Maine Memory Network

Rum, Riot, and Reform - A Call to Temperance

"Burden Collection A dramatic depiction of the harm of drunkeness on family life, this book also provides marvelous written and visual propaganda…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Taverns, People, and Scenes

"X A. Davis Tavern Sign, ca. 1803 Painted wood Collections of Baxter House Museum, Gorham This handsome sign marked the tavern hotel of Allen Davis…"

Dressing Up, Standing Out, Fitting In

Adorning oneself to look one's "best" has varied over time, gender, economic class, and by event. Adornments suggest one's sense of identity and one's intent to stand out or fit in.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Reform and Repeal

"Burden Coll. 2093, B2F6 X Shall We have a State Liquor Store in our Town (or City)?, 1936 Waterville Collections of Maine Historical Society…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Women Leaders and Temperance

"Burden Collection This charming plate belonged to Lillian M. N. Stevens. A teetotaler is one that abstains from alcohol."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Acknowledgements

"… Collection Joyce Butler The Herbert Cary Family Charles and Joanne Cochrane The First Parish in Portland, Maine Unitarian Universalist W."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Drinking: Elegance and Debauchery

"… have no objections." Alcoholometer set by Charles Gerletti of Glasgow, made 1834-1839Maine State Museum Proof Set, early 19th century…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Society Copes

"Burden collection This device displayed in the exhibit was a thermometer in a wooden case. It was used in the Prohibition wine cellar of Bath's…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Temperance Membership

"Burden Collection Some temperance groups presented entertainment as a way of introducing their ideas to new followers."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Politics and Enforcement

"1900 Courtesy of the Charles E. Burden Collection The Rev. Samuel Freeman Pearson (1841-1901) was a Portland Fundamentalist preacher, leader of the…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Quenching the Thirst

"X Dr. Charles G. Weld's North Haven cottage Ca. 1900 Courtesy of the Pingree Family and Maine Historic Preservation Commission From the 1870s…"

The Kotzschmar Memorial Organ

A fire and two men whose lives were entwined for more than 50 years resulted in what is now considered to be "the Jewel of Portland" -- the Austin organ that was given to the city of Portland in 1912.

Home Ties: Sebago During the Civil War

Letters to and from Sebago soldiers who served in the Civil War show concern on both sides about farms and other issues at home as well as concern from the home front about soldiers' well-being.

Rum, Riot, and Reform - The Continuing Debate

"Wine with dinner, beer at a ballgame, and champagne at a wedding are pleasures that many adults can enjoy without difficulty or overindulgence."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1620 to 1820: New England's Great Secret

"… For Maine's early European settlers, alcohol was a social institution, a medicine, and an actively traded commodity."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Overview & Introduction

"It is also, in a sense, a prelude to the history of our own day, in which the issue of substance abuse and the limits of social control are still…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1820 to 1865: Temperance and the Maine Law

"Children and adults came to view temperance as a virtue and drinking declined rapidly. GALLERIES: A Call to Temperance | Temperance Membership |…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Business as Usual

"John A. Feeney was the father of the Portland High School football star who went on to become award-winning movie director John Ford."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Drinking Implements

"Parsons, who often acted as medical doctors, saw it in the same light. Up to the early 1800s it was difficult to find a Parson who didn't drink…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Bootleggers vs. Police

"They received a tremendous ovation from the crowd who cheered and waved at them." Harold Boyle, The Best of Boyle , 1980 Suspected Rum…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Neal Dow

"Dow's hopes for a political career, however, began to dim. GALLERIES: A Call to Temperance | Temperance Membership | Neal Dow | Drinking: Elegance…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - Why Study the History of Drinking?

"Maine led the nation in the temperance fight; a look at its history might help put current issues in some perspective."

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1865 to 1919: The Drys Gain New Adherents and Leaders

"… and Republican and Democratic politicians, built a power base on temperance success. Mainers contributed to this national reform through numerous…"

Rum, Riot, and Reform - 1919 to 1934: The Nation Follows Maine Into Prohibition

"Liquor was smuggled from Quebec, St Pierre and Miquelon (French Islands off Newfoundland). For Maine and Massachusetts residents, buying a bottle was…"