100 years later: When the #KuKluxKlan came to #Maine, locals turned them away
In 1924, the group started marching in #Saco. But when they tried to cross into #Biddeford, they were turned away by Franco and Irish #immigrants.
Author: Don Carrigan
Published: 10:02 PM EDT September 16, 2024
SACO, Maine — "Traffic zooms steadily between Saco and Biddeford, crossing the Saco River on the Main Street bridge and the Elm Street bridge on Route 1, farther upstream.
"They are separate cities, with a combined population of about 43,000, and they have a great deal in common.
"But 100 years ago, the cities were split, with strong emotions on both sides of the river. They were divided by ethnicity, social status, and religion.
"And into that divide came the Ku Klux Klan in 1924.
"'I think most people in Maine have no idea of that history,' Biddeford native and former Mayor Alan Casavant said. 'When they think of the Klan, they think of down South, but the Klan was here with different objectives and different targets.'
"Indeed, the Klan was remarkably active in Maine in the mid-1920s, targeting immigrants and #Catholics. The dominant immigrant populations were #FrancoAmericans from Canada and Irish, and both were predominantly #Catholic. The immigrants came to work in the huge #TextileMills, and most lived in #tenements in Biddeford.
"Casavant said that was a big part of the division between the cities. The immigrant and Catholic workers lived in Biddeford. The #MillOwners and managers, whom he said were largely Protestant, lived in Saco.
"At the Saco Museum, director Anatole Brown said the Klan helped to fuel the friction from #economics, as well as cultural and religious differences, and that it gained a significant following around Maine, especially in mill towns.
"'Gov. [Ralph Owen] Brewster of Maine apparently had Klan connections and had mayors around Maine, like Rockland, Portland and Saco, where they had Klan ties.'
"Saco Mayor John Smith supported the Klan, Brown said. And when the Klan said it wanted to stage a rally in the city on Labor Day of 1924, Smith approved.
"'John G. Smith ran as a Klan affiliate and ran on a ticket that he was 100 percent American,' Brown said. 'He promised there would never be any Catholic schools built in Saco.'
"The reports were that the #KKK planned to rally in Saco and then march across the river to Biddeford to directly show their grievances to the immigrant community. That, said Brown, raised the ire of Biddeford residents and that city’s mayor, Edward Drapeau, who vowed to not let the Klan into Biddeford."