Museums

The James School was built in 1917 in Spragueville, Presque Isle just beyond the Trans-Atlantic Balloon Site. The James School is approximately 5 miles south of Presque Isle, west of US Route One. Children up to grade eight were taught in this one room school building. With the consolidation of elementary schools in the area such as Presque Isle, Westfield, and Mapleton the James School was closed in 1948. It was used an additional ten years as a non-denominational church and then left to deteriorate. The school was restored in 1987 by local residents and Judge Julian Turner. The original school bell along with many of the school desks, books and tin wall coverings are in tack. An excellent place for weddings, educational activities, family get-togethers, and civic organizations to meet. This museum is open Sundays during the months of July and August from l:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. or at other times by appointment.

The Presque Isle Air Museum is located in the terminal building, Northern Maine Regional Airport, 650 Airport Drive, Presque Isle, phone # (207) 764-2542. The town bought land on the Mapleton Road and a hangar and runway were constructed. The airport and commercial air service were purchased in 1937 and airmail was started. In 1941 with the possibility of war in Europe this base was the closest area by land to Europe. More planes left Presque Isle for Europe than any other base in the United States. With the threat of Communism the base was reactivated in November 1950 as Presque Isle Air Force Base. The mission of air defense ended June 30, 1959. The Presque Isle Air Force Base became the first Intercontinental Missile Base in the nation to have the Snark Missile. The closure of the base because of military modernizations was inevitable. The base was changed to Skyway Industrial Park in 1962 and consisted of 440 acres. The Northern Maine Community College, housing, many businesses, and commercial airport are now on this area.

The Vera Estey House located at 16 Third Street, Presque Isle was purchased by the Historical Society on February 23, 1993. The house was owned by the late Vera T Estey. It was opened to the public in 1994. Ms. Estey, born in 1894, originally from Jackson-town, New Brunswick, Canada came to the Presque Isle area with her parents in 1903. The Estey family settled first in Maysville. The Estey Home was purchased in 1917 by her parents. Vera, who was the only child and remained unmarried, loved flowers to the extent that most of the property was flower gardens. She sold many of her flowers to the Boston Market. Most of the furnishings are original except for the stove and sink and a few things from the Society’s collection.

The Estey House gardens, picket fence and archway are a work in progress. The Presque Isle Historical Society has acquired a cradle used by Louise Pratt in the year 1841. Louise Pratt’s parents were one of the early settlers in Presque Isle. A trunk which belonged to Summer Whitney, who once owned the Estey property, was found at a garage sale. What luck! Mr. Whitney bought the land from the original settler Dennis Fairbanks. The Estey House is open to the public upon appointment.

Northern Maine Museum of Science is located at the University of Maine at Presque Isle at Folsom Hall, south Main Street. With the acquiring of a large collection from Leroy and Katherine Norton and the Portland Museum of Natural History, the museum began in 1970. With a donation from NYNEX (Verizon) formal work began in 1994 and formally opened on October 5, 1996. There is a large display of fresh-water sea shells, a herbarium and forestry specimens to name only a few. A model of the Sun is also housed at Folsom Hall, University of Maine at Presque Isle. A 40-mile long scale model of the solar system extends from Houlton Information Center to the University of Maine at Presque Isle. The solar system is located on Route l. The models are three-dimensional and are mounted on ten feet high posts and can be all viewed from the vehicle except for the Sun model.

The Trans-Atlantic Balloon Site represents the first hot air balloon, Double Eagle II, to travel from across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States to Miserey, France. A memorial park was established in 1981 at the site on the Spragueville Road, Presque Isle, 5 miles south of Presque Isle, west of U.S. Route 1. The flight was launched August 11, 1978 and arrived in France on August 17. The first attempt took place in 1977 but due to bad weather off the coast of Ireland it failed. With just two pilots at this time they decided to contact a third pilot named Larry Newman to accompany the others, Ben Abruzzo and Maxie Anderson. Larry Newman has an aviation background. He was born in Los Angeles. At the age of 12 he flew an airplane solo. At the age of 17 he had already attained all of his pilot ratings and had become a flight instructor. He lived in Hawaii for several years and then moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He became the world’s largest producer of hang gliders. With Abruzzo and Anderson in 1978 he bought his first plane, a Learjet. He developed an ultralight aircraft in 1979. In 1980 Newman and Abruzzo set a world record for staying in the air 75 hours and 10 minutes in a small balloon. After selling his business in 1985 he became an airline pilot and fulfilled his lifelong dream. By 1989 he was captain of a Boeing 757. As of 2004 he is the only balloonist of the three still living. The Double Eagle II monument on the Spragueville Road, Presque Isle can be visited at any time.

The Presque Isle Firehouse located on second Street is in the process of being restored by the Presque Isle Historical Society. The Firehouse also includes the original jail. It is being completed in phases. Phase 1 will restore the 1912 firehouse to its original glory. Historical items will include an original Presque Isle Fire truck, a horse-drawn carriage, historical photographs, artifacts, and horse-drawn carriage. Phase II will involve the renovation of the second floor as an educational center for local school systems and civic groups. The Firehouse is not open to the public at the present time due to the renovations. Donations in support of this project are welcome. The address for donations is: The County Historical & Cultural Center, c/o Linda Smith, P.O. Box 1262, Presque Isle, Maine 04769.

Presque Isle Historical Society

Presque Isle Historical Society, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, was founded in 1963 as a Maine corporation. It is, presently, an all-volunteer organization.

OUR MISSION – The mission of the Presque Isle Historical Society is to present the history of Presque Isle through school and community related educational programs. The Historical Society shall study, preserve and promote the history, culture, heritage and physical artifacts of Presque Isle for present and future generations.

The Presque Isle Historical Society strives to accomplish this mission through a variety of public programs and activities, including but not limited to exhibits, publications, lectures, tours; maintenance and operation of the 1875 Vera Estey House Museum, the 1985 Molly the Trolley, the Maysville Museum, and the historic fire station for housing and displaying historic materials, fundraising events, and various educational programs.

OUR VISION- The vision of the Presque Isle Historical Society is: to provide educational and volunteer opportunities for the entire community by which it can connect with its historic past; to be recognized as a leader in the historic and cultural heritage of our area; and thus to play an active role in the revitalization of our historic downtown.

GOVERNANCE- Presque Isle Historical Society is governed by a 13-member board of directors elected annually by our members. The board meets quarterly in February, May, August and November with the Annual Meeting and elections held in May.

Francis Malcolm Science Center Our Mission- The mission of the Francis Malcolm Science Center is to provide a unique environment for learning experiences in science, nature and astronomy. Public, private, home and pre-school students, as well as student and adult groups with disabilities, may enjoy programs in our planetarium theater, as well as both indoor and outdoor settings for classes on science and nature. Public programs are offered to the community at large throughout the year, encouraging family participation in science and space exploration.

Nylander Museum

Located in Caribou, Maine, the Nylander Museum of Natural History was dedicated in 1939 by Maine Governor Lewis Barrows. The museum was built as a WPA project. The museum’s construction was jointly funded by federal, state, and municipal governments.

The museum was originally designed to house the collections of Olof O. Nylander, a self-taught naturalist from Oremella, Sweden. Born in 1864, Mr. Nylander became interested in natural history as a youth. His spare time was spent collecting fossils and mineral specimens. As a teenager he apprenticed as a house painter. He lived for two years in Stockholm, working as a painter and spent his free time visiting the many museums in Stockholm.

Mr. Nylander published numerous scientific papers and booklets, most at his own expense. He was frequently addressed as professor or doctor. Recognizing his years of community service and significant contributions to scientific exploration, the University of Maine at Orono awarded Mr. Nylander an Honorary Master of Science degree in 1938.

Nylander was hired as the museum’s first curator-director, in agreement that his collections would be donated to the city upon his death, which occurred suddenly in 1943. Throughout the years, various museums, including the Smithsonian and the National Museum of Canada, wanted to acquire all or part of the original Nylander collection. The Nylander collection has remained intact; part of which is permanently on display year-round at the Nylander Museum.

Today the Nylander Museum houses the original Nylander collection and additional specimens and exhibits that have been donated or are on loan to the museum.

Caribou Historical Society

1033 Presque Isle Rd

Caribou, ME 04736

Located 3 miles south of downtown Caribou on U.S. Route 1
The Caribou Historical Society was established in 1974 by a group of people dedicated to the preservation of Caribou’s history. For several years the society met in a variety of places but in 1986 the group completed a mass mailing to contact current and former Caribou citizens. The society agreed that they needed a building to house the Caribou Historical Society.

Stockholm Historical Society Museum Mission



We strive to preserve the history and heritage of Stockholm and Madawaska Lake for future generations.

Located at 280 Main St. Stockholm, ME
Meetings 7 pm last Monday of month April through Oct.
Open by appointment. Notify by messaging to this page.

Salmon Brook Historical Society

Our museum is located in Washburn, Maine at 1259 Maine Street. We are group of local volunteers who help maintain both a furnished homestead and an agricultural barn. Both buildings house historical artifacts and equipment used by Aroostook County farmers from the past. Free tours are available to the public Weds. mornings and Sunday afternoons and any other time by appointment.

1267 Main St.
Washburn, Maine
@salmonbrookhistoricalwashburnmaine
Call (207) 455-5339


Ashland Logging Museum

Mission

Preserve logging history; education the public to the importance of logging in northern Maine; provide positive community demonstrations and events.

About
The Ashland Logging Museum, located on the Garfield Road in Ashland, was established by community members to help preserve the rich logging history of the Ashland area.

General Information

The museum has several open-air buildings that are, of course, always open to the public to browse through. On display in the buildings are a Lombard Log Haule…r, bateaux, boom chains, and a King’s Arrow pine section. Open by appointment are the main museum building and a replica log cookroom & scaler’s office.

Maysville  Museum
165 Caribou Road
Presque Isle, Me. 04769


This location is historically significant in that it served simultaneously as the Maysville Town Hall, the Maysville School, and the Maysville Grange.  This museum features four large exhibits on Presque Isle & The Civil War.  Presque Isle’s 22 rural one-room schoolhouses; the Aroostook War, and Agri-Culture. In addition, there will be numerous smaller exhibits such as an antique wedding gown, bisque dolls, souvenir plates of Presque Isle, the Centennial and Sesquicentennial quilts, the Maysville Grange and more.  Open Monday – Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. seasonally.


Perham Historical Society The Perham Historical Society’s mission is the preservation, narration, and education of the personal, natural, and cultural history of the people of The Town of Perham, Aroostook County, Maine.  In 2017 the society hopes to restore the North Star School into a museum thanks to the generosity of the voters of the Town of Perham.