ESHI 301M - New England: Environment and History - *United States History American History

Article indexes

America: History and Life This link opens in a new window
Journal articles on U.S. and Canadian history.
Anthropology Plus This link opens in a new window
Anthropology and archaeology journal articles.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Doesn't include the most current journal issues, but unlike AHL, it searches the full text of articles.

Environmental history is interdisciplinary. So, you may need to search databases for anthropology, ecology, and so on. Either try an interdisciplinary search like LibrarySearch+ or Scopus, or look for a specialized database listed on our subject guides.

Finding book reviews

Relevant subject headings

The following links lead to Library of Congress subject heading searches in LibrarySearch. These same subject headings can find relevant books in any academic library catalog.

Advanced searches

Using the Advanced Search function in LibrarySearch, you can combine any of these with other terms, such as geographic terms like (Maine OR New England OR Atlantic States), or (History), or kinds of sources like (bibliography OR guidebooks) or (correspondence OR diaries)

Other catalogs

Though you will probably start with LibrarySearch, don't end there.

MaineCat This link opens in a new window
This will be very useful, because it includes the University of Maine, which has an extensive collection of environmental history as well as Maine historical documents.
HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
This online collection can be searched using the same subject headings as other library catalogs.
Collection is full text searchable. Materials in the public domain are available for reading online. Copyrighted materials are not available in full text, but often indicate page numbers where words occur. Includes many US government documents. hathi trust
WorldCat This link opens in a new window
Cast a wide net...search libraries around the world all at once.

Primary sources on Maine and New England environmental history

For a more expansive list of primary sources, see United States History: Primary Sources. See also Lewiston History for local archives and collections.

Images

Maine Memory Network This link opens in a new window
Historical photographs and documents from across Maine. A project of the Maine Historical Society.

Digital Commonwealth
Digitized historical material from Massachusetts institutions, including a large postcard collection.
Digital Public Library: Maine Images
The DPLA gathers together digitized historical material from collections around the country.
Forest History Society Research Portal
In addition to an image collection related to forest history, also includes citations to secondary sources and oral histories.

Historical maps

Osher Map Library (USM)
The OSM's map collection includes Early Maine State Maps and Maps of Portland, Maine (1836 - 1981)

Digital Sanborn Maps 1867-1970 (Maine Only) This link opens in a new window
Detailed large-scale building and land-use maps of 148 Maine towns and cities.
Combined with other sources such as city directories, photographs, small-scale maps, census records, genealogies, and statistical data, the Sanborn maps provide an unparalleled picture of life in American towns and cities. The maps provide a wealth of information, such as building outline, size and shape, windows and doors, street and sidewalk widths, boundaries, and property numbers. Plans often include details on construction materials and building use; and also depict pipelines, railroads, wells, water mains, dumps, and other features likely to affect the property's vulnerability to earthquake, fire, and flood.

Library of Congress Maps: Maine
Includes some Sanborn maps in full color.
USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer
Click on a location to see available topographic maps.
Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States
Digital version of Charles O. Paullin and John K. Wright's atlas of 1932.

Government documents

Index of economic material in documents of the states: Maine. 1820-1904
Volums for other states also available in HathiTrust.
Agriculture of Maine. Annual Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture
1856-1968
Annual report of the Bureau of Industrial and Labor Statistics
UMaine Special Collections
Portal to collections in including Maine Government Documents, History of Maine Fisheries, and Maine Town Documents.
History of Maine Fisheries
A database from University of Maine - Orono that contains digitized images of historical records relating to fishing.

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Human population affects the environment, and the U.S. Census is the best source for population information. This database makes county-level historical census data easy to find and use. For town-level, consult the Census Decennials.
U.S. Congressional Documents Collection This link opens in a new window
If you know a law that is related to your subject, you can search here for Congressional hearings and floor debates related to a bill.
The Congressional Record, first published in 1873, is essentially the complete printed version of debates, proceedings and speeches of the United States Congress. Previously congressional debates were catalogued in the Annals of Congress (1789-1824), Register of Debates (1824-1837) and Congressional Globe (1833-1873). The American State Papers are a collection of 6,278 documents in 38 volumes comprising the legislative and executive documents of the first fourteen Congresses from 1789 to 1838. The Journals of the Continental Congress are the records of daily proceedings of the Continental Congress, as kept by Secretary Charles Thomson.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
Early reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, including many maps.
A wealth of early reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Originally published in approximately 13,800 bound volumes, this full-text set includes all subjects/topics that the U.S. government has researched and reported on dealing with international affairs, disasters, social issues, Indian affairs, commerce and communication, explorations, and more. Excellent searching and browsing features.
Ancestry Library This link opens in a new window
Of interest: non-population census documents on agriculture and industry, maps, and city directories.
Unlike individual subscriptions to Ancestry.com, does not include the option of developing a linked online genealogy.
HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Huge numbers of U.S. and Maine government documents have been digitized here, as well as other books published before 1923, including In the Maine Woods.
Collection is full text searchable. Materials in the public domain are available for reading online. Copyrighted materials are not available in full text, but often indicate page numbers where words occur. Includes many US government documents. hathi trust

Periodicals (newspapers and magazines) and books

See United States History: Primary Sources research guide.

Agricultural Periodicals from the Northeastern U.S., 1789-1879
Core Historical Literature of Agriculture
Digitized texts on agriculture, 19th and 20th centuries.