Bath, Maine anti-Catholic riot of 1854
Encyclopedia
The anti-Catholic riot that occurred in Bath
on July, 8, 1854 was one of a number that took place in coastal Maine in the 1850s, including the tarring and feathering
of a Catholic priest, Father John Bapst in 1851 in the town of Ellsworth
. The first and most violent anti-Catholic riot in Maine took place in Bangor, Maine
in 1834. The resurgence of violence in the 1850s was associated with the rise of the Know-Nothing Party and the passage of the Maine law
, America's first state-wide prohibition ordinance.
The Bath mob was gathered and inflamed by a traveling street-preacher named James S. Orr, who called himself "The Angel Gabriel", dressed in white robes, and carried a trumpet. Orr delivered an anti-Catholic
sermon on a commercial street, the crowd of spectators eventually swelling to over a thousand and blocking carriage traffic. Some began shouting for the mob to move on the Old South Church, a structure built by the Congregationalists in 1805 but lately abandoned by them and purchased by Irish Catholics. In the late afternoon the crowd marched to the church, began smashing up the pews, hoisted an American flag from the belfry, rang the bell, and set it on fire. After the church was burned, a smaller crowd of at least a hundred roamed through the streets all night. There is no record of attacks upon any Catholic persons.
A year after the riot, on Nov. 18, 1855, the Catholic Bishop of Portland attempted to lay the cornerstone for a new church on the same site, but the congregation was chased away and beaten.
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
on July, 8, 1854 was one of a number that took place in coastal Maine in the 1850s, including the tarring and feathering
Tarring and feathering
Tarring and feathering is a physical punishment, used to enforce unofficial justice or revenge. It was used in feudal Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, as well as the early American frontier, mostly as a type of mob vengeance .-Description:In a typical tar-and-feathers attack, the...
of a Catholic priest, Father John Bapst in 1851 in the town of Ellsworth
Ellsworth, Maine
Ellsworth is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Maine, United States. The 2010 Census determined it had a population of 7,741. Ellsworth was Maine's fastest growing city from 2000-2010 with a growth rate of nearly 20 percent...
. The first and most violent anti-Catholic riot in Maine took place in Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
in 1834. The resurgence of violence in the 1850s was associated with the rise of the Know-Nothing Party and the passage of the Maine law
Maine law
The Maine law, passed in 1851 in Maine, was one of the first statutory implementations of the developing temperance movement in the United States.-History:Temperance activist Neal Dow helped craft this law...
, America's first state-wide prohibition ordinance.
The Bath mob was gathered and inflamed by a traveling street-preacher named James S. Orr, who called himself "The Angel Gabriel", dressed in white robes, and carried a trumpet. Orr delivered an anti-Catholic
Anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed against Catholicism, and especially against the Catholic Church, its clergy or its adherents...
sermon on a commercial street, the crowd of spectators eventually swelling to over a thousand and blocking carriage traffic. Some began shouting for the mob to move on the Old South Church, a structure built by the Congregationalists in 1805 but lately abandoned by them and purchased by Irish Catholics. In the late afternoon the crowd marched to the church, began smashing up the pews, hoisted an American flag from the belfry, rang the bell, and set it on fire. After the church was burned, a smaller crowd of at least a hundred roamed through the streets all night. There is no record of attacks upon any Catholic persons.
A year after the riot, on Nov. 18, 1855, the Catholic Bishop of Portland attempted to lay the cornerstone for a new church on the same site, but the congregation was chased away and beaten.