Many of the items in the permanent collection on the upper floors deal with the subject matter of the new exhibit at the Maine MILL in the Bates Mill Complex in Lewiston.
Photos on a series of panels at the Maine MILL help tell the story of Maine’s labor force in the early 1900s.
Murals done in the style of Rufus Porter were often stamped with corn husks and other common objects. This mural is believed to have been painted by Porter, but he was known for not signing his murals, so confirming his work is difficult.
Spencer Duncan's model of Rufus Porter's design for the Elevated Broadway Railroad in Chicago was part of the evolution of an idea to raise the train above the city streets.
A corn sheller designed by Rufus Porter automated the task of separating corn kernels from their cobs. The device is displayed along with photos of the machine being used.
Rufus Porter designed and spent years trying to build an "aerial locomotive." It was intended to be filled with hydrogen and steered using power from a steam engine. The vehicle would have been 800 feet long and carry passengers in an enclosed compartment. Passengers would each be provided with a parachute.
The Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity is located on Main Street in Bridgton.
A small sailboat with a single passenger served as a signature for Jonathan D. Poor on his murals. The position of the small icon often did not correspond with the winds in the rest of the painting. Poor learned the craft of mural making from his uncle, Rufus Porter. The murals are housed at the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity in Bridgton.
A small sailboat with a single passenger served as a signature for Jonathan D. Poor on his murals. The position of the small icon often did not correspond with the winds in the rest of the painting. Poor learned the craft of mural making from his uncle, Rufus Porter. The murals are housed at the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity in Bridgton.
Rufus Porter sold the rights to his revolving rifle cylinder to Samuel Colt for $100. The design is displayed at the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity in Bridgton.
A fluid pump used in surgeries and a chair that converted to a walking cane are two of Rufus Porter's inventions on display at the Rufus Porter Museum of Art and Ingenuity in Bridgton.
Rufus Porter founded Scientific American magazine in 1845. It is still in print, making it the longest continuously published magazine in the country.
bPlus 
