NASHVILLE, TN—September 2014—The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) proudly announces that the Saco Museum and Leslie Rounds are the recipients of an Award of Merit from the AASLH Leadership in History Awards for the exhibit "I My Needle Ply with Skill": Maine Schoolgirl Needlework of the Federal Era.

The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 69th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.

In the 2013 exhibition, “I My Needle Ply with Skill,” the Saco Museum assembled 120 embroidered samplers from across the country, creating the first-ever exhibit of such a large collection of needlework pieces made by Maine girls and young women of the 18th and 19th centuries. The exhibition included a full-color book with photographs of all the samplers and information about the makers and their teachers.

This year, AASLH is proud to confer seventy-seven national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, books, and organizations. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history. Presentation of the awards were made at a special banquet during the 2014 AASLH Annual Meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday, September 19. The banquet was supported by a generous contribution from the History Channel. The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States.  The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena.  For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203, or go to www.aaslh.org. For more information about the Saco Museum exhibition, I My Needle Ply with Skill, contact Leslie Rounds at 207-283-3861x101 or by email at lrounds@dyer.lib.me.us