Memorial Artifacts from Maine’s Deadliest Mass Shooting to be Preserved at Museum

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In a solemn act of transition and remembrance, volunteers and city workers diligently gathered mementos, handwritten signs, cards, bouquets, and various tributes that had accumulated at the sites of Maine’s deadliest mass shooting. This endeavor signifies not only the change in seasons but also a new chapter in the region’s healing process.

The collection of these heartfelt artifacts, numbering over a thousand, is a crucial step in preserving the memory of the tragic events that occurred on October 25, when 18 lives were lost, and 13 individuals were injured. These items will now undergo meticulous archival and cataloging processes in preparation for their exhibition at a museum located in Lewiston.

The need for this undertaking is partly practical; the onset of snowfall makes it imperative to remove these memorials before they are either weathered away by the elements or inadvertently cleared by plows. However, the organizers emphasize that this action is timely, as the affected communities continue to come to terms with their grief and healing.

Rachel Ferrante, the executive director of the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning, and Labor, expressed the importance of preserving the collective memory: “We want to make sure the community doesn’t forget what happened and how the community came together. So bringing the items together feels like the next stage.”

The memorials encompassed both heartbreaking and heartwarming elements. They included small sculptures depicting the American Sign Language symbol for “love,” paying tribute to four members of the local deaf community who tragically lost their lives. Additionally, there were numerous signs, notes, hearts, and votive candles from vigils. Some items stood out as more unconventional, such as a bowling ball, darts, and a miniature cornhole set – poignant reminders of the locations where the victims were shot, a bowling alley and a bar hosting a cornhole tournament.

One particularly significant item among the memorials was a stuffed moose, now waterlogged from exposure to snow and rain.

The shootings occurred just days before Halloween, and the removal of these items, following the season’s first snowfall, appears to symbolize a shift in the seasons and a desire to move forward.

A dedicated team of over 20 museum workers, volunteers, and city employees worked diligently to retrieve the memorials from three different sites: the bowling alley, the bar where the shootings occurred, and a busy street corner that had transformed into an impromptu memorial site.

Tanja Hollander, a local artist involved in the project, stressed the importance of preserving these items: “We really wanted to save them before they were buried in more snow. And it’s important to the community to do that. To make sure that there’s some remembrance of this tragic event.”

The impact of the killings was profound, as virtually everyone in the immediate area had a connection to a victim or knew someone who did. The attacks were terrifying, prompting residents to seek shelter in their homes during the extensive manhunt for the perpetrator, who ultimately took his own life.

Subsequently, there were funerals held over the course of several weeks.

The cataloging and preservation of memorials have become common practice following mass shootings. Historians have consistently saved such items after other tragic events, such as the shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado and the Pulse nightclub attack in Florida.

Maine MILL, the museum, aims to expedite the process of taking possession of these items and cataloging them, making them accessible to the community as soon as possible.

Due to the sheer volume of bouquets and pumpkins left at the makeshift memorials, only a portion of them will be preserved. Some flowers will be dried, while certain pumpkins will be scanned and 3D-printed for display at the museum. The remainder will be composted.

Angelynne Amores, a city spokesperson, marveled at the creativity displayed in the ways that the victims were memorialized, highlighting the unique and personal responses of individuals: “There isn’t one size fits all for this kind of tragedy. There are so many different ways for people to take that path toward healing.”

Importantly, this effort is an ongoing one, and people are encouraged to continue leaving items if it feels right to them. Rachel Ferrante expressed her expectation that more items will be added, acknowledging the importance of individualized and community-driven healing: “People can do what feels right for them. What we’re trying to provide is help and community healing. People need to heal and grieve in whatever way makes sense for them.”

For further updates on this matter, you can follow David Sharp on Twitter: @David_Sharp_AP.

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• Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning, and Labor
• Columbine High School shooting
• Pulse nightclub shooting