Column: New Maine MILL is something every Mainer must see

SUN JOURNAL • June 26, 2026

In an old mill building facing west toward the Androscoggin River, a $15 million arts and culture museum in Lewiston is about to use deep ties to the community’s past to open the door to a new future for much of Maine. Opening Saturday, June 27, the spectacular Maine Museum of Innovation, Labor and Learning focuses on the industrial heritage of Lewiston and the region with flair and hope. Not so many years ago, the nearby Androscoggin River was a stinking mess so awful that the only people who lived along it were those too poor to live any further from its banks. Following Sen. Ed Muskie’s 1972 Clean Water Act, spurred in part by the senator’s memories of growing up in Rumford, the river is now a delight. The cities built alongside it are now increasingly looking to spur economic growth. ~ Steve Collins