Collection + Exhibits
Object of the Month
Get a glimpse of the past with highlighted artifacts from the museum’s collection.
With more than 10,00 artifacts in our collection, there’s a lot to learn about. Come along with us as we unearth one item a month and take a deep dive into its use, significance, and any community stories connected to its history, meaning, or purpose.
From archival photographs to awards, manufacturing tools and inventions to locally made holiday ornaments from a once renown manufacturer—get a glimpse into the past, right now.
March 2026: Women in Bates Mill Bowling League
March is designated as Women’s History Month, a tradition established by Jimmy Carter to honor the often-unnoticed contributions of women to the building of our nation. This month provides an opportunity to focus on the leadership, courage, strength, love, and achievements of women across the country. A photograph from 1951, for example, shows the women members of the Bates Mill Bowling League. The mill’s league was notable for its almost even mix of men’s and women’s teams, an impressive feat for the early 20th century.
Did you miss a past Object of The Month?
We’ve gone through a treasure trove of items from our collection over the years. Scroll through and see what you may have missed.
March 2022: Photograph of Female Workers
Happy Women’s History Month. Female weavers played a huge part in the successful operation of the Bates Mills, working to create bedspreads, sheets, and other beautiful textile pieces. This month, we are highlighting a photograph circa 1910 of three female employees....
February 2022: Whitin-Schweiter Automatic Filling Winder
This automatic filling winder made sure that bobbins were fully wound with yarn in preparation for weaving on a jacquard loom. Work on this machine involved placing cones of yarn on reels or spindles of the machine; threading yarn through the various guides;...
January 2022: Piano Punching Machine
The creation of Jacquard cards to control the weave sequence on a textile loom was a multi-step process. A crucial piece of this process involved the use of the Piano Punching Machine, which is our object of the month. It encoded the fabric design into stacks of cards...
Help preserve Maine MILL artifacts
Antique and vintage items need a lot of maintenance to prolong their lifetime. Help us to preserve and care for these historical items and representations of our community’s history by donating today.