Greater Portland Landmarks

06/15/2026

You've seen the prize. You know how to enter. So what's stopping you? 👀

The Portland Unlocked raffle closes June 24th — and the winner gets a private cocktail party for 8 at the iconic Portland Observatory. One of the most coveted venues in the city, reserved just for you and your people.

🎟️ $20 per ticket
🎰 Drawing June 24th
🚫 No event ticket needed — anyone can enter

One week. Don't let it slip by. Link in bio to grab your tickets.

06/08/2026

This year for Pride, we're celebrating Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat, a Portland native whose life and work hold a remarkable place in American literary and LGBTQ history.

Born in Portland in 1823 and educated in its public schools, Sweat became a literary critic and author. Her 1859 novel "Ethel's Love-Life" is widely considered the first American le***an novel — it sold 100 copies on its first day. Her prolific correspondence suggests she offered her fellow writer Elizabeth Stoddard meaningful support as she navigated life as a le***an in the 19th century and may have had romantic feelings for her.

Historic preservation is one of the most powerful ways to honor LGBTQ history as we work to protect significant places, tell true stories, and make sure communities see themselves reflected in our heritage. Two Portland places keep her memory alive today. The McLellan-Sweat House, now part of the Portland Museum of Art and donated by Sweat herself, is a landmark visitors can experience firsthand. Sweat is also buried at Evergreen Cemetery, which offers tours.

To learn more about her life and Maine's LGBTQ history, her papers are held in the Margaret J.M. Sweat Papers at UNE's Maine Women Writers Collection.

📸: "The Elms" ca. 1890: now the McLellan-Sweat House, part of Portland Museum of Art; Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat, 1880. Both from Sweat, Margaret Jane Mussey, "Margaret Jane Mussey Sweat Photograph Album" (1870). Photograph Album. 1. http://dune.une.edu/mjms_photo/

06/07/2026

Portland Unlocked's special VIP experience is almost sold out!

Don't miss this opportunity for a building tour of some of the private masonic spaces, reception in the stunning Scottish Rite Reading Room with Bernard Fishman which includes the evening's signature cocktail, hors d’oeuvres, and a round of billiards or snooker on the 100-year-old tables!

VIP experience is $125 per person. Link to tickets in bio.

06/05/2026

Portland has two iconic spaces unlocking fresh, exciting experiences this spring — and we're giving you the opportunity to access to both. 🗝️

On June 23rd, Portland Unlocked takes place inside the historic Masonic Temple for a one-of-a-kind 3D presentation in collaboration with the Photo Archive 3D Project entitled “Historic Maine in 3D” presented by Maine State Museum Director Bernard Fishman.

And our once in a lifetime raffle prize puts you inside the Portland Observatory for Portland’s fireworks presentation on the celebration of our country’s 250th birthday.

🎟️ General Admission — $40
⭐ VIP (reception + private tour of the Masonic Temple) — $125, LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE!
🎰 Raffle — win a private cocktail party for 8 at the Portland Observatory. Need not attend event to win. Drawing June 24th. — $20

Swipe for all three options → link in bio for event tickets & raffle entries.

Tag someone who needs to be there — or who deserves to win. 👇

06/03/2026

We are doubling up on opportunities to experience something unique (and support our mission based work) this spring/summer with an exciting raffle!

Buy a raffle ticket NOW for a chance to spend the US Semiquincentennial (July 4, 2026) fireworks show at the top of the iconic Portland Observatory!

Thanks to our business partner, Home Remedies, GPL can once again offer the evening of July 4, 2026 atop the Portland Observatory. Your group of 8 total will enjoy a celebratory cocktail and light appetizers with the best seat in town for the 2026 Portland Maine fireworks.

Tickets for the raffle and Portland Unlocked available at portlandlandmarks.org/portlandunlocked

Purchase as many raffle tickets as desired. You do not need to attend Portland Unlocked (BUT YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD!) to win. On June 24, 2026, all raffle ticket entries will be electronically entered into https://www.randomresult.com/ to chose 1 winner. Only the winner will be contacted.

06/01/2026

Portland Unlocked is coming to the Masonic Temple on June 23!
Tickets at all levels are available now — there's something for everyone!

🏛️Building lover? Attendees will ride in the Temple's classic elevators and the program takes place in the historic Drummond Auditorium.

🦞🌲Love Maine? "Historic Maine In 3D" will feature images from across all of Vacationland, offering an intimate window into our shared past.

📷Interested in photography? The presentation takes historic stereographic images (like the Observatory image) and modernizes them to create a 3D effect!

All of these experiences are included at the General Admission level, so don't hesitate to grab a ticket today! Want a little more? Check out the VIP experience!

Buy your tickets at our website, portlandlandmarks.org/portlandunlocked today!

Observatory Stereograph Image courtesy Maine Historical Society and Maine Memory Network, MMN #72491

05/30/2026

GPL presented a virtual talk earlier this year on moving historic buildings as part of our transportation programming. It looked at how the practice developed, and used some more modern examples too. This project, happening in Augusta shows that this method of preservation is far from defunct. It remains a viable option if a building can't be preserved in place. GPL's program Down the Road Apiece is available to watch online here: https://youtu.be/SBbK-0bOMEs?si=6nmjYNkwLzI30vNh

Something big is rolling through this weekend in Augusta! On Sunday, May 31 at 7 AM, a house will be making its way down Western Ave from Chapel Street, through the Memorial Circle rotary, and will land at Chandler Street. Local road closures will be in place for about an hour with Augusta PD managing traffic and detours. Please plan ahead, follow posted signs, and allow extra travel time. Thanks for your patience as crews work to safely complete this unique move!

05/28/2026

Introducing GPL's new annual spring fundraiser Portland Unlocked. This year, the event will be held at the Masonic Temple in Portland on June 23.

Here guests will be ushered to historic caged, manually controlled elevators to ascend to the stunning Drummond Auditorium for a special 3d presentation “Historic Maine in 3D” with Bernard Fishman, Maine State Museum Director in collaboration with the Photo Archive 3D Project.

UNLOCK EVEN MORE! VIP attendees will gain access to a special reception with Bernard, premiere seating, and behind the scenes building tour. Tickets are on sale now, only 50 VIP seats available, so don’t hesitate on buying today before they sell out. (General Admission tickets go on sale tomorrow morning.)

Check our website for even more details https://www.portlandlandmarks.org/portlandunlocked

Once in a lifetime raffle! Thanks to our business partner Home Remedies, GPL can offer America's Semiquincentennial Portland ME fireworks show atop the town's most beloved landmark, the Portland Observatory. One does not need to attend the event to purchase or win the raffle, so buy yours today.

Buy tickets at our website now: https://www.portlandlandmarks.org/portlandunlocked

05/22/2026

No, you don't need to adjust your glasses, but you do need to save the date!

What you're seeing is a historic image of the "Faith" statue in Hallowell—brought to life in 3D. This is just one glimpse of what awaits you at Portland Unlocked, Greater Portland Landmarks' upcoming fundraising event.

On Tuesday, June 23, Maine State Museum Director Bernard Fishman will take you on a journey through rare stereograph images from the mid-to-late 1800s and early 1900s—photographs you've likely never seen, presented in breathtaking 3D. The centerpiece presentation, "Historic Maine in 3D", happens inside the magnificent The Portland Masonic, one of Portland's most storied and long-hidden gems, in its original plush velvet seating, surrounded by Masonic murals and woodwork that have to be seen to be believed. And getting there you'll ride elevators of the same manufacture as those aboard the Titanic.

Want to go deeper? Only 50 VIP tickets are available for an exclusive private tour and a special reception with Bernard in the stunning Billiards Room — crystal chandeliers, leather couches, and yes, billiards tables included. VIP tickets go on sale May 26, with general admission following on May 28.

This is a rare chance to step inside Maine's past—literally—while supporting the organization that works to preserve these irreplaceable spaces. Don't miss it.

Check our website for more information as it becomes available: https://www.portlandlandmarks.org/portlandunlocked

05/12/2026

We celebrate the life and pioneering leadership of Gerald (Jerry) Talbot, and his significant contributions to Civil Rights and his home state as an 8th-generation Mainer. Mr. Talbot believed strongly in education about African American history and his invaluable contributions will live on. Now, as much as ever, his words are with us: "We, as people, have to support each other. We have to understand each other." GPL sends our deep condolences to Jerry's family, community, and all who were inspired by him.

Today we're finding inspiration in the work of one of Maine's own Civil Rights champions and living legends, Gerald (Jerry) Talbot. Jerry is an 8th generation Mainer, born in Bangor in 1931, eventually living in Portland with his wife Anita Cummings and their four daughters. Jerry has been a passionate advocate for civil and human rights on the local, state, and national levels and was one of a handful of Mainers to participate in the March on Washington in 1963. The following year he revived the NAACP in Portland and was elected its first president. He became the first African American legislator in the State of Maine. He was a leader in the passage of the Maine Fair Housing Bill and the Maine Human Rights Act and advocated for gun control, the treatment of migrant workers, tribal sovereignty, fair housing, and creating a state holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He sponsored the first gay rights legislation and had a harmful racial slur used as a place name removed from all maps and geographical designations in Maine. Jerry believed strongly in education about African American history – USM’s Gerald E. Talbot Collection serves as the foundation of the African American Collection in Maine. In 2006, he co-wrote and edited Maine's Visible Black History: The First Chronicle of Its People. Today as ever, his words ring true: "We, as people, have to support each other. We have to understand each other." For more information about Gerald Talbot, see Americans Who Tell the Truth: https://americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/gerald-e-talbot/

(Photo via https://talbot.portlandschools.org/about/about-gerald-e-talbot)