator, Elmer Violette (D-Van Buren), to the state's Education Committee. Tells of the positive effects of encouraging home language use in the classroom, and how the bilingual speech of students in the St. John River Valley is recognized, through bilingual program, as valuable and advantageous in their education. -
Passing on their French heritage : Lea and Alex Bruyere growing up bilingual
Article on an Augusta, Maine family's use of the French language in their daily lives, and their thoughts on local French education and the persistence of Franco American traditions in their city. Part 3 of 3 in "a series about the evolution of the Franco American community in Augusta." -
Cities make varying efforts to preserve French culture
Article describing the specific efforts of four Maine cities - Augusta, Lewiston, Waterville, and Biddeford - to preserve Franco American history and honor their French heritage communities. Includes interviews with locals who describe in detail their city's projects - festivals, heritage centers, social groups, and others. -
Last two nuns retiring from St. Michael : Sister Rachel and Sister Joan each dedicated 50-plus years to education
Article on the retirement of two Sisters of the Presentation of Mary from their school in Augusta, Maine. Describes the early lives and teaching journeys throughout New England of Sister Rachel Boucher and Sister Joan Desmarais, and gathers some of their thoughts on community and education in the 21st century. -
Franco-American Doc Treats Ethnic Wound
Article on Dr. Denis R. Baillargeon of Pomfret, Connecticut, and his recent efforts to promote Franco American culture in the light of what he describes as Quebec and French Canada's history of loss. -
Keeping the Faith at St. Joseph's
Subtitled, "A century old parish and a local Jeanne d'Arc face off against the Diocese in a showdown up on French Hill." Article on the efforts of St. Joseph's Parish members to keep their Worcester, Massachusetts church open after the bishop's announcement of his decision to shut it down. Descriptions of the church building, its history, and the context for its closure. Examples of individual and collective actions taken by parishioners in their refusal to accept the decision. This drawn-out event as placed within a general trend of growing skepticism toward episcopal authority in the late 20th century. Contains a small historical insert labeled, "One Hundred Years of St. Joseph's Parish," with a timeline of major parish events between 1826 and 1991. -
Severin Beliveau : The power has moved from the private to the public sector
A brief profile of attorney and former Maine legislator, Severin Beliveau, from his youth to the present. Some of his remarks on the general shift of public influence from private entities to state government. Maine independent newspaper article featured in an issue titled, "The Ten Most Influential People in Maine." -
Haute Cuisine Goes to College
Article focusing on Brunswick, Maine, native, Bowdoin College director of dining services, and chef extraordinaire, Laurent C. "Larry" Pinette. How he has achieved success in the college kitchen among the great menu of transitions that have taken place within the 1980s' college student's dietary norm, and within nutritional standards in American colleges. Subtitled, "Bowdoin students once subsisted on sea bread and salt fish - or worse. Larry Pinette changed all that." -
Miracle at St. Joseph's
A compassionate recounting of the 1993 occupation of Worcester, Massachusetts' St. Joseph Church. The 13-month, around-the-clock vigil held at St. Joseph's by many of its parishioners - those refusing the orders of the Roman Catholic bishop that the church be shut down and boarded up on account of his evaluation of its structural disrepair. The parishioners' drawn-out battle, the growth of their public and economic support, the time leading up to their eventual eviction, and their final day in protest. The growth of the St. Joseph's faith community in spite of the closure of its physical place. Commentary from participants in the protest vigil, among others, as well as an interview with the responsible bishop, The Most Reverend Timothy J. Harrington. -
Bates College officials shocked : Didn't know certain workers barred from speaking French
Article relating the reaction of Bates College officials to being made aware, after student protests, of a rule forbidding campus employees to speak French in the company of non-French-speakers. The college president and dean's apologies for the practice and the ban, and the commitment to draft new policies protecting the language rights of French-speaking employees. -
Lewiston : Off the Tourist Track to a Pretty Nice, Pretty French City
Documentary piece on Lewiston, Maine, illustrated in black and white photo. Fluid city descriptions and drawn-out interviews with Lewiston residents spanning three generations enter readers into the life of the early twentieth-century industrial Maine city: its mills, its neighborhoods, its homes. First-person accounts of textile mill work and working-class family life. The texture of Lewiston-Auburn's historically French cultural landscape, and the changes endured by this culture from its American inception to 1990. Featured in an issue of "Salt" entitled, "Maine's Ethnic Groups: Part 2 - Franco-Irish-Swedish-Americans."Tags Androscoggin River Valley, Auburn ME, Augusta ME, Bangor ME, Berlin NH, Biddeford ME, Community: Customs and Social Life, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Fall River MA, Family, Labor History, Language and Linguistics, Lewiston ME, Lowell MA, Mills and Mill Work, Portland ME, Sanford ME, Social History, Vermont, Waterville ME, Woonsocket RI, Worcester MA -
Home is where (the heart is) I-95N ends.
Blog post which responds to the question: "Of all the places I'd choose to live, why on earth would I choose to stay in Aroostook County?" The writer's answer includes personal definitions of "culture," descriptions of community and rural life, and geographical comparisons that challenge stereotypes and rural Maine and shed a favorable light on the people and atmosphere of northern Maine's Aroostook County. -
Freeing the silenced tongue : Mainers with French-Canadian roots try to revive their banished patois
Brief profile of a Waterville, Maine, group of adults intent on reclaiming the French language that permeated their earlier lives but that - for reasons personal, political, and otherwise historical - was replaced or repressed by communication in English. Includes testimonies of the circumstances surrounding language loss from others in northern Maine's St. John River Valley, as well as from a Maine documentary filmmaker. -
The Franco-Americans : Awareness of French Heritage Declines As Young Assimilate American Culture
Feature article on the cultural changes occurring among former French Canadian immigrant communities, now Franco American descendant ones, in the cities of New Hampshire. How the occurrence of the French language among New Hampshire Franco Americans is much less prevalent in 1986 than it had been in the 1940s and 1950s. Assimilation and French language loss in the context of the New Hampshire Roman Catholic Church. A brief review of historical patterns of immigration from Canada to New Hampshire. A declaration of some new attitudes towards Quebec, France, the French language, and intercultural communication.Tags Acculturation and Assimilation, Allenstown NH, Berlin NH, Claremont NH, Community: Customs and Social Life, Concord NH, Demography, Dover NH, Education, Emigration and Immigration, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Keene NH, Laconia NH, Language and Linguistics, Lebanon NH, Manchester NH, Nashua NH, New Hampshire, Religion, Rochester NH, Somersworth NH, Suncook NH -
Berlin Mirrors State Trend
Brief article outlining the history of the French Canadian and Franco American presence in Berlin, New Hampshire, and the cultural changes the city has undergone from 1890 onward. The rise and fall of the influence of historically French Canadian cultural institutions - parochial school, church, music - in Berlin. -
Missing minority
Short article on the absence of Franco American employees in the Maine media industries, particularly print and television journalism. Includes brief interviews with managers and journalists from some of Maine's most prominent news outlets, as well as some stark commentary from the author on his own findings. -
Northern Soul
Brief profile of contemporary St. Albans, Vermont, singer-songwriter and Franco American folk musician, Michièle Choiniière. An interview with the artist discussing the musical roots in her family, her unique relationship with tradition, and the lyrical and instrumental qualities of her own musical stylings. -
Cohen sponsors ethnic legislation
Article recognizing Congressman William Cohen's (R-Maine) contribution to the Emergency School Aid Act of 1975. His authorship of an amendment to the bill, which in passing would offer the same financial and educational benefits to Franco Americans as those extended to other ethnic minority groups included in the bill's language. Some of Cohen's comments on the sizeable Maine Franco American population, and the impact that Federal monies would have on the development of educational programs better suited to certain cultural specificities. -
Along the St. John Valley
Feature article on the towns and people of the St. John River Valley in Aroostook County, Maine. Photos of farm, church, and family, in illustration of the descriptions of rural life along Maine's north and northeastern Canadian border. Interviews with a priest, town manager, and other Valley residents.Tags Acadians, Acculturation and Assimilation, Allagash ME, Dickey ME, English Americans, Farming and Agriculture, Forestry, Fort Kent ME, Frenchville ME, Hamlin ME, Irish Americans, Keegan ME, Language and Linguistics, Lille ME, Madawaska ME, Maine, Notre Dame ME, Scottish Americans, St. David ME, St. Francis ME, St. John ME, St. John River Valley, Van Buren ME -
Franco-Americans in Lewiston wanted radio programming which reflected their culture. WLAM wanted profits. Guess who won.
Article on the efforts of two Maine people - Paul Paré and Denis Ledoux - who sought out the sort of radio programming at a Lewiston, Maine, AM station that would be representative of and appeal to Franco Americans in that area. Their cultural concerns, the legalities supporting their broadcasting claims, and how they fared in their struggle with WLAM. -
The Role of Culture in the Medical Encounter
Short piece of health-related scholarship in cultural studies. Describes three instances in which medical professionals' lack of knowledge about their patients' cultural background had a negative impact on medical judgment and personal treatment. Published by Katahdin Area Health Education Center, University of Maine at Orono. Reprinted from "The Maine MOSAIC," Spring, 1989. -
The Rise of the Unmeltable Francos
Article subtitled, "'We were allowed to keep our faith and our language,' one Franco-American says - 'and our place.'" Feature on Franco American history in New England through the author's reflections on her family, her commentary on the 1983 "Rassemblement des Artistes Franco-Américaines," and a profile of Yvon Labbé - director of the Franco-American Centre at the University of Maine. Featured in the magazine section, "Local Color." -
Franco-Americans gather for forum : French-speaking participants recall how their language drew ridicule
Article on a French-language forum about cultural heritage and viability in the St. John River Valley, northern Maine. The talk, sponsored by the Maine Humanities Council, was led by advocates for the Acadian and Quebecois heritages prevalent in Frenchville, Fort Kent, Grand Isle, and many other communities throughout northern Aroostook County and the state of Maine. -
No Fiddling Around
Profile of Lisa Ornstein - recording violinist, fiddler, and director of the Acadian Archives at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. Some thoughts on music and culture through her reflections on musical experiences in both Quebec and Maine. -
Proudly French : Attack on Snowe maligns many Mainers
Article subtitled, "Does the United States now need a Franco-American Anti-Defamation League?" Editorial reaction to the recent uses of France and the French ethnicity in American politics as a derogatory stand-in for anti-nationalism. The author's personal reflection on his own Frenchness, and his anger at a "politics of intimidation" enacted through the misuse of cultural terms. Reflects emotions arisen after France's refusal to support US military action in Iraq. Discusses the newly coined term, "Franco-Republican." Reprinted from The Washington Post. -
A Society Of Two Worlds : Une Société des Deux Mondes
Article subtitled, "French-Canadian Life And Culture In Vermont." A profile of French Canadian and Franco American communities in the state of Vermont, through the eyes of some Vermonters and academics. Large emphasis on the roles of family, religion, and traditional music as perpetuated cultural norms. What generational changes to these things mean to Franco Americans in Vermont. Contains captioned images.Tags Acculturation and Assimilation, Averill VT, Beebe VT, Burlington VT, Community: Customs and Social Life, Derby Line VT, Emigration and Immigration, Essex Junction VT, Family, Farming and Agriculture, Isle LaMotte VT, Lakeside VT, Mills and Mill Work, Music, Newport VT, North Troy VT, Northeast Kingdom VT, Norton VT, Québec, Religion, Rutland VT, South Burlington VT, Vermont, Winooski VT, Youth -
About Men : A Middle-Aged Orphan
Short essay on the recurring presence of writer Clark Blaise's deceased father - the stories he both took with him and left behind, and the impact of certain memories of this man on Blaise in his adult life. -
The Talk of Madawaska : English Spoken Ici
Article subtitled, "Maine's northernmost community is a lively world apart." A profile of the northern Maine town of Madawaska, situated in Aroostook County on the St. John River Valley. The Acadian people who predominantly inhabit the town, their history, and the changing shape of their community and its industry. Interviews with some residents, and an optimism for the town's economic and cultural futures. -
La Survivance
Article subtitled, "Families of French-Canadian descent once regarded French Catholicism and the French language as inseparable keys to their ethnic survival." An overview of the history and culture of Franco Americans in New England, beginning with the earliest French presence in 17th century North America. How work, religion, and language, historically important to many Franco American New England communities, have changed shapes among other arguably more persistent cultural symbols. Franco American culture as it is seen in the 1980s.Tags Acculturation and Assimilation, Burlington VT, Community: Customs and Social Life, Emigration and Immigration, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Exploration and Colonization, Farming and Agriculture, Holyoke MA, Journalism, Labor History, Language and Linguistics, Lewiston ME, Lowell MA, Madawaska ME, Manchester NH, Mills and Mill Work, Social History, St. John River Valley, Woonsocket RI -
For Franco-Americans, it's now or never
Subtitled, "French in New England fear their language and culture risk being lost forever unless something is done soon." An article presenting the Franco Americans in Vermont as a people at risk of cultural and linguistic assimilation. Focuses on the worries of a generation of native French speakers and direct descendents of French Canadian American immigrants over threats to their linguistic relevance, unwelcome challenges posed to the cultural currency they pass on to their own descendents, and the historical context that orientates their concerns. Includes commentary from many Vermonters, and relates their difference of opinion as to the role the French language should play in the lives of Franco Americans. Thoughts on the relevance of these concerns to the current (1980s) political movements in Quebec. -
Maine's Franco-Americans take in stride the discrimination that permeates their lives
Reprinted segment of Los Angeles Times feature article ("French in Maine Bear Bias Quietly") attempting to characterize the historical plight of the Franco American people of the state of Maine. Contains brief quotes from social leaders and commentators in Bangor, Lewiston, Van Buren, and Orono. -
'Try to Blend In:' French in Maine Bear Bias Quietly
Feature article attempting to characterize the historical plight of the Franco American people of the state of Maine. Contains brief quotes from social leaders and commentators in Bangor, Lewiston, Van Buren, and Orono. Abridged version of the article reprinted later in the Providence Journal-Bulletin ("Maine's Franco-Americans take in stride the discrimination that permeates their lives"). -
The Perception and the Reality : French is not a foreign language in Maine, so why is it taught like one?
Article on the teaching of the French language in various parts of the state of Maine. A brief explanation of the different ways by which French is conceived - its dialects, its geographies, its socioculture. Differing opinions relative to these stated varieties on how French should be taught to Maine's native speakers. The place of certain Maine dialects of the French language in schools that opt to teach Parisian locution and diction. How language diversity is faring in Maine schools, and the hopes of many public commentators for its vitality. Newspaper cover reads, "Who says Maine French isn't real French?" -
Parlez-vous francais? Oui, but what do you have to sell?
Cover story on the inception and early troubles of the Lewiston, Maine, office of Forum Francophone des Affaires, the world Francophone Business Forum. The attempts of French-speaking and French-heritage Maine businesspeople, through this office, to connect with buyers and sellers in francophone markets around the globe. The Maine office's early loss of state funding, among other various problems that have arisen while trying to spur the local office and Maine businesses into grand international action. The importance of the French language in Maine to this economic effort. -
'The sound doesn't exist in English'
Interview with Maine language teacher, Charlie Hicks, on his passion for the French language and the benefits of teaching it to young people. -
Ils se souviennent, They remember : The quiet presence of New England's Franco-Americans
Article describing modern impressions of Franco American culture in New England, including recent and diverse efforts undertaken to preserve certain of its aspects - language, food, music, and others. Presents descriptions of how Franco American assimilation, and Franco Americans' attitude toward it, are sometimes understood.Tags Acculturation and Assimilation, Amherst MA, Barrington NH, Community: Customs and Social Life, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Food, Genealogy, Irish Americans, Italian Americans, Language and Linguistics, Leominster MA, Lowell MA, Manchester NH, Massachusetts, Mills and Mill Work, New England, Orono ME, Religion, Webster MA, Woonsocket RI -
Franco-American loses lawsuit
Subtitled, "Judge says TDC didn't discriminate." Article relating the results of a U.S. District Court case in which a Franco American man filed suit against his former Bangor, Maine employer for unlawful hiring practices and discrimination based on ethnicity. According to the journalist, "the case...is the first discrimination case involving a Franco-American to go to trial in Maine." -
That Other Yankee, The Franco American
Historical essay arguing against a lack of knowledge about French and Franco American agents in the history of the United States, and the harmful cultural and political effects such a lack of knowledge may have in this country's citizens. Touches base on many of the major French persons significant in the history of North America previous to 1776. -
Critics jumped on 'frog power:' Joual row scuttled U.S. bilingual plan
Article on the discord surrounding a French/English bilingual education program - its funding, leadership, and controversial activism - in the public schools of Lewiston, Maine. Commentary from the former director of the failed program, Don Dugas, and Franco American activist, Paul Paré. Reference to the short-lived Lewiston alternative weekly newspaper, Observations. Brief profile of the Franco-American Resource Opportunity Group (FAROG) at the University of Maine at Orono, with commentary from its director, Yvon Labbé. The final piece in a series of Montreal Star articles on Franco Americans. -
A new voice : Feisty editor gives Franco pride a boost
Profile of University of Maine's Franco-American Centre director and journal editor, Yvon Labbé. Comments from Labbé on the social and linguistic conditions of New England Franco Americans, and the ways in which the Centre's journal (Le FAROG Forum) attempts to bring these and their historical backgrounds to greater public attention. Contains a brief biographical sketch, comments from certain academics, and some of Labbé's commentary on the historical circumstances of a modern Franco American cultural identity. -
On the ethnics of newspapers
Editorial piece on the derogatory ethnocentricity of certain recent (winter, 1992-1993) newspaper publications and radio broadcasts in central Maine, and a reflection on one Waterville, Maine, mother's reaction to them in specific. -
Sentinel editorial writer inept in treatment of ethnic slurs
Letter to the editor berating Waterville, Maine's Morning Sentinel editorial staff for failing to criticize a Portland-based radio station (WBLM) that frequently included in its morning show a segment poking fun at a Franco American character. Cites an article in which the editorial staff "trivialize[d]" complaints against the radio program's arguable ethnic discrimination, and chastises the newspaper for missing an opportunity to heighten local conversation about ethnic humor and cultural stereotypes. -
'Frenchie' feature receives complaints
Article on certain reactions to Portland, Maine, radio station, WBLM's morning broadcast featuring humor based on "a slow-witted Franco-American" character. Differing public attitudes toward the station's program, including complaints issued by the Maine Human Rights Commission, defenses of the program offered by the station's management, and the varying opinions of some local radio listeners. -
Working Late : As surely as the sun rises and sets, John Martin runs the House
Cover article subtitled, "Speaker of the House : To understand John Martin, it helps to know about the Canadian connection." Profile of Maine State Representative, John Martin (D - Eagle Lake), the multifaceted role he has played as an advocate for his district in the St. John River Valley, and his political power as a long time elected official at the state level. A brief look at his constituency and the northern part of the state from which he hails.Tags Acadians, Ashland ME, Auburn ME, Biddeford ME, Business and Economics, Eagle Lake ME, Emigration and Immigration, Forestry, Fort Kent ME, Government and Politics, Lewiston ME, Madawaska ME, Maine, New Brunswick, Portage Lake ME, Presque Isle ME, Religion, Saco ME, St. John River Valley, Van Buren ME -
Three French family favorites
Subtitled, "How to make tourtiière, creton and ploy, the old-fashioned way." Recipes for four meals traditional to "French American" New England - tourtiière, creton, ployes, and chicken stew. Introduced with a brief note on what these recipes mean, historically, for the author and her Maine family. -
The darker side of 'melting pot'
Review of "What Became of Them and Other Stories from Franco-America" (1988), a book of short stories from Lisbon Falls, Maine, writer, Denis Ledoux. -
La langue française : mourant à Augusta? (The French language : Dying in Augusta?)
Focus article on the linguistic changes evident among French speakers and Franco Americans in the communities of Augusta, Maine. Comments on language frequency within families and schools, as well as differences in French fluency among children and adults. Contains quotes from many Augusta residents. Written in the wake of a minor controversy over the elimination - then return - of a French-language Canadian television channel provided by the Augusta area cable network. -
Chez les Patenaudes, l'héritage vit encore
Article on Augusta, Maine's Patenaude's Superette, a family-run market serving people in the northern part of the city for nearly a century. A brief history of the store - its owners, their family, and the services and products offered its largely Franco-American clientele. The market atmosphere as a barometer of cultural and linguistic change within the community, seen profiled here by then third-generation owner, Tom Patenaude. -
Memoirs of a Xenophobic Boyhood
Personal essay on the class and racial lines of immigrant, industrial New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the twentieth century, as mirrored in the dynamics of the author's family. Explains where the Civil Rights Movement and McCarthyism fit into the way working-class people in certain New England towns thought about themselves and others in terms of race. How such a conversation itself illuminates the role of race in places of little racial diversity, and among families like the author's, whose class conditions seemed to preclude the speaking authority afforded wealthier New Englanders. Featured in a special issue of the independent news weekly, The Village Voice, dedicated to exploring questions of "whiteness." Also published in a reader entitled, Identity Matters: Rhetorics of Difference (Prentice Hall, 1998).Tags Augusta ME, Brattleboro VT, Business and Economics, Coles Grove NH, Emigration and Immigration, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Family, Government and Politics, Haverhill MA, Lawrence MA, Lowell MA, Manchester NH, Massachusetts, Mills and Mill Work, New England, New Hampshire, Salisbury MA, Youth -
Brewing for Baxter
Profile on Maine engineer and brewer, Michael LaCharite. The founder of Portland, Maine's Casco Bay Brewing company, LaCharite was sought out to help develop the varieties of beer now produced by Lewiston, Maine's Baxter Brewing. LaCharite cites a family tradition of home-brewing as one of the foundations for his passion and talents. -
Historic Lewiston-Auburn depot to be renovated
Article marking the beginning of the funded restoration of Lewiston, Maine's Grand Trunk Depot, a now-defunct train station famed for its historical role in the reception of a large percentage of Lewiston-Auburn's French Canadian immigrants in the early 20th century. The depot is referred to here as "the Ellis Island of Lewiston-Auburn." -
In search of Franco-America (and its food)
Article on Franco American foods and their relative invisibility, inspired by this food writer's engagement with some of the customs and cuisine to be found in the homes of Brunswick, Maine. Contains brief interviews on Franco American culture with two University of Maine professors, as well as excerpts from a conversation about food and family with head chef of Westbrook, Maine's The Frog and Turtle, James Tranchmontagne. Includes two adaptations of Tranchmontagne's recipes. -
Your New Country
Transcription of a Biddeford, Maine, woman's life as told by her in brief stories to interviewers. Her youth in Quebec - being the oldest child of a large family - and her community there. Her marriage and snippets of her later life in Maine. Some daily habits and holiday traditions. A documentary profile, illustrated in black and white photo. -
Toots Makes Music
Journalistic piece on Franco American musician from Biddeford, Maine, Toots Bouthot. The author's exploration of a local music icon and his community. Transcription of Bouthot's talk of music, religion, and vocation - who plays, for whom he plays, and why. The musician's descriptions of the city of Biddeford, his youth, and his growth into a life of music. -
Waa Nabad : Somali Community in Lewiston
Photo essay on Somali immigrant community in Lewiston, Maine -
Le français se meurt au Vermont
Sur la présence franco-américaine au Vermont - son histoire, ses changements linguistiques, et la grande possibilité de sa disparition. Commentaires sur la discrimination raciale et linguistique, aussi que l'éducation et la télévision, comme prenant part au processus de l'assimilation des communautés franco-américaine dans cet état.
Le titre complet est ainsi libellé: "Apriès des années de relations tourmentées avec la culture québécoise, la communauté franco-américaine fait face à l'extinction." -
Being social at the social club
News article on social clubs in Lewiston, Maine - what they offer, who they cater to, how they have changed over time, and the value they still provide to many in the city. -
De certains Québécois, pionniers des États-Unis
Une introduction à l'histoire des prémiières Français aux États-Unis, commençant par les explorateurs historiques qui ont établis les noms français de nombreux endroits en Amérique. Le début et la fin de la Nouvelle France, aussi que la grande émigration française-canadienne à la Nouvelle-Angleterre et au Midwest. La maniière dont une dynastie vaincue française est significative aux histoires et noms de lieux aux États-Units.Tags Berlin NH, Biddeford ME, Boston MA, Canada, Dubuque IA, Emigration and Immigration, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Exploration and Colonization, Fall River MA, France, Illinois, Lewiston ME, Lowell MA, Manchester NH, Michigan, Minnesota, Nashua NH, New Bedford MA, New England, Québec, United States, US Midwest, War, Woonsocket RI, Worcester MA -
Les Franco-Américains - Le retour aux sources
Un aperçu général d'une histoire des Canadiens français aux États-Unis - les Franco-Américains - et les changements qui ont eu lieu dans leurs communautés au fil du temps. De leurs débuts migratoires, à la fin de leurs enclaves ethniques, à leur renouvellement moderne dans la recherche généalogique et d'histoire personelle.
Tags Acculturation and Assimilation, Bourbonnais IL, Burlington VT, Central Falls RI, Community: Customs and Social Life, Emigration and Immigration, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Fall River MA, Farming and Agriculture, Illinois, Labor History, Lewiston ME, Louisiana, Lowell MA, Maine, Manchester NH, Marlboro MA, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Bedford MA, New England, New Hampshire, Old Orchard Beach ME, Québec, Rhode Island, Rochester NY, St. Albans VT, United States, US Midwest, Vermont, Wisconsin, Woonsocket RI, Worcester MA -
De l'origine et de l'histoire de quelques patronymes
Une enquête sur les débuts en Amérique du Nord de certains noms de famille canadien-français. Illustre l'etude de la genealogie et fournit des exemples spécifiques de la largeur de familles françaises en Amérique du Nord. Explore l'histoire des familles suivantes: Tremblay, Gagnon, Leblanc, Duhamel, et Leclerc. -
Madawaska : Down East With a French Accent
Expository, journalistic piece on the people of the Upper St. John River Valley, cradle of the political border between northeastern Maine and New Brunswick. The predominance of French Acadian culture there and an integrative overview of its elements more obvious to the journalist visitor: language, family, religion, food. Farming and logging as both international businesses and the economic support systems of rural communities in a North American borderland. Contains various character profiles from short personal interviews, as well as a segment on the Scotch-Irish community of Aroostook County. Grounded in historical context, oriented toward the projected impacts of industrial development and subtle acculturation on these agricultural communities in late twentieth-century America. Illustrated in vibrant photo.Tags Acadians, Allagash ME, Allagash River Valley, Canada, Community: Customs and Social Life, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Family, Farming and Agriculture, Forestry, Fort Kent ME, Frenchville ME, Geography, Grand Isle ME, Language and Linguistics, Lille ME, Madawaska ME, Maine, Mills and Mill Work, New Brunswick, St. Agatha ME, St. David ME, St. John River Valley, Van Buren ME -
A memorial for Kerouac
Article part 2 of 2 on the recent Lowell, Massachusetts, city council vote to commemorate author Jack Kerouac with a park bearing his name. Full article title includes the line: "After years of indifference, Lowell votes to build a park." Charts Kerouac's sudden rise to fame with the publication of his novel, "On the Road." His ensuing lifestyle in the public eye, his behaviors scrutinized by many in Lowell. Kerouac's life and works as an affront to the popular values of his working-class hometown, and his apparent abandonment by fellow Lowellians. The recent apparent change in attitude toward Kerouac, though with some evidence of familiar resistance. -
In search of the real Kerouac
Review of the documentary film on Jack Kerouac, entitled, "Whatever Happened to Kerouac?" (Richard Lerner and Lewis McAdam, 1987). Film is a biographical portrait of the Lowell, Massachusetts, writer, featuring interviews with Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, and William S. Burroughs, among others. Article written on the occasion of the film's showing in Somerville, Massachusetts. -
A New France in New England
Some comments from an American critic at the time of a visible wave of French Canadian immigration to the United States - especially New England - in the 1880s. Provides a favorable social and political context from the French Canada of this period. Attempts social, linguistic, and political description of both French Canadian immigrant professionals and members of the working class. Discusses immigrant attitudes toward assimilation, their reasoning and their feasibility. Thoughts on the future growth of the French Canadian population in New England. -
New England's Franco-Americans : Vive la difference?
Article on the plight of Franco American cultural activists in New England. The variety of the troubles confronting them, and their energy in relation to the seeming decline of the historically supportive Franco cultural establishments as seen in churches, schools, and large families. Contains an historical overview, demographic figures from the 1970 US census, and the considerations of Francos in the public sphere across New England. Tagline below the article title reads, "Some say the fight to preserve French identity in New England is being lost without a struggle. But that's only one side of the story..." Article featured in the United States bicentennial issue of Yankee magazine.Tags Acadians, Acculturation and Assimilation, Biddeford ME, Burlington VT, Connecticut, Demography, Emigration and Immigration, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Government and Politics, Greenville NH, Lewiston ME, Lowell MA, Maine, Manchester NH, Manville RI, Massachusetts, New England, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Fitchburg MA, Vermont, Woonsocket RI, Worcester MA -
Bishop Celebrates One of Final Masses at Saint André, Biddeford
Brief article on a Roman Catholic mass celebrated by Bishop of the Diocese of Portland, Maine, Richard Malone, at St. André Church, Biddeford, Maine. This ceremony was held, in tribute to the parish, two months before the occasion of the church's closing on December 31, 2010. St. André Church was opened in 1910. -
Sanford's son
Feature article on Sanford native, Ray Luc Levasseur, and his return to southern Maine following decades spent imprisoned for convictions associated with political activism. Some historical background about Levasseur, his hometown, and the reputation he acquired in Sanford as a "wanted" man in the 1970s and 80s. Segments of an interview with the man returned - reflections on his past, orientations toward the future. The writer of this article, the interviewer, is also a native of Sanford. -
Paroled radical glad to be back in Maine
Article on the return to southern Maine of Sanford native, Ray Luc Levasseur, after decades of imprisonment in federal penitentiary for convictions associated with his political activism. Includes a timeline from 1977 to 2004 of some of the major public events in Levasseur's life, as well as some bombings linked to activist groups in that time period. Republished in the New York Times Sunday Edition (8 August 2004). -
Exploring the Canada Road : Delving into his past leads man along ghostly route
Article on geographer and anthropologist Barry Rodrigue's exploration and excavation of the Old Canada Road, or the stretch of land between central Maine and the Canadian border that traverses the northwestern part of the state. This route is known to have been traveled by migrant workers and emigrants - now mostly tourists - between Quebec and New England. The article connects Rodrigue's work to the cultural heritage work of Yvon Labbe, whose efforts to publicize a tourism corridor along the same route were acknowledged and bolstered by the support of Maine and Quebec government officials. -
UMaine solidifies Franco-American studies path
Article on the hiring of Susan Pinette, a full-time faculty person at the University of Maine at Orono, for the purpose of securing a minor academic concentration in "Franco-American studies." This academic program is one of the few of its kind. -
Orono's Franco-American Center develops timetable
Article on new research undertakings at the UMaine Franco-American Centre, including Professor C. Stewart Doty's historical timeline of events significant in the history of Franco American people. -
Our Franco-American heritage
Transcript of a speech given to the mayor and town council of Loudon, France, from Maine attorney Severin Beliveau upon his trade mission there with Maine governor, John Baldacci. The speech addresses the history and breadth of Maine's Franco American communities. -
French consul visits Old Town
François Gauthier, former French consul to Boston and New England, and Françoise Gauthier visit Old Town, Maine, and the University of Maine's Franco-American Centre to learn more about Maine's French heritage. -
Leaders boost Franco forum
Letter to the editor on the upcoming designation of Maine as "the location for the United States bureau of the Francophone Business Forum." This development comes after separate endeavors in the Bangor and Lewiston, Maine, encouraging that attention be paid to Franco heritage and the French language as viable economic resources. -
French language books to be distributed
Article on Quebec's donation of nearly 10,000 books in the French language to the Franco-American Centre at the University of Maine, to be distributed into the state's Franco-American communities. -
Bilingualism good for the brain
Subtitled, "The longer a person has spoken two or more languages, the greater the cognitive effects." Article on the long-term benefits of bilingualism, including marked enhancements in decision-making functions, as well as longer retained brain function for bilinguals with Alzheimers. Also considers, however, the natural limits to a bilingual person's dual vocabulary. -
Bilingual Education Pays Off, New Documentary Says
Article of interview with filmmaker Marcia Jarmel on her and colleague Ken Schneider's new documentary, "Speaking in Tongues," about bilingual education in America. Features a Vimeo linked preview to the film. From the editor of New America Media: "To date, 30 states have passed English-only laws, and many American[s] are skeptical of bilingual education because they want their children to learn in English, not Chinese or Spanish. 'Speaking in Tongues,' the latest documentary by Bay Area filmmakers Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, sheds light on the cognitive and developmental value of learning in two languages at a young age..." -
NH tourism division offers Franco-American tour
Brief article on a Manchester, New Hampshire, self-guided Franco-American Heritage Tour that introduces city visitors to certain aspects of the history and culture of that industrial New Hampshire city. -
Franco-American man helps others awaken cultural backgrounds through writing workshops : Mapping Memories
Article about fiction writer Denis Ledoux of Lewiston, Maine, who has turned to helping others write their own personal histories. Ledoux's workshop, "Turning Memories into Memoirs," has sparked international interest from writers, genealogists, community historians, and others in recording their family histories. -
Ida's lookin' to spread some holiday cheer
Article advertising the upcoming Christmas performances of Maine actress, writer, and humorist, Susan Poulin. Brief introduction to Poulin and a short summary of her show, "A Very Ida Christmas," set in a fictional Maine mill town. -
Maine's GOP star burns hot : Fiery governor-elect LePage evokes admiration, worry
Article introducing Maine's 2010 governor-elect, Waterville mayor Paul LePage, as an outspoken newcomer to state politics, and part of the Republican party's wave of success in Maine's 2010 elections. -
Pair plans work for 'Le Messager' building
Article on the redevelopment of the downtown Lewiston, Maine, space that housed the city's long-running French language newspaper, Le Messager. -
A is for Allagash' : The life of a northern Maine man
Article on a recent memoir on the life and times of Louis Pelletier in the Allagash, Maine, of the past century. His family, his work in the woods, and his memories of early twentieth-century northern Maine. Co-authored by Louis and his daughter, fiction writer Cathie Pelletier. -
Maine's first Franco-American governor sounds bit like second : Both Alonzo Garcelon, Paul LePage spoke of thrift, bipartisanship
Article describing the similarities of Alonzo Garcelon, a late nineteenth-century Maine governor, and the state's most recently elected governor, Paul LePage. While recent news has debated the term "Franco American" as a descriptor for both governors - the first of French American heritage, the second with French Canadian American lineage - this article aims instead at pointing out similarities in their politics and political contexts. -
Maine : Un gouverneur francophile
Un bref article sur le nouveau gouverneur du Maine, M. Paul LePage. Son histoire personnelle, son héritage française, et sa promesse de soutenir le Congriès mondial acadien de 2014, à Madawaska, Maine. -
The Sky Is Falling Soon! (And Junior Is Agitated)
New York Times book review of Waterville, Maine native, Ron Currie, Jr.'s latest novel, "Everything Matters!" -
Summer reading : Ron Currie Jr. on David Foster Wallace
From the Los Angeles Times literature blog, "Jacket Copy." Transcript of a brief interview with a novelist from Waterville, Maine, centered around his one-time choice of a book for summer reading. Includes bits about Currie's youth, his father, Waterville, and his preferences as a reader and writer. -
Things I Learned While Writing
Short essay by a writer from Waterville, Maine, in support of his recent novel, "Everything Matters!" The topic of this piece, reflected in its title, lends to the sharing of a few personal anecdotes that relate some of his experiences with family, miracles, and death, and what these things have revealed to him in writing. -
'American Ghosts' : Haunted House
A review of "American Ghosts" - memoir from fiction writer and Providence, Rhode Island native, David Plante. The reviewer describes the book as "a perfect example of the cockpit autobiography," leading the reader into the thoughts and images of a writer's life from the navigational standpoint. -
Kerouac's forgettable Montreal road trip
Article recognizing the brief hype surrounding the 50th anniversary of the publication of Jack Kerouac's most famous novel, "On the Road." Discusses a much less explored event in Kerouac's life when, in 1967, the author appeared on the Montreal talk show "Sel de la Semaine." The Montreal crowd's reaction to hearing Kerouac speaking in a "rural and unlearned and folkloric" French. Other characteristics of the Lowell, Massachusetts native that the author here argues may be due to Kerouac's Québecois heritage. -
LePage's Franco-American heritage depicted in mural
Letter to the editor criticizing Maine governor Paul LePage for his order to remove a mural depicting Maine's labor history from the walls of the Maine Department of Labor. A reference to how Maine's and LePage's Franco American history is largely intertwined with the history of Maine labor. An attack on LePage with reference to distinctions of economic class. -
L'amour de la culture française
Article in recognition of Burlington, Vermont's 2011 French Friendship Day - a gathering together of local and international francophiles and francophones to celebrate the presence of French Canadian and Franco American culture in Vermont. Contains an historical overview of French Canadian emigrant community in Burlington and its environs. Mentions a number of activities and items historically common to French Canadian and Franco American life, as well as historical instances of persecution against Franco Americans in Vermont, and contemporary efforts - like the French Friendship Day - to maintain and share Franco culture.Tags Acculturation and Assimilation, Barre VT, Burlington VT, Colchester VT, Community: Customs and Social Life, Death and Disaster, Emigration and Immigration, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Family, Food, France, Government and Politics, Language and Linguistics, Leicester VT, Montpelier VT, Music, Québec, Religion, Rutland VT, St. Albans VT, Stonecutting, Vergennes VT, Vermont, West Rutland VT, Winooski VT -
Canada Road artifacts find a home
Article on the Old Canada Road Historical Society's purchase of an aged home in Bingham, Maine, as a location to publicly display historical artifacts from the upper Kennebec River Valley region. -
On Parle Français Ici
Article on Colby College graduate ('66) and Waterville, Maine native, Gregoire Chabot, whose writings have resonated not only with the Maine Franco American communities who share the heritage that Chabot often explores, but with readers and scholars across the United States and Canada. -
[Profile] Ron Currie, Jr., Reads: Postcard from Portland, Maine
Short piece that profiles Waterville, Maine writer Ron Currie Jr. in the context of a reading of his novel "Everything Matters!" at Longfellow Books in Portland, Maine. -
Can this heritage be saved?
Feature article on the present (1977) cultural situation of Franco Americans in Maine. Discussion of their minority demographics, as well as local, academic, and federal intiatives to bolster bilingual educational support, community solidarity, and public recognition. Looks specifically to the Acadians of the St. John Valley and the Francos of the lower half of the state, especially in Lewiston, and the differences between their communities and histories. Written in light of pending federal legislation to recognize Franco-Americans as an official and distinct minority group, thereby making available more federal money for culturally relevant programs. -
Kerouac in Black and White
An essay in exploration of Jack Kerouac's French-Canadianness in twentieth-century America. How digging into this particular ethnicity, time, and place shapes how one considers Kerouac's late-life ideas about race, his relationship with religion, or the stylings of his writing. Blaise considers Kerouac alongside other fiction writers (William Faulkner, Theodore Dreiser, William Saroyan, Thomas Wolfe) that, to Blaise, have engaged their fiction in similar conversations with both sentimentality and American diversity. From the author of "I Had a Father: A Post-Modern Autobiography" and "Lunar Attractions." Also published in "Selected Essays" by Clark Blaise (Emeryville, Ontario: Biblioasis, 2008). -
'Beast' nostalgic for Quebec roots
Article subtitled, "This first novel describes the attempt of a Franco-American to find out who he is." A review of the 1984 novel "The Questing Beast" and a brief biographical sketch of its author, Richard Hébert. -
G Is for Grief
New York Times review of Providence-born writer David Plante's recent novel, "ABC." -
Les 50 ans d'On the Road - Kerouac voulait écrire en français
Du Devoir: "Alors qu'on célièbre le 50e anniversaire de la parution d''On the Road,' la découverte de manuscrits inédits à New York par Le Devoir montre que l'écrivain souhaitait écrire en français et qu'il avait même commencé son roman le plus connu dans sa langue maternelle!" -
Emigration: A Franco-American Experience (or, du Québec aè la Nouvelle-Angleterre)
Numéro du Magazine OVO de Montréal - une revue de la photographie - dédié aux Franco-américains dans le New Hampshire, et les phénomiènes de l'immigration canadienne française et américaine du travail au 20ième siiècle. Photos de 1895 à 1982. Issue of Montreal's Ovo Magazine - a periodical in photography - dedicated to Franco Americans in New Hampshire, and to the phenomena of French-Canadian American immigration and work in the 20th century. Photographs from 1895 to 1982. -
Long-Scorned in Maine, French Has Renaissance
2006 New York Times article on the particular history of French language in Maine and more recent attempts of many - including the founders of a Freeport elementary school - to revive it after a prolonged suppression. -
Class dramatizes the Franco-Mainer experience
Bowdoin College senior seminar in the French language culminates in a documentary film and a theatrical piece. Students used information learned through over 60 hours of interviews with local Francos. -
The French Canadians
1889 article on the French-Canadian immigration phenomenon in the United States and the need for rapid Americanization. Author argues that French Canadians do not appear to be assimilating as well as they should. Article refers to the political and economic positions that together must be taken to facilitate the safest growth of an immigrant America while, at the same time, preventing the persecution of the newcomers. -
The French of New England Are Getting Nearly Speechless
From a separate article written by Robert C. Carroll: "A recent New York Times article, written by a Franco-American reporter, E. J. Dionne, Jr., cites uncontestable opinion as well as social research testifying to the obvious decline in the use of French outside the home in New England. While the young people may have lost or may never have acquired French as a household language, many still understand it; and growing numbers, acknowledging it as a cultural tool, want it back. Dionne does not explain in his article, however, that the loss of spoken French is not only the sign of assimilation but more precisely the result of the relatively recent assimilation induced by the decline of the parochial school system that gave instruction in the language of the home." -
Sad chapter in the story of French in America
A sympathetic review of the anthology, "Voyages: A Franco-American Reader" (Gardiner, Maine: Tilbury House, 2007). Discusses a few of the entries and their importance to the whole of American Studies. -
Canadians in New England
1885 editorial that begins with the appointment of a French-Canadian priest to a Fall River, Massachusetts, Catholic parish only after parishioners appealed to the Archbishop to overturn the diocesan bishop's Irish appointment. Devolves into a tirade against the French-Canadian immigrant population. -
French Canadian Catholics
Very brief article about the number of French-Canadian Catholics in the United States and their representation in the American Church hierarchy. -
The Newcomer: Party for Suzanne. By Cecile Pepin Edwards. Illustrated by Jane Costle. 191 pp. Abingdon-Cokesbury. $2.50. For Ages 8 to 12.
A review of the 1952 children's book, "Party for Suzanne," written by Cecile Pepin Edwards and illustrated by Jane Costle. Edwards and Costle attempted to create a book that talks about a French-Canadian child's experience in a New England public school. -
The Quaint Canadians of New England Towns; Among the Young Girls Fine Dress Is a Mania. All Their Lives the Women Work Hard, but the Native Tongue and Religion Are Not Allowed to be Forgotten.
Descriptive, ethnographic New York Times feature article on "French-Canadian women" from youth to old age in New England. The author considers the Franco-American working woman a peculiarly American character, and the French-Canadian American mother an inevitable barrier to assimilation. -
French Canadians in New England
1901 supplementary article on French-Canadian communities in New England. According to author, these communities - unlike other immigrants to the United States around the turn of the century - appear to resist cultural assimilation by the insular nature of their make-up.Tags Acculturation and Assimilation, Community: Customs and Social Life, Demography, Emigration and Immigration, Ethnicity and Collective Identity, Labor History, Lawrence MA, Lowell MA, Maine, Manchester NH, Merrimack River Valley, Michigan, Mills and Mill Work, Nashua NH, New England, New York, North Dakota, Québec -
French-Canadians Strong in Numbers; Total Nearly One-Seventh of Population of New England States. Dominant in Some Cities; Eager to Keep Their Language, School and Church--A Valuable Labor Class
Brief editorial on the growth of the French-Canadian/Franco-American population in the United States relative to other cultural groups. Considers the dilemma of the French-Canadians' resistance to full assimilation alongside their healthy contribution to the American labor force. -
French Canadians In New-England
Brief article taken from the Boston Commercial Bulletin that cites Boston French Canadians being granted a hearing to protest against the Bureau of Statistics labeling them the "Chinese of the East." -
Bishops for the French Canadians
Article from the Montreal Witness, January 22, about a French-Canadian American's visit to a Quebec Cardinal in order to request French-Canadian coadjutor bishops in New England, for the purpose of representing the majority Franco congregations. -
Franco-America's Growing Pains: The Shadows of the Trees. By Jacques Ducharme. 258 pp. New York: Harper & Brothers. $2.50.
A review of the exploratory book-length essay entitled "The Shadows of the Trees," by Jacques Ducharme, on the Franco-American experience in the United States. Ducharme attempts to explore the most prominent aspects of French-Canadian emigrant culture brought into question by life outside of Canada. -
Telegraphic Brevities
Short news briefings on different subjects under a single headline. The first subject is the 1889 Fall River, Massachusetts, festival de St-Jean-Baptiste. -
The Delusson Family, Other Recent Works of Fiction
A collection of book reviews, including, as the title indicates, a review of Jacques Ducharme's 1939 novel, "The Delusson Family," about a French-Canadian immigrant family in the United States. -
Honored By Rome
1886 brief article about a Fall River, Massachusetts, man traveling to Québec and Rome as a delegate of his local Catholic parishes. -
The French Canadians in New-England
Another editorial on French-Canadian populations in the United States, their common patterns of community congregation, and what to the author seems to be a resistance to assimilation. From the text: "It is next to impossible to penetrate this mass of protected and secluded humanity with modern ideas or to induce them to interest themselves in democratic institutions and methods of government....Where they halt they stay, and where they stay they multiply and cover the earth." -
Minor Topics
An article on various minor news topics of the day. Marked for a particular selection, the sixth paragraph of the column, on French-Canadian emigration into the United States. Remarks that the movement of people southward from Québec seems to be occurring on a larger, perhaps now regular and organized, scale. Notes the difference of opinion that French- and English-Canadian newspapers have on this matter. -
French Canadians Object
1890 article on one Fall River, Massachusetts, social organization's response to the Catholic Centennial Congress's outright rejection of the existence of national societies. -
French-Canadian Protestants. Anxious to Move to South Carolina to Escape Alleged Persecution
1893 article on the letter of a Fall River, Massachusetts, French-Canadian Congregationalist minister to the governor of South Carolina, requesting information on how he and his protestant community might relocate to South Carolina and escape the persecution of his community by Roman Catholics in Massachusetts. -
The "American Laborer." What the Term Really Means in New-England. The Cry for His Protection a Hollow Sound, in Which Native Citizens Have No Interest.
1887 article on "American labor" - particularly in New England - being subsumed by immigrant workers. Contains pejorative descriptions of Irish, French-Canadian, and other working immigrant communities in the industrialized Northeast. A particularly long narrative description of the French-Canadian decision to emigrate. -
Purity of Sidewalks: New England Cities Offer Rewards for Conviction of Spitters
Brief letter to the editor acknowledging the local governments of Fall River, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island, forbidding the act of spitting on the sidewalk. Author suggests the positive effect of the law in these cities is perhaps due to their "foreign element." -
To Honor M. Laurier. Citizens of Boston Will Give Him A Great Reception
Brief 1891 article acknowledging the upcoming visit of Wilfrid Laurier, potential Canadian Prime Minister, to Boston, Massachusetts. -
The Habitant as an Ally
1889 article in which the author attempts to describe what seem to be Québec's French-Canadian allegiances: neither to England nor to the Dominion of Canada, but to the Roman Catholic Church. Author considers French-Canadian imperial federation versus the prospect of annexation to the United States vis-à -vis the concerns of the Church. -
Tracts "For-A De Monk." Home Market Club Contributions in Eastern Connecticut.
1892 article on multilingual political tracts (pamphlets) being handed out by Republicans to Italian and French-Canadian laborers in working-class areas of Connecticut. The tracts at issue in this article were attempting to illustrate the benefits of protectionism over free trade. -
Woonsocket Group Is Excommunicated. Rome Condemns Newspaper and Rhode Island French Canadians Who Sued Bishop. Friends of Israel Banned Association is Declared to Have Acted Contrary to Church's Teaching--D'Annunzio Plays Scored
1928 article on the 56 excommunications of Rhode Island's infamous "Sentinelle Affair," where certain journalists came under the Papal See's fire for highly nationalized criticisms of their bishop's attitude toward the French language. -
French-Canadians Meet. Jubilee Celebration of Society of St. John the Baptist -- 2,000 Visitors Here
1900 article on the New York City assembly of l'Union St-Jean-Baptiste in commemoration of the organization's fiftieth anniversary. -
Catholic Rule in Canada. The Present Position of French Residents. Their Efforts in the Northwest Lead to Hostility on the Part of All Progressive Canadians.
1890 article accounting for some resistance to French in the Canadian northwest. Also Québec resistance to clerical rule which, says the author, is partly evidenced by the French-Canadian exodus to New England. Moreover, the author predicts the passing-away of French institutions in North America. -
Death of Francis Parkman. His Life Ended at His Home at Jamaica Plain, Mass. A Historian Who Ranks with Bancroft, Motley, and Prescott -- His Field the Lands and Period in Which the French and English Contended for Supremacy in North America -- Prosecuted His Work, Involving Immense Research, While Practically Blind
1893 obituary of historian of French in North America, Francis Parkman. Wrote, among other books, "Pioneers of France in the New World" (1871). -
The French Canadians
1889 article on the proposal of Canada to recognize English as the country's sole national language, with Québec threatening to counter with its official provincial language as French -- or, as the author tosses out, to propose annexation to the United States. Mentions New England's "various colonies of French Canadians." On this latter matter, the text reads: "In fact, the prevalance of the French Canadian in New England is regarded as a serious social and political evil...." -
Old Quebec. Sir Gilbert Barker's New Book on the Fortunes of New France
1903 book review of Sir Gilbert Barker's history text, "Old Quebec: The Fortunes of New France" (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1903). -
The Origin of Longfellow's "Evangeline" and Hawthorne's Relation to It
1905 letter to the editor on the recent discovery that New England author Nathaniel Hawthorne had supplied fellow New England writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow with the theme for his famous story in verse, "Evangeline." -
Canada: Changes of Fifteen Years. The French-Speaking Population Influence of The Roman Catholic Clergy "A Word to The Wise" The British Army And The Young Canadians Idleness Out of Fashion Manufacturing Enterprise, &c. The Russian Army. Republican Nominations.
1874 article remarking on the social conditions of Canada, seemingly split between predominantly French- and English-speaking geographies. -
French-Canadians to Leave. Large Number Who Are Discontented May Return to Quebec from Maine Early Next Spring
Christmastime 1900 article predicting the potential mass return of immigrant workers from Maine to French Canada in the coming spring. The author cites the principal reason for relocation as French Canadians being denied Francophone priests in the Roman Catholic churches of the United States. -
French-Canadian of To-Day
1900 letter to the New York Times refuting pejorative descriptions leveled on "the French-Canadian of to-day" by a New York Times editorialist who had only spent a short time in Canada. The letter covers the editorialist's attitude toward French-Canadian "superstition," "accent," and "uncleanliness," and remarks on his oversight of the strength of French-Canadian communities in the United States. -
LaCasse Bats gets a boost from Subway : Madison native to receive ESPN plug during Bangor event
Madison, Maine, native, Jesse LaCasse, operates a wooden baseball bat business out of the nearby town of Skowhegan. His products and company "teamed up with Subway Restaurants" for a joint advertising bid at the Senior League World Series in Bangor, Maine. -
AGAINST ALL ODDS: LIFE ON THE HILL: A neighborhood held together by common bonds
Part 1 of 4 of the October, 1991, series entitled, "Against all odds: Life on the 'Hill'" - a close look into Augusta, Maine's Sand Hill (Sandhill) neighborhood. Part 1 gives the cultural background of the Hill and looks to a few of its community members to provide some personal anecdotes and an intimate neighborhood history. -
AGAINST ALL ODDS: LIFE ON THE HILL: St. Augustine Church - the spiritual, social center
Part 2 of 4 of the October, 1991, series entitled, "Against all odds: Life on the 'Hill'" - a close look into Augusta, Maine's Sand Hill (Sandhill) neighborhood. Part 2 focuses on St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church, the unifying center for many in the parish spread up and across this part of north Augusta. -
AGAINST ALL ODDS: LIFE ON THE HILL: St. Augustine School changes with the times
Part 3 of 4 of the October, 1991, series entitled, "Against all odds: Life on the 'Hill'" - a close look into Augusta, Maine's Sand Hill (Sandhill) neighborhood. Part 3 is a brief look into St. Augustine School, the educational foundation - alongside Sylvio J. Gilbert Public School - for Hill residents. St. Augustine School opened in 1888 and closed in 2008, to be merged with St. Mary's School into a single Augusta Catholic Diocesan school - St. Michael. -
AGAINST ALL ODDS: LIFE ON THE HILL: Places that provided common heritage gone or declining
Part 4 of 4 of the October, 1991, series entitled, "Against all odds: Life on the 'Hill'" - a close look into Augusta, Maine's Sand Hill (Sandhill) neighborhood. Part 4 includes two pieces: one acknowledging the vast changes that have taken place in the community since the early 20th century, the other acknowledging the still present voice of Le Club Calumet, a Franco-American social club, that has undergone its own sort of struggle. -
Augusta 200/Days remembered
A captioned image from within Pomerleau's Bakery that sat on Franklin Street in Augusta, Maine, in the 1940s. The Kennebec Journal celebrated Augusta, Maine's bicentennial (1797-1997) throughout that year by regularly featuring city images from days long past. -
Celebrating Our 50th Anniversary: Le Club Calumet, 1922-1972
A supplement to the Daily Kennebec Journal in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Le Club Calumet, a (then) men's-only Franco American social club in Augusta, Maine. Includes many advertisement congratulations from local businesses, pictures of club events, among other pieces. 24 pages long. -
Calumet Club faces rights hearing
A Readfield, Maine, woman who was denied membership at Le Club Calumet - a men's Franco-American social club in Augusta, Maine - appealed to the Maine Human Rights Commission on account of discrimination. -
Backing Calumet Club
Letter to the editor regarding the 1989 Le Club Calumet controversy sparked by a woman's seeking entry into the all-male club. Offers a measure of support for the Augusta, Maine, Club in its rejection of the woman's request. -
Private clubs can exclude
Letter to the editor on the subject of Augusta, Maine's Franco American social club, Le Club Calumet, excluding women from its membership. -
Do it this way, Nancy
Letter to the editor chastising Nancy Albert Ellis, the woman who in 1989 sought entry into the all-male Franco-American social club, Le Club Calumet, of Augusta, Maine. -
Club is like a private home
Letter to the editor questioning the motives of Nancy Albert Ellis, the woman who in 1989 sought entry into an all-male Franco American social club, Le Club Calumet, of Augusta, Maine. -
Calumet should stay as it is
Letter to the editor in support of the 1989 decision of Augusta, Maine's Le Club Calumet to reject the membership application of a woman, Nancy Albert Ellis, and remain an all-male organization. -
Calumet Club loses Round 1
The Maine Human Rights Commission ruled that Le Club Calumet, an all-male Franco American social club in Augusta, Maine, discriminated when it refused membership to a woman applicant. The article contains commentary from arguing members of the Club and the MHRC councilpersons who voted unanimously to label officially the Club's decision as discrimination based on sex. -
Some Calumet Club members may vote to admit women, attorney says
After the Maine Human Rights Commission ruled that she had been discriminated against when denied membership at Le Club Calumet, a Franco American social club, Nancy Albert Ellis considered filing charges in court. Many members of the Club, in her support, claimed that they would vote to change club legislation, allowing the full admission and membership of women. -
Calumet's first-class women
Letter to the editor lauding the women who volunteer at the all-male Franco American social club, Le Club Calumet, in Augusta, Maine, without becoming club members. Comes in response to the controversy of a woman whose attempt at membership in the Club was rejected, and who appealed to the Maine Human Rights Commission to prove the Club's unlawful discrimination based on her sex. -
'Le Club' is masculine
Letter to the editor that argues (tongue-in-cheek?) how the gender of the French term "le club" is reason enough for Le Club Calumet of Augusta, Maine, to justify rejecting a woman's application for membership in 1989. -
Ellis' win will destroy club
Letter to the editor arguing that if Le Club Calumet, a Franco-American social club in Augusta, Maine, is forced by the Maine courts to admit women, and is thereby ruled a "public" organization, it will no longer be able to limit its membership based on ethnicity. -
Was it sex discrimination?
Letter to the editor that asks whether discrimination based on gender is different from discrimination based on ethnicity, and if Le Club Calumet, a Franco-American social club in Augusta, Maine, is not allowed by its private status to limit its membership based on both sex and ethnicity. -
Calumet members make no decision yet on admitting women
After the Maine Human Rights Commission deemed Le Club Calumet - an Augusta, Maine, Franco-American men's club - discriminatory for not admitting women as members, the Club was forced to decide if it would change its policies regarding membership or face litigation. -
Club is victim of bias
Maurice Violette, past president of Augusta, Maine's Le Club Calumet and author of "The Franco-Americans" (New York: Vantage Press, 1976), writes about the bias he sees in the Kennebec Journal's editorial commentary on the Club controversy of 1989-1992. -
Teaching the wrong lesson
Letter to the editor in response to Nancy Albert Ellis' objection to being refused membership in Le Club Calumet, a Franco-American social club in Augusta, Maine. Letter writer cites the Club's right to legislate as a private organization, even to limit membership based on one's citizenship. -
Kiss old Calumet goodbye
Letter to the editor criticizing the comments of Le Club Calumet's legal representation, Norman Bourget, and giving thanks to the 1989 decision by the Maine Human Rights Commission declaring the Club discriminatory for its refusal to admit women as members. -
Private club made public
Letter to the editor claiming that the Maine Human Rights Commission discriminated against the Franco-American community when it ruled that Le Club Calumet was a public organization and should admit women as members - or else be taken to court on account of its discriminatory bylaws. -
Calumet faces big problems
Letter to the editor acknowledging the problems that would potentially arise for Le Club Calumet - an all-male Franco American social club in Augusta, Maine - if it were declared public by the judicial system, and thus forced by law to admit women as members. -
Le Club Calumet files complaint
Le Club Calumet seeks approval from the court for its decision to exclude women from membership in its organization: one that the Maine Human Rights Commission deemed "public," and thus discriminatory in its sexed bylaws. -
Calumet Club claims law permits limited private ethnic membership
Article on public comments made by Le Club Calumet following its lawsuit against the Maine Human Rights Commission. Maine HRC previously ruled that the Club was breaking a law of public organization when it refused to admit a woman as a member. -
Rights panel sues le Club Calumet
The Maine Human Rights Commission fired back at Le Club Calumet by filing a lawsuit of its own (in response to the Club's suit against the HRC) contending that the Club discriminated in its refusal of membership to a woman based on her sex. -
Why sue Club Calumet?
Letter to the editor questioning the Maine Human Rights Commission's decision to sue le Club Calumet of Augusta, Maine. MHRC asserted the unlawful discrimination inherent to the Club's bylaws that restrict membership based on sex. -
Calumet claims bias against French women legal; rights panel disagrees
Article on the arguments heard in Kennebec County Superior Court, Augusta, Maine, in a case of the Maine Human Rights Commission versus Le Club Calumet, a Franco-American fraternal organization. -
Calumet told it must let women join: Calumet loses bid to keep women out
In a 1991 ruling, the Kennebec County Superior Court decided that Le Club Calumet, a Franco American fraternal organization in Augusta, Maine, was a public organization , and therefore could not exclude women from its membership - as it had done for 69 years, and as had been the provisions of its bylaws. -
Le Club Calumet will appeal order for female membership
Le Club Calumet of Augusta, Maine, decided to appeal a decision of the Kennebec County Superior Court that deemed the Club a public organization, and thus prevented by law from excluding women from its historically all-male membership. -
Cease and desist, Le Club Calumet
Editorial piece arguing that Augusta, Maine, fraternal organization Le Club Calumet, appealing a ruling that charged it with sex discrimination, should reconsider its position and "alter its men-only policy for membership." -
No longer silent minority
Guest article written by Franco-American performer, Jean-Paul Poulain, on the need to preserve Le Club Calumet as a private organization. This piece comes amidst the controversy surrounding a county court ruling that the Augusta, Maine, Club was unlawfully discriminatory towards women. -
Calumet Club vows to fight court ruling
After being forced by the Kennebec County Superior Court to admit women members, Le Club Calumet of Augusta, Maine, objected, and claimed to consider filing an appeal. -
Age of equality
Editorial piece arguing that Le Club Calumet should, as directed by the Kennebec County Superior Court, admit women as members, and discontinue the membership policy of its Augusta, Maine, establishment that is arguably based in part on sex discrimination. -
Out of kitchen for good
Letter to the editor written in response to a guest column penned by Augusta, Maine performer, Jean-Paul Poulain. This letter addresses the need for cultural sensitivity, but argues that women must be involved - including at the level of membership in the historically all-male Franco American social club, Le Club Calumet. -
Calumet Club cancels celebration
Augusta, Maine's Le Club Calumet canceled its 1991 anniversary celebration. The Club cited a lack of participation. -
Woman defends 'men only'
Letter to the editor rebuffing a previous letter written by Peg Ricker (6 September 1991), and supporting the all-male membership of Augusta, Maine, social club, Le Club Calumet, for the sake of "gender bonding," among other reasons. -
And one who's still waiting
A commentary on the headline article of this issue, "Women in the Clubs," that elaborates a discussion of Nancy Albert Ellis. In 1988, Ellis was refused membership to the all-male Franco American social club, Le Club Calumet, of Augusta, Maine, and began a course of litigation that lasted a number of years. -
An Open Letter to Whom It May Concern: A Rebuttal to Calumet Club Superior Court's Judgment
A lengthy open letter concerning the potential effects of Kennebec County Superior Court's ruling against Le Club Calumet, charging it to begin admitting women into the membership ranks of its historically all-male establishment in Augusta, Maine. The letter's primary concern is the court's designation of the Club as a "public accommodation," not a private one, that might potentially be forced to admit any person without regard for ethnicity. -
Not private vs. public
A letter to the editor in response to Maurice Violette's "An Open Letter..." (9 October 1991), contesting Violette's fixation on the matter of "public vs. private" as the keystone of the debate surrounding Le Club Calumet's recent Kennebec County, Maine, courtroom loss, and its being forced by law to admit women to the ranks of its membership. -
Judge rejects Ellis' request for lien on Le Club Calumet
Kennebec County (Maine) Superior Court judge rejects Nancy Ellis' bid to attach a lien to Calumet Club property in the case that, if her lawsuit against the club is victorious, the club disbands, sells land, and refuses coverage of her legal fees. -
State's highest court to hear Calumet appeal
Le Club Calumet of Augusta, Maine, appealed to the Maine Supreme Court to overturn a superior court decision forcing it to change its organizational bylaws and admit women as members. -
Calumet appeal argued in court
Le Club Calumet, a Franco American men's social club in Augusta, Maine, appealed to the Maine Supreme Court a decision made by the superior court that would have forced the club to admit women as members. This article covers the beginning of the arguments heard at the highest court in Maine. -
Maine woman seeks entry into ethnic club
A Boston Globe update on the Maine Supreme Court case of the Maine Human Rights Commission and Nancy Ellis vs. Le Club Calumet, regarding the issue of a private accommodation limiting its membership based on ethnic and sex discriminations and if, as Ellis contends, the Club is in fact a public, not private, organization. -
Calumet hurt its own
Letter to the editor opposed to the Maine Supreme Court's decision in favor of Le Club Calumet barring women from membership in its Augusta, Maine, organization. -
Ellis wants media attention
Letter to the editor questioning the motives of Nancy Albert Ellis in her filing suit against Le Club Calumet of Augusta, Maine, for refusing her a membership based on her sex - a suit she eventually lost in the Maine Supreme Court. -
Court rules Calumet can exclude women
In May, 1992, the Maine State Supreme Court ruled that Le Club Calumet, a Franco-American men's club in Augusta, Maine, can exclude women as members from its organization. This decision was based on the court's finding that the Club was, in fact, a private accommodation, not a public one. Laws regarding the private status of ethnicity-based social clubs allow such clubs to limit their membership based on a number of unique characteristics - including sex. -
Anti-Calumet attitude
Letter to the editor berating Augusta, Maine's Kennebec Journal for its selective coverage of the controversy involving Le Club Calumet and Nancy Ellis - a battle over gender and club membership that landed both parties in the Maine Supreme Court. -
Equal or a step down?
Letter to the editor questioning the meaning of the phrase "equal rights" as it has been used in the conversation between Nancy Albert Ellis and the all-male Club Calumet of Augusta, Maine. -
French women must unite
Letter to the editor calling upon "all women of French ancestry" to unite in response to the Maine Supreme Court's decision to allow the Calumet Club of Augusta, Maine, to refuse membership to women. -
Freedom of association
Letter to the editor that claims to be in support of the Maine Supreme Court decision to protect the all-male Le Club Calumet's freedom of association. -
Le Club Calumet suspends brothers for backing Ellis
Nancy Albert Ellis' father and uncle, Demetrius and Henry Albert, were suspended by Le Club Calumet after refusing to appear before their executive board to discuss their public support of Ellis' controversial bid for membership in the all-male, Augusta, Maine, club. -
Readfield woman denied Calumet membership will not appeal
Nancy Albert Ellis, a woman whose membership application to Le Club Calumet in Augusta, Maine, was denied based on her sex, and who lost a legal battle with the Club that was taken all the way to the Maine Supreme Court, does not appeal the decision to a higher court. -
Men should do it all
Letter to the editor calling for gender equality in cutural organizations. This comes in support of Nancy Albert Ellis, whose bid to join the Calumet Club in Augusta, Maine, was rejected, and ultimately denied in a decision by the Maine Supreme Court. -
Club lost peace pipe
Letter to the editor berating Le Club Calumet of Augusta, Maine, for its refusal of Nancy Albert Ellis' membership bid on account of her sex. The author seeks a peaceful resolution to what became a controversial issue surrounding the inclusion of women in Club ranks. -
Doesn't make it right
Short letter to the editor written against Maurice Violette's letter of May 28, 1992, coming in the wake of Le Calumet Club's rejection of a woman vying for membership in the Augusta, Maine, all-male organization. -
Saving Franco culture
Letter to the editor calling upon Franco Americans and Le Club Calumet to look past the controversial 1992 Maine Supreme Court case regarding club identity and gender, and to consider the best way of using all available resources for cultural preservation. -
Le Festival de la Bastille, 1986 - July 11th,12th,13th
A supplement to the daily newspaper that includes a history of the Central Maine celebration, statements of prominent club members, advertisements, a song, as well as a 1986 schedule of events, the parade route, and pieces on popular performers to appear. -
Le Festival de la Bastille
A supplement to the daily newspaper that includes a history of the Augusta, Maine, celebration, statements of prominent club members, advertisements, as well as a 1987 schedule of events, the parade route, and pieces on popular performers to appear. -
A date which will live in infamy, Augusta man was survivor: Poulin 'never saw so many planes'
On the fiftieth year following the 1941 Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Lucien Poulin of Augusta, Maine, tells of his experience of the surprise bombing and his subsequent involvement in World War II. -
River Rerouting
Captioned photo of Adelard Labbe cutting ice on Sand Hill in Augusta, Maine. -
The Old Heave-Ho
Photo of Pete Caron shoveling snow from a tenement building on Sand Hill in Augusta, Maine. -
McAuley recalls the past: AARP's minority affairs person reflects on racism he saw in Augusta
John McAuley recalls his experience of racism while growing up in Augusta, Maine, in the 1930s. -
St. Michael Parish
A special supplement to the daily newspaper on the merging of previously separate Roman Catholic parishes in the central Maine region. Includes brief histories of the parishes, letters from clergy, pictures, and a preview of the new unified Catholic elementary school, St. Michael School, formed in Augusta by the former St. Mary's and St. Augustine Schools. Includes a piece on the historically Franco St. Augustine Church and School, situated on the face of Sand Hill. -
End of an era on Sand Hill
St. Augustine School, the historically Franco Catholic school on Sand Hill in Augusta, Maine, closes at the end of the 2007 school year. It is to be merged with St. Mary's School of Western Avenue, Augusta, and housed at that location, taking the new name, "St. Michael School." -
Drum Roll, Please
Photo of the 1947 St. Augustine Drum and Bugle Corps performing in Augusta, Maine. The caption includes a list of members of the corps from that period. -
State honors its Franco-American heritage
Four Maine residents - Severin Beliveau, Norman Angers, Annette Daigle, and Jean Dionne - were inducted into the Franco-American Hall of Fame at the State House in Augusta, Maine. -
Uproar over 'Frenchie' puts end to comedian's radio act
WBLM (Portland, Maine) radio personality Ernie Gagne, known as "Frenchie," decided to quit his comedy act after it started a public controversy about local ethnic representation. -
French consul general to help Maine prepare for trade mission
French consul general to Boston, Cristophe Guilhou, makes a tour of Maine guided by Severin Beliveau. Guilou's visit comes in preparation of an October 2010 Maine/France trade mission. Article originally written for the Portland Press Herald. -
'Frenchie' puts humor on cassette tape
Ernie Gagne, humorist and Maine talk radio voice of the controversial "Frenchie" character, releases a cassette tape of his ethnically-driven jokes. -
Franco-Americans want radio character off the air
Orlando, Florida, coverage of Maine controversy around WBLM character "Frenchie," whose ethnically-driven humor aroused many negative public reactions. -
Firefighters were called back, Mill blaze doesn't give up easily
As the discontinued Edwards Mill began to burn more strongly at the foot of Sand Hill in Augusta, Maine, in 1991, many firefighters were called back to the site from which they had already left. -
NAME THESE MILL WORKERS
1926 photo taken of workers in the Edwards Mill (weave rooms 33 and 53), Augusta, Maine. The featured caption seeks out newspaper readers who might be able to identify the faces in the picture. -
Labbe: station, store was atop Sand Hill
Augusta, Maine, resident Paul Labbe helps the local Capital Weekly newspaper to identify a 1940s photo of a store and gas station. Article features the picture itself, as well as claims from others who attempted to make an identification of the photo. -
'Frenchie' confronts critics
After stepping down from his radio personality post at WBLM, Ernie Gagne, a.k.a. 'Frenchie,' takes part in a televised panel discussion about his ethnically-driven humor, its dissidents, and the cultural and historical issues it exhumes. The panel took place at the University of Maine at Augusta's Holocaust and Human Rights Center. -
HEAVE HO
Captioned photo of man shoveling snow on Monroe Street, adjacent to the former Labbe's Market on Augusta, Maine's Sand Hill. -
No cause yet for Edwards mill fire
Article recounts burning of Augusta, Maine's Edwards Mill in November and December of 1991. Discusses the melange of firefighting efforts from many parts of Central Maine, as well as the early stages of investigating the fire's cause. -
Former workers recall the mill
In the aftermath of the burning of the Edwards Mill in Augusta, Maine, some former workers look back on their many years spent there during its time of operation. This article focuses on the stories of Edward Doyon, Valmond Rodrigue, Robert Beaudoin, and Fr. Gilbert Patenaude. -
Fire levels Augusta mill, Blaze causes no injuries
A fire consumes the Edwards Mill in Augusta, Maine, beginning in the afternoon of November 30, 1989. Article includes a picture of the smoke and fire at the base of Sand Hill, a neighborhood in the north part of the city. -
The end of EDWARDS. The day after: memory takes over
Selection of pictures and a brief article on the sentiments surrounding the burning of the Edwards (cotton) Mill in Augusta, Maine. -
Augusta couple: The mill was their life
Article on Davilla and Yvonne Croteau, husband and wife, who together spent more than 100 years working at the Edwards Mill in Augusta, Maine. Their reminiscing here comes in the aftermath of the mill burning to the ground in the winter of 1989. Article includes pictures from the 1934 Edwards Mill strike. -
The mill falls, the mall rises
This editorial reflects on the recent burning of the Edwards Mill in Augusta, Maine, in contrast with the anticipation of a new shopping mall to be built in the same city, not far from the mill site. -
Owner had been trying to sell Edwards Mill for 10 months
After the defunct Edwards Mill of Augusta, Maine, is devastated by fire in 1989, it comes to light that its owner had been trying for nearly a year to sell the property. -
Edwards mill fire probe done, cause not found
The Maine Fire Marshall's office finds no certain cause of Augusta, Maine's 1989 Edwards Mill fire, and mentions that either "a discarded cigarette or broken elevator" was probably what sparked the blaze. -
Officials search for cause of mill fire
Maine state officials discuss efforts to investigate the cause of the Edwards Mill fire in the winter of 1989, on the shore of the Kennebec River in Augusta, Maine. -
MILL WATCH
Photo of a firefighter and firetruck on the site of the Edwards Mill, Augusta, Maine, as workers tended to the blaze there in the winter of 1989. -
Investigators have determined...Mill fire began in elevator shaft, cause still in question, official says
State officials determine where - but not yet how - the Edwards Mill fire began in Augusta, Maine, in the winter of 1989. Article also provides an update on the work being done by local firefighters to control the blaze's spread. -
Edwards Mill looks like bombed town, Owners say hydropower station to go back on line, damage unknown, Mill site crews still working
Article getting feedback from Mark Isaacson, vice president of the Edwards Manufacturing Co. whose Augusta, Maine, mill site was demolished by fire one month ago. Includes a picture of Isaacson in front of the mill ruins. -
Mill's neighbors watch history go up in flames
Article on the Edwards Mill fire as a spectacle in Augusta, Maine, where neighbors, former mill workers, and descendants of those who moved to Central Maine to work in the mill watch the industrial building complex go up in flames. The blaze could be seen from up to 20 miles away. -
The mill comes tumbling down
After its abandonment and destruction by fire, the Edwards Mill on the west side of Augusta, Maine, is finally demolished. Article features picture of mill neighbor and former mill worker Edgard Violette. -
For Pete's sake : Calumet's sports fields to bear Gagne's name
Le Club Calumet, the Franco-American social organization in Augusta, Maine, dedicates its youth sports fields in memory of local entrepreneur Albert "Pete" Gagne. Includes pictures of the monument erected at the fields in Gagne's honor. -
MEMBERS REJECT MERGER: Voters decided against uniting KV Federal Credit Union and Kennebec Savings Bank
Members of the Kennebec Valley Federal Credit Union vote to reject a merger with Kennebec Savings Bank. Both institutions are located in Augusta, Maine. KVFCU, formerly known as St. Augustine Credit Union, was the financial institution historically responsible for the savings and loans of most Franco Americans in the north Augusta neighborhoods. -
Frank Pomerleau's legacy: an 'entrepreneurial spirit'
Article on Augusta, Maine, entrepreneur, Frank Pomerleau, written soon after his death. Pomerleau's furniture and appliance store was a staple in the community for over 50 years, with Pomerleau himself being recognized for his success by business and cultural groups alike. This issue of the newspaper also contains Frank Pomerleau's obituary. -
Cuts to French curriculum run into opposition
French teachers and Franco advocates plan to speak at upcoming Board of Education meeting. Their comments will come in response to the City of Augusta, Maine, school superintendent, Cornelia Brown, in her presentation of an upcoming school budget that leaves out, among other programs, elementary French language. -
Augusta seizes abandoned paper mill, City plans to have buildings demolished, seeks options for redevelopment
The City of Augusta, Maine seizes the eastside paper mill, formerly known as "Statler Tissue," with the stated purpose of demolition for potential development. According to the Kennebec Journal, the mill closed in 2001. -
Advocates defend school programs on chopping block
Supporters of a number of educational programs - including elementary French - threatened by cuts to the Augusta, Maine, city budget make their voices heard at a Board of Education public forum. -
Demolition of tissue mill in full swing
The demolition of the Augusta, Maine, east-side paper mill, which began June 2010, continues in plain view on the bank of the Kennebec River. -
Some credit union members oppose bank merger, 'We don't want to lose our identity'
With a merger pending between Kennebec Savings Bank and KV Federal Credit Union - both of Augusta, Maine - some credit union members voice their opposition, citing the historical value of their institution, its assistance to the Franco-American communities of the area, and the economic role it has played in helping to form the region's identity. -
Cowan Mill burns. Thousands watch fire in Lewiston
The Cowan Mill, on the shore of the Androscoggin River between Lewiston and Auburn, Maine, goes up in flames. The Cowan building is one of many in the vast Bates Mill complex. -
'It felt like something from a movie'
The fire at the Cowan Mill in Lewiston, Maine, as a spectacle: the crowds watching it blaze, the memories of its workers from long ago, the impact of its burning on the city's daily routine. -
He exemplifies the modern priesthood
Extended article on Augusta, Maine, Roman Catholic priest, Fr. Valmond Gilbert, celebrant of St. Augustine Church. Discusses his community involvement - religious, economic, political, and otherwise. Includes photos of Fr. Gilbert at mass, with Augusta schoolchildren, and with Augusta legislator, Rep. Patrick Paradis. -
Fire ties up traffic in city
Effect of the Cowan Mill fire on traffic in the cities of Lewiston and Auburn, Maine. -
A look back in time
A time line of the history of the Cowan Mill in Lewiston, Maine, published on the day following the great fire that burned the defunct mill to the ground. -
End of an era
Captioned photos of the Cowan Mill in Lewiston, Maine, after it was destroyed by fire in the summer of 2009. -
Cowan Mill facade falls down during Wednesday's fire
A series of captioned photos chronicling the crumbling, tumbling, and ruin of the Cowan Mill in Lewiston, Maine, as it burned in a spontaneous fire. -
Casavant
From a Kennebec Journal special six-part series on local history, this article focuses on Rev. Joseph Casavant of St. Augustin Roman Catholic Church in Augusta, Maine. Fr. Casavant served the parish from 1919 to 1958. -
Time for Maine to secede from U.S., consider joining Canada
Humorous opinion piece on Maine as an American outcast state, sharing more in common with its Canadian neighbors than with the people and places of its neighboring American states. -
Razing starts on 5 buildings. Shabby Sand Hill houses bite the dust
Some older tenement buildings at the base of Sand Hill in Augusta, Maine, are evacuated as their demolition begins - "part of a federally funded neighborhood improvement project." -
Historians bemoan loss of old house
As a plan is set forth to demolish five old housing tenements at the base of Sand Hill in Augusta, Maine, local historians consider their historical significance. -
LEWISTON MILL FIRE; MILL FIRE RATTLES LEWISTON: Teen arsonists eyed; onlookers tie up city
Kennebec Journal printing of article on Lewiston, Maine's Cowan Mill fire by Lewiston Sun Journal writer, Mark LaFlamme. -
Frank Pomerleau's Inc. of Augusta, Maine
16-page add featured in the Kennebec Journal's 150th Anniversary Edition paper. -
Mills kept selling even in Depression. Franco-Americans filled mill jobs
An article on the mills of the Kennebec River in central Maine, the immigration wave at the turn of the century, and the Franco-American workforce. Featured in the 150th Anniversary edition of the Kennebec Journal. -
French-Canadians came for the land
Excerpt from the forthcoming book, "The Franco-Americans," by Augusta, Maine resident, Maurice Violette. Discusses the purported logics behind French-Canadian immigration to New England in the 19th century. -
Advertisement: St. Augustine Federal Credit Union
Advertisement for the St. Augustine Parish credit union in North Augusta, Maine. -
Celebrating our 53rd year....Le Club Calumet
Advertisement for Augusta, Maine's Le Club Calumet, featured in the 150th Anniversary Edition of the Kennebec Journal. -
Sports : Winning, exciting
Article on central Maine sports in and around the 1970s. Features two large action photos of Augusta North Little League baseball players. -
Franco-American Foresters Meet
An article on the meeting of the Franco American Order of Foresters held in Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1909. -
Franco-American Republican Club Holds Convention
Article on a Lowell, Massachusetts, meeting of the Franco-American Republican Club and the election of its president. -
Vast Crowd at Plattsburg
Article on the celebration of Franco-American Day at Lake Champlain (New York and Vermont) in 1909. -
Republican Clubs Formed in Towns of Essex County
Article on the creation of Republican political clubs in Essex County, Massachusetts, which includes the towns of Salem, Lawrence, Lynn, Merrimac, Methuen, and others. -
Canadian Wave Seen Swamping Border States
Article on French-Canadian immigration as a point of concern for the American Institute of Politics, especially with regard to debt policy in the United States. -
French-Canadian Criers
Article on the New England institution of the "town crier" - one who yells out public announcements from a central community area to alert those in earshot. -
French-Canadian as a Language
Article reflecting on the work of a Québec social scholar, and exploring the idea that there may or may not exist "a distinct French Canadian patois." -
New Cotton Mill for Manville, R.I.
Article on the plans for a new cotton mill - owned entirely by French-Canadians - to be built in Manville, Rhode Island. -
Big Liquor Seizures in Bennington, Vermont
Article on multiple criminal alcohol seizures from a number of Vermont social clubs in the 1910s. -
Bravo! Monsieur Yastrzemski frappe un coup d'exterieur
Article on the translation of baseball into the cultural registers of French Canada and the vernaculars of the Canadian French language. -
Vermont Plans Bilingual Signs For Highways
Article on French-English roadsigns planned for Vermont highways in the 1950s. -
Maine Court Due to Weigh Augusta School Bus Tilt
Article on a controversy surrounding the city of Augusta, Maine's allowing local private Catholic schools the use of its public buses. -
School Bus Curb Asked; Augusta, Me., Group Bids Court Block Parochial Use
Article on controversy surrounding city of Augusta, Maine's allowing local private Catholic schools the use of public buses. A group of citizens opposing the measure confronts Augusta City Council members. -
Can two languages survive in Québec?
Article on the concurrent usages of French and English in 1970s Québec, and opinions as to the future of the province of Québec's language landscape. Special to the CSM written by Lisbon, Maine, author, Denis Ledoux. -
Parlez-vous Canadien?
Article on the comparisons made between French language varieties in Canada, France, and elsewhere in the Francophone world. -
By Penacook
Article on the annual gathering of the New England Franco-American Chamber of Commerce at Concord, New Hampshire, in 1903. -
Franco-American Parade
Article on a 1911 march of Franco-American foresters in New Bedford, Massachusetts. -
Franco-American Republicans Elect
Article on the 1917 meeting and elections of the Massachusetts Franco-American Republican Club. -
Franco-American Democrats Gather
Article on a summer 1915 gathering of the Franco-American Democratic Club of Massachusetts in the coastal town of New Bedford. -
K. of C. In State Convention
Article on the Knights of Columbus convention to be held at the Franco American Hall in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1907. -
Goes to Worcester
Article on the relocation of Massachusetts' Franco-American Club from Boston to Worcester. -
Great Day at Manchester
Article on a gathering of the Franco-American Board of Trade of New England held at Manchester, New Hampshire, in the summer of 1900. -
Franco-American Citizens
Article on a Massachusetts "national convention of French residents," with discussion held about political party affiliations, support for various candidates, etc. -
Dr. Adams Criticised: "Franco American" Writes of His Labor Article in the Andover Review
Article responding the the claims of one W.W. Adams that there exists a spiritual problem in the mill town of Fall River, Massachusetts - a town with a high French Catholic population. The article's author takes the pseudonym, "Franco American." -
L.J. Rioux Made Colonel
Article on the promotion of a Massachusetts man in the 1st regiment of the Franco-American Brigade of Volunteers of the United States out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. -
Franco-American Congress Meets
Article on the meeting of the fifth military congress of the Franco-American Brigade of New England at Fall River, Massachusetts. -
Make Pleas in Two Languages: Candidates Heard at Canobie Lake. Franco-Republican Club Has Cheers For All. Pothier and Lodge Given Most Applause
Article on the 1915 meeting of the Franco-American Republican Club of Massachusetts at Canobie Lake near Salem, New Hampshire, where political speakers were hosted. -
National Labor Leaders From New England: No. 8--Oliver Christian, Secretary of the National Loomfixers' Association
Article profiling Oliver Christian: a laborer who earned promotions up to the level of NLA secretary. -
Denies Cardinal in Church Dispute: Rev. J. D. Binette Says He Did Not Quote O'Connell
Article on the comments of a Bellingham, Massachusetts, pastor regarding his alleged opinion of attorney/journalist Elphege J. Daignault - a harsh critic of the local Cardinal and his position relative to national churches and schools coming under the purview of the archdiocese, no longer to be exclusively francophone. This controversy would come to be known as the "Sentinellist Affair." -
To Mark Feast of St. John Wednesday. L'Union St Jean Baptiste D'Amerique to Meet
Article on the 1925 St-Jean-Baptiste Day Celebration in Greater Boston. -
First Fall River Mayor of French-Canadian Descent
Article on the 1922 election of Edmond P. Talbot to the office of mayor in the city of Fall River, Massachusetts. -
A French-Canadian Wanted. Parishioners Refuse to [...] Father Feron as [...].
Article on Fall River, Massachusetts, French-Canadian Catholic parishioners gathering in "protest against the appointment of Father Feron, an Irish priest, as pastor of the parish." -
Ex-head of La Kermesse festival sentenced for theft
Priscille Gagnon, for head of La Kermesse Franco American festival in Biddeford, Maine, is sentenced to three months in prison after being convicted of embezzling nearly $80,000 in festival funds to pay for her husband's hospital bills. -
Franco-American Women Awakening a Silenced Culture
E-news article on women reviving Franco culture in Maine. -
Convicted terrorist Raymond Luc Levasseur denied permission by parole commission to travel to Amherst
Article on Ray Luc Levasseur's suspended invitation to speak at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2009. Levasseur, a Maine resident, is serving a paroled sentence in that state for his alleged involvement in politically-motivated crimes in the 1970s and 80s. The talk at UMass, scheduled to continue without his participation, was on the topic of the 1989 sedition trial in which he was acquitted. -
'Quiet Presence' still resonates with cultural awareness
Article on Dyke Hendrickson's 1980 oral history book, "Quiet Presence," and its perceivable resonance into the present day. -
New Consul General of France makes visit to Maine
Christophe Guilhou, new General Consul (Boston) of France visits Maine, Governor John Baldacci, and Maine's honorary French consular, Severin Beliveau. -
Poutine and pate Chinois for Holy Week
Article on the culinary creations adapted by French Catholics for the meatless Holy Week before the Easter celebration. -
Franco-Americans include five cultures
Article about the focus on Franco-American cultures during Appreciating Diversity Day at Falmouth Middle School in southern Maine. -
DAVID B. OFFER: Bigot with spray paint leaves scar on our political process
Article on the derogatory vandalism of a political sign for Augusta, Maine, State Senate candidate, Roger Katz, that sat in Augusta's Franco-American neighborhood. Offer points out the sadness of Katz, his reaction, and the immense negative reaction of the local community in Katz's support. -
State's top seat historically elusive to Francos: With the exception of Alonzo Garcelon in 1879, the governor's seat has been difficult to win for those of French heritage
Article on the absence of a Franco American in the Maine governor's seat. Observes the one-year term of Alonzo Garcelon in the 19th century, the losses of past Francos vying for election, and the contemporary case of Waterville, Maine, mayor Paul LePage's bid for a 2010 gubernatorial victory. -
Aubuchon Hardware: Celebrating 100 Years
A newspaper supplement to the Bangor Daily News, Morning Sentinel, Kennebec Journal, Lewiston Sun Journal, Portland Press Herald, and York County Coast Star in celebration of Aubuchon Hardware's 100th anniversary. Contains a number of old photos and new essays on the company's history in New England. -
'Evangeline' and bias
Short response to a question submitted to the monthly newspaper of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford regarding First Amendment politics, the Acadians, and the history of anti-Catholic prejudice in Connecticut. -
LePage elected next governor of Maine
Article on Waterville, Maine native, Paul LePage, a Republican, being elected governor by a slim margin over Independent candidate Eliot Cutler. This article was printed on the Thursday - not Wednesday - following the election of Tuesday, November 2, because the final results of the vote count were not sufficient to make a judgment of victory before the Wednesday newspapers were printed. -
'One of us': Francos laud LePage win
Lewiston/Auburn, Maine, reaction to Paul LePage - a Franco American from Lewiston and Waterville - becoming the next governor of the state. Some insist LePage's ethnicity will raise the conversation about Franco Americans in Maine to a greater level, others argue his ethnicity is not nearly as important as his outspokenly conservative political orientation. -
LePage's win in Lewiston due to several factors, political watchers say
Retrospective analysis of political factors and trends evident in Lewiston, Maine's plurality support for Paul LePage in the 2010 gubernatorial election. -
LePage rides rural Maine to Blaine House
Analysis of Maine voting patterns from the 2010 gubernatorial election. This author contends that the Maine vote - largely divided between Paul LePage, the victor, and Eliot Cutler - was not a "north-south split," but a more complex divide better measured by urbanity and economics. The author focuses primarily on Maine county voting fields. -
What's next?
Observations on the 2010 Maine gubernatorial and mid-term elections, and predictions for the near future of the state's political make-up. Also, a clarification on Paul LePage being the first "elected Franco governor" of the state. -
Storing history: Inside Museum L-A's huge collection of artifacts
A look at Lewiston/Auburn, Maine's "Museum L-A," which some claim has "the most complete documented history of the Industrial Revolution in New England, if not the country." -
Canadian firm seeks legal right to handle freight at Madawaska mill: Rail dispute
Dispute over rail access between Canadian National Railway Co. and Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, the latter ostensibly blocking CN from reaching a Madawaska, Maine, paper plant. -
Nov. 9 Letters to the Editor: French ascendency
Letter to the editor questioning the reasoning behind Maine governor-elect Paul LePage's emphasis on his "French" heritage, and the value of his being the first elected Franco-American governor to the state. -
LePage the first Franco
Letter to the editor on the subject of Paul LePage, Maine's 2010 governor-elect, being the state's first Franco-American governor. Some minor disputes have risen over this point, with historians looking back to the nineteenth century to find one Alonzo Garcelon, a resident of Lewiston and of part French (France) heritage, serving as legislature-elected governor for about 1 year's time. The letter here, and the dispute more largely, seeks to segregate Garcelon's ethnicity from Paul LePage's - the latter containing the historicity of the bulk of Maine's French-Canadian descendents - though both are definably Franco-American. -
French Canadians in Maine
Article on the large presence of French-Canadian emigrants in Maine, yet the conspicuous lack of information about them. -
Francos offer mixed response to LePage win
Article featured one day prior in the Lewiston, Maine, Sun Journal under the title "'One of us': Francos laud LePage win." Local reaction to Paul LePage - a Franco American from Lewiston and Waterville - becoming the next governor of the state. Some insist LePage's ethnicity will raise the conversation about Franco Americans in Maine to a greater level, others argue his ethnicity is not nearly as important as his conservative political orientation. -
France to honor local man for WWII service
New Gloucester, Maine, man receives the French Legion of Honor medal for his military service during the United States military's participation in the liberation of France during World War II. Growing up speaking French, he was able to translate for American and French soldiers. -
Huge Franco-American celebration set for July: Le Festival de la Bastille, hosted by Augusta's Le Club Calumet, now occurs every other year.
Article on the biennial Augusta, Maine, celebration organized by the city's Le Club Calumet - a Franco-American community organization of nearly 100 years. -
Le Club Calumet deems Adams outstanding citizen
Article on the recipient of the annual Outstanding Citizen Award proffered by Le Club Calumet of Augusta, Maine. 2010's recipient, Jay Adams, played a large role in including the cultural reality of Franco Americans in the historical tourism of Maine's capital city. -
Down Memory Lane
Article about a granddaughter - now in her sixties - who enjoys traveling the same pass her grandmother rode from Canada to Central Maine on Route 201. The author recounts the history of emigration from Canada to the US down this route, and talks about how, now, many descendants of immigrants enjoy the fruits of their ancestors' labors and reconnect with their history by returning to Canada on this road trodden since the early nineteenth century. -
Waterville group shares stories, language of ancestors
Article on Les Bavards - a group that gathers weekly in Waterville, Maine, to speak French and share stories to keep in mind their cultural heritage. -
Juliana L'Heureux: Reawakening French at UMaine at Augusta
Article on University of Maine at Augusta professor, Chelsea Ray, and her commitment to French language, comparative literature, and the Franco-American communities in which she finds herself immersed as teacher. -
Nov. 17 Letters to the Editor: Valley in good hands
Letter to the editor congratulating the victors of the recent mid-term elections in Maine, arguing that they will be strong representatives of the St. John Valley in Aroostook County. -
Feature Obituary: John Margarones, 87, OOB historian, retired Bates professor
Obituary of longtime Old Orchard Beach, Maine, resident and local historian, also a professor of education at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. -
New grist for the mill: An old factory off Lincoln Street in Biddeford comes back to life as an apartment complex
Article on the redevelopment of vacant space in the Riverdam Mill of Biddeford, Maine, on the banks of the Saco River. -
Immigrants to US share cultural knowledge
Article on a panel discussion in Bangor, Maine, involving participants from China, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Vietnam, and Russia sharing their observations of culture as immigrants in Maine. -
Levesque: Some students will need longer school year
Article on Lewiston, Maine, Superintendent of schools, Leon Levesque, after his participation in a public forum. Levesque, raised in Augusta, Maine, has views on public education that would extend the length of the school year, and that would propose a philosophical shift in the way educators approach student achievement. -
The Fragrance of Rose : The Cult of Woonsocket's 'Saint' Endures Despite Official Doubt
Report on famed Woonsocket, Rhode Island woman of Catholic piety, Marie Rose Ferron, and the faith community that developed around her during her short life and after her death in 1936. The alleged stigmatist whose shrines continue to exist; whose cult of believers lingers after she was denied sainthood, and still long after evidence has been amounted against the legitimacy of her healing powers and stigmatic wounds. -
The Lively Legacy of Blackie Langlais
Brief profile of Old Town, Maine native and recently deceased sculptor of Cushing, Maine, Bernard "Blackie" Langlais. Several photographs of his work, including one of the artist outside his home. -
Have You Seen Ayla Reynolds?
Magazine article on the 2012 disappearance of Waterville, Maine toddler, Ayla Reynolds, as local and national news phenomenon. The missing child and her family at the center of 21st century "info-tainment," situated in the author's own hometown. Currie's reflections on growing up in Waterville, and his thoughts on the effects of the area's patterned economic depression as illustrated in the turns and characters of the Ayla Reynolds story.