Krista Luttrell
Researching Ancestors. Creating Things.
Category: Creative Things
Art and Crafts
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In the last story web post, Iron Roads and Irish Labor: Building Maine’s Railroad, I shared information about some of the accidents and deaths of Irish immigrant laborers who built Maine’s growing railroad system. This story adds to it by following the lives of some other men who labored on Maine’s Atlantic and St. Lawrence…
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Painting on small tile-sized composite boards is fun. A painting project can be done relatively quick, perhaps in less than an hour or two. Once dried, it can be hung, framed, or unframed, in smaller spaces, such as over a desk, beside a kitchen window, or on any narrow wall, making them perfect for adding…
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In the 1840s, echoes of a new sound emerged from Maine’s forests: the rhythmic bang of hammers and picks striking upon granite and iron. Within a few years, the promise of progress had reached the northernmost corner of Maine and other northern New England States. Portland’s merchants dreamed of an economic lifeline tethering their city…
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Every day on marketplace websites like eBay, Etsy, Craigslist, and Facebook, fragments of family history quietly change hands. Among them are old photographs, personal letters, postcards, diaries, scrapbooks, school yearbooks, and much more. These items, once much cherished by a deceased relative, are sold off to strangers. How do these family treasures end up on…
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Thirty seconds it was-or maybe a minute-on a pleasant Saturday noon,the blaring horn slicedthrough the pine tree airwhere we kids once swunghigher, higher, and higheras if our feet could touchthe bright blue skybeyond the needle green.My father sat and sippedhis steaming Nescafé,immersed in pages of fading news,as that clockwork blarecut through our dog day,and snow…
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The Portland Company was founded in 1845 by John Poor, a lawyer and entrepreneur originally from Andover, Maine. It played a pivotal role in Portland’s industrial growth during the 19th century. Situated on the waterfront side of Fore Street at the bottom of Munjoy Hill, the Company quickly became a leading manufacturing hub, producing steam…
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The East and North Galway Irish were among the first Irish Catholics to settle down in Greater Portland, Maine, arriving as early as the mid-1830s. Their arrival preceded the flood of refugees escaping Ireland’s Great Hunger (1845–1852). Once settled, these early immigrants sent funds home to help family and neighbors make the transatlantic journey. This…
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Many moons ago, when I first began my journey into the realm of family history, my intention was simple: to write a small book about what I had discovered, for the benefit of my beloved children and the generations who will come after them. In the early Spring of this year, I finally began this…
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Welcome to my new site, where I share bite-sized stories about community and family history, along with some creative arts content. Be sure to check out the about, interviews, links and talks pages, too. Please afford me some grace while I learn to create and use the site. The above photo is of my husband…
Krista Luttrell 