The most famous rum-related event in Portland history occurred on this site on the evening of June 2, 1855. The Portland Rum Riot was an attack on City Hall that led to the death of one man, and tainted Neal Dow’s reputation, though it did not deter his crusading zeal. I’ve written about it before. If you want more details, read the older blog posts.
Here’s a quick overview: As Mayor of Portland Dow, vigorously enforced the Maine Law, shutting down taverns and tippling shops, confiscating liquor, and angering merchants and workers. Also as Mayor, on May 31, 1855 he accepted shipment of alcohol “for mechanical or medicinal purposes” from the New York company, “John Bramson & Co., Importers of Brandies, Wines, and Havana Segars,” with a value of $1618.93. His political enemies papered the town with handbills accusing Dow of hypocritically harassing private citizens while buying alcohol with city money.
Turning Dow’s own law against him, three men went to a judge to assert that Dow had alcohol stored in the City Hall basement. A warrant was issued. Police went to investigate. A crowd followed. The police essentially decided that the storage room in City Hall was a good place to secure the liquor pending legal proceedings.
The City Hall at that time was located here, about where the Soldiers and Sailors Monument stands. It was a solid Greek Revival structure, reminiscent of a temple.
The crowd was not satisfied. As the day wore on, nonviolent protestors departed, replaced by drunken rioters. Dow called out the Light Guards, but they were unwilling to fire on their neighbors, and some were injured. They retreated, encouraging the crowd.
Eventually the crowd assaulted the building. They threw rocks and paving stones at the door on the Middle Street side, and eventually rushed it, bashing it in with timbers.
Under Dow’s orders, Marshal Worthy Barrows, Deputy Marshal Oren Ring, and others fought them back, firing into the crowd as they burst through the door.
Meanwhile, Dow found another force, the Rifle Guards, armed them, brought them to the scene, into the building from the Congress Street side, and ordered them to fire. The Rifle Guards fired from a dark room on an unsuspecting crowd.
One man, John Robbins, fell dead. Most of the rest fled. Others were arrested by Rifle Guards.
Dow was charged for his role. His cousin John Neal felt he should be charged with murder. The judge at Dow’s trial cleared him of wrongdoing. He was voted out of office in the next election, and the Maine Law was repealed, but the law came roaring back, and even though Dow was pushed into the background by his Maine political allies, he continued to preach prohibition around the country, a campaign that eventually led to Federal Prohibition.