Vanceboro, Maine Historical Society

06/11/2026

The MacDonald Railroad Museum project is rooted in the community's deep pride in a largely overlooked chapter of railroad history. Please mark your calendars and join us for the official dedication of the museum on Saturday, August 1st. Our latest newsletter explores Vanceboro's relationship to the railroad and how a small border town became a vital international gateway. https://vanceborohistorical.org/newsletters/

06/04/2026

One of the most popular features on our website is the Family History section, where families can share their genealogies, photographs, memories, and stories for future generations.

At the moment, only a few family stories are featured, and we'd love to add more. Family histories help us remember not just names and dates, but the people who built homes, worked on the railroad, attended local schools and churches, raised families, and shaped life in Vanceboro.

If you have a family history or story you'd like to share, we'd be honored to help preserve it. You can drop a comment below or email us at [email protected].

The Smith family heritage in Vanceboro began with Moses Somes Thomas who was born on June 16, 1837 in Presque Isle, Maine. Moses married Mary Jane Preble, who was born in Enfield, Maine. According …

05/25/2026

The story of the Vanceboro Methodist Church is, in many ways, the story of Vanceboro itself. The beautiful historic Carpenter Gothic style parsonage bears witness to the people who built this once vibrant border community. The building is in need of a new roof and other repairs. Please consider supporting this work. We will offer updates as we receive them.

Vanceboro Methodist Church, 1900 The story of the Vanceboro Methodist Church is, in many ways, the story of Vanceboro itself. Though the earliest church documents were lost in a 1989 fire that dest…

05/21/2026

We’re thrilled to announce that we have been awarded a Maine Community Foundation Community Building Grant—a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our community together. This grant will play a vital role in bringing our vision to life, with a special focus on completing the MacDonald Railroad Museum.

05/05/2026

🚂 Railroad Building Update! 🚂

What a wonderful weekend of progress at the MacDonald Railroad Museum building! A huge thank you to our volunteer team — Mark Hyland, Faye Luppi, Alaine Peaslee-Hinshaw, Christopher Hinshaw, Stevie Zuppa, and Curty Scott — for all their hard work on the interior. David Florence also lent a hand and the crew loved seeing Donna Beach Wright, Billy Grass, and Harvey Day, who stopped by to check on the progress.

A special shoutout to Jeanie Crandlemire Hogan, who treated everyone to her famous family recipe Shredded Wheat rolls for lunch — a true labor of love! (Psst... the recipe is in the VHS Cookbook — grab your copy!)

We are also deeply grateful to Stevie Zuppa, former president of the Alna Maine Railroad Museum, who donated Maine Central RR magazines featuring news about Vanceboro and Lambert employees. What a treasure for our collection!

This community makes everything possible. Thank you all! 💙

04/28/2026

Please join us in congratulating one of our own. Colonel (Ret.) Herbert “Bill” Vernon – Legendary Game Warden of the Year https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/maine-game-wardens-announce-2025-awards-recognitions/268908

04/21/2026

Can you identify these Vanceboro High athletes? The 1929 girls basketball team and 1930 boys football team.

04/12/2026

This photo of the yard was labeled by the late Gary Beers, a good friend of VHS. In the upper left he's typed "don't recall." Could this be the freight shed? Any other bits of information are welcome!

03/29/2026

Another Vanceboro school photo, this one from 1929. Grateful to to have names so carefully documented.