Category Archives: History

“The Scintillating Beauty”: Donna Darling’s Week at Jackson’s Capitol Theatre, 1926

In March 1926, Donna Darling and her “Little Jewel Revue” appeared for a full week at the Capitol Theatre in Jackson, Michigan. Featuring split bills of motion pictures and vaudeville, the engagement included glowing press notices and a locally promoted Bathing Girl Contest arrainged and conducted by Donna. Continue reading

Posted in Theatre History, Donna Montran, Vaudeville | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Faces & Places From the Past – Libby, Merrill, Young, and Portland Construction

Four historic photographs from the Linwood Dyer Collection reveal Scarborough residents, a 1920s vaudeville performer, and a Portland landmark in transition, carefully researched and dated by the Scarborough Historical Society. Continue reading

Posted in Faces from the Past, Linwood Dyer Collection, Maine History, Portland History, Vaudeville | Leave a comment

The Order of the First Crusade: A Genealogical and Fraternal Curiosity

Founded in 1923 and incorporated in 1934, the Order of the First Crusade was a little-known American hereditary society requiring proven descent from leaders of the First Crusade of 1096. Its official booklet offers genealogists and students of fraternal orders a rare glimpse into early 20th-century lineage standards, symbolism, and historical memory. Continue reading

Posted in History, Lineage Societies, Societies, Research | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Donna in Port Huron, MI, at the Majestic Theater, January 2-3, 1926

In January 1926, Donna Darling and Girls appeared at the Majestic Theatre in Port Huron, Michigan, following the conclusion of a western tour and a Christmas return to Detroit. This brief engagement illustrates how established vaudeville acts moved efficiently through Michigan’s regional theater network during the final years of professional vaudeville. Continue reading

Posted in Theatre History, Donna Darling and Girls, Vaudeville | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Photos from the Past – New England Scenes & a Scarborough Graduate.

A look at four historic photographs from the Scarborough Historical Society’s Photo Collection—three depicting 19th-century locations in Maine and Massachusetts, and one a Scarborough High School graduate from the Class of 1961. Together, these images illustrate the breadth of the Society’s photographic holdings and the stories they continue to tell. Continue reading

Posted in Vintage Photos, Maine History, SHS Photo Collection | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment