It’s wonderful to find that a town or historical society has posted old photographs on its Web site.

I have great fun looking at more than 300 old pictures on the Bangor Daily News site at www.bangordailynews.com.

Right in the middle of the home page you’ll see “BDN Store.” This link connects readers with the opportunity to see and purchase items such as recent Photos of the Year by BDN photographers.

Click on “Historic,” and you’ll find older photos, the majority from about 50 years ago because that’s a period for which some negatives exist.

Double-click on a picture, and you’ll see an enlarged version with caption — and often, IDs of people in the photo.

These treasures include:

· Girls from glee clubs of John Bapst, Bangor and Brewer high schools, sitting in convertibles in front of Bangor Auditorium before they sing Christmas carols during the annual Christmas parade.

· Artist Waldo Peirce and Mrs. Peirce viewing an exhibit by Chenoweth Hall at the University of Maine art gallery.

· A piece of papermaking machinery stuck under the Bangor-Brewer bridge as the equipment was being hauled by truck to New Hampshire for repairs.

· People walking into the old covered bridge on Valley Avenue in Bangor.

· Patrons waiting to enter the world premiere of “Peyton Place” in Camden. The marquee reads “Wednesday Dec. 11 1957 — The World Premiere of Peyton Place.” Did you know that many of the outdoor scenes for the movie were filmed in the Camden-Lincolnville area? Lots of Mainers were extras in the movie, including my great-grandmother Thressa (Given) Steeves, whose son Roy and his wife, Irene, owned a house in Lincolnville.

· Marion Flood French, author of “Mr. Bear Goes to Boston,” reading her book to youngsters at Bangor Public Library.

· Letter winners of athletic awards at St. John’s Grammar School.

· Doris T. French, the first litter patient at the new St. Joseph Hospital, being carried in from the old hospital by attendants and Dr. Richard Munce, chief of staff.

· Baseball player Ted Williams, arms spread wide to show the size of the salmon he hoped to catch during a trip to the Cams River in New Brunswick. With him are Mike Collins, Connie Russell, Joe Cushing and John Russell of Bangor.

· YMCA Pee Wee League basketball with George Horton, Stephen Godsoe, Ron Stratton, Tom Shanley, Tom Clark and Bengy Grant.

· The Bomarc guided missile that used to be in Paul Bunyan Park being hauled down the street after municipal officials decided it was out of place in that setting.

· The Bangor Rams celebrating after defeating John Bapst for the Eastern Maine Class L Championship in basketball on Feb. 28, 1959.

· Gerald Rudman on the steps of the newly remodeled Bangor Jaycees Cabin at Camp Jordan.

There are dozens more photos on the BDN Web site. If you find one you like, you can order a copy, as well.

Depending on the computer and browser you are using, you may find that when you enlarge a picture, it resizes your screen. If so, you can click on the bar at the bottom of the screen and pull it down, or click on the little square in the upper right-hand corner to go to full screen.

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The Maine Historical Society has announced the reopening of the Alida Carroll and John Marshall Brown Library at 485 Congress St., Portland.

The historic character of the 1907 building has been “lovingly preserved” while a two-year, $9.5 million expansion and renovation has transformed it into a state-of-the-art research facility.

A 13,000-square-foot wing provides expanded storage, climate control and a home for the Maine Memory Network.

In her 1902 will, Ann Longfellow Pierce, sister of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, directed that a library be built on her property to the rear of the Wadsworth-Longfellow House as a permanent home for the Maine Historical Society.

The building was designed by Alexander Longfellow, Henry and Ann’s nephew and prominent Maine architect. The structure is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Newly named for Gen. John Marshall Brown and wife Alida Carroll Brown, the library contains one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of materials related to Maine history in the state.

A public celebration is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, with tours, ceremonies, talks and the launch of a new museum exhibit on the library.

Architects for the library project were Schwartz/Silver Architects of Boston, noted for their renovations of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor and the Lewiston Public Library.

The Maine Historical Society is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 485 Congress St. Admission is free to MHS members. Nonmembers enter free on the first visit, then pay $10 a day.

For information, call 774-1822 or visit www.mainehistory.org.

Speaking of old photos, one of the best resources in Maine is Maine Memory Network at www.mainememory.net

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or e-mail queries to familyti@bangordailynews.net.