PORTLAND, Maine — Lewiston's Museum L-A, founded in 1996 and open to the public since 2004, is beginning a fresh chapter.
For starters, it has a new name. It will now be known as the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning + Labor, or Maine MILL for short.
Its mission is also changing. The museum is broadening "the stories we’re telling to ensure that the histories and cultures we’re representing are of the entire region," Executive Director Rachel Ferrante said.
The changes are moderate, not sweeping; the museum will remain true to its mission of telling stories about the people who built Lewiston and Auburn, especially through its mills.
"At our core, it will feel much the same," Ferrante said. "We have lots of resources available, particularly for teachers. We have great lesson plans, virtual tours, and we have an oral history database. So we hope those kinds of resources, which people may not have been aware of previously, will now be readily accessible to them on our website."
Another hope is that the changes will attract more people to the museum and, equally importantly, more people to Lewiston, helping to turn it into a destination that more travelers seek out.
"It’s an exciting next step for the museum," Ferrante said. "I’m really excited to see where this takes us."