A great poem by Robin Hasslen about how white people who don't want to talk about racism should.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
When The Ku Klux Klan Was Here In Maine
It seems strange to find out that the Ku Klux Klan had a big presence in Maine. At their height in the 1920's, around 15,000 to 20,000 Maine residents were members of the Klan, larger than many southern state where the Klan originated from.
It is well known that the Klan targeted blacks, but Maine's black population was small compared to other states. In the 1860's, each of Maine's counties had around 9 black people. By the 1930's, Maine's overall black population actually decreased even though the general population increased. The biggest target of the Klan were Catholics, Jews, and Maine's growing immigrant population.
In 1923, the town of Milo, Maine, was the sight of the first daylight parade of the Klan in the United States, which also was the first parade of the Klan in the Northeast. It was said that residents of Milo who watched the parade could tell who was under their robes and hoods by their shoes.
In the 1924 governors election, William Robinson Pattangall (Democrat), was defeated by R. Eugene Farnsworth. Pattangall's campaign ran on a platform sharply critical of the Klan, but that wasn't enough to prevent Farnsworth, the King Kleage of the Maine Realm, to win. Yes, the newly elected governor of Maine had been running a Klan group. What is scary is that the people of this state voted for him knowing this.
Here are a set of vintage images of the Klan in Maine hosted by the Maine Historical Society.
A 1987 New York Times article about a Klan rally in Maine held in response to the Boise Cascade paper mill strike.
Here is a page that was done by two grade school students about the Klan in Maine.
It is well known that the Klan targeted blacks, but Maine's black population was small compared to other states. In the 1860's, each of Maine's counties had around 9 black people. By the 1930's, Maine's overall black population actually decreased even though the general population increased. The biggest target of the Klan were Catholics, Jews, and Maine's growing immigrant population.
In 1923, the town of Milo, Maine, was the sight of the first daylight parade of the Klan in the United States, which also was the first parade of the Klan in the Northeast. It was said that residents of Milo who watched the parade could tell who was under their robes and hoods by their shoes.
In the 1924 governors election, William Robinson Pattangall (Democrat), was defeated by R. Eugene Farnsworth. Pattangall's campaign ran on a platform sharply critical of the Klan, but that wasn't enough to prevent Farnsworth, the King Kleage of the Maine Realm, to win. Yes, the newly elected governor of Maine had been running a Klan group. What is scary is that the people of this state voted for him knowing this.
Here are a set of vintage images of the Klan in Maine hosted by the Maine Historical Society.
A 1987 New York Times article about a Klan rally in Maine held in response to the Boise Cascade paper mill strike.
Here is a page that was done by two grade school students about the Klan in Maine.
The Case of Squawpoint Road: Final Update (Click Here)
It seems that the Squawpoint Association is going to change the name of the road. It turns out that it wasn't smooth sailing for anyone.
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