The museum shows the legacy of the region’s shoemaking and textile producing industries. The collection includes exhibits and 10,000 artifacts.
The redeveloped and reimagined Maine MILL will open its doors this weekend.
The museum's new home is in a redeveloped yarn mill at 1 Beech St. in Lewiston. The organization raised $15 million for the upgrade, which combines historic aspects of the mills with the new.
The museum shows the legacy of the region's shoemaking and textile-producing industries. The collection includes exhibits, 10,000 artifacts and recorded oral histories. But it also includes interactive features and exhibits that will stoke the interest of kids.
A new entryway features the artwork of Charlie Hewitt, who is known for the "Hopeful" sculptures, stickers and lapel pins seen around Maine.
Friday night will have an opening party, now sold out. Saturday's programming includes a thank-you coffee for contractors, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony from 10:30 a.m. to noon. For a full list of events, see the organization's website at mainemill.org.
Formerly called Museum L-A, it was founded in 1996 and opened in 2004, at 35 Canal St., at Bates Mill. The massive 12-acre manufacturing complex dates to Bates Manufacturing Co.’s textile roots in the 1850s. It was once Maine’s largest employer.
