While planning an upcoming jazz event at our sister property The Viewpoint, we fell down a fascinating rabbit hole exploring the history of the prohibition era in Maine. Considering we really can't imagine life in Maine without a Lunch IPA on the beach… we uncovered some genuinely surprising things most people probably don't know about.
1. Maine was the first state to ban alcohol
The Maine Law, passed in June 1851, made our state the first to prohibit alcohol in the United States. This groundbreaking legislation sparked immediate controversy, leading to a protest outside of City Hall in Portland. The situation escalated when the prohibition-supporting mayor ordered the protestors to be fired upon — killing at least one person.
2. A road in Manchester, England is named "Maine Road" to celebrate Maine's pioneering role in prohibition
The temperance movement in the United Kingdom looked to Maine's pioneering prohibition of alcohol for inspiration. The influence was so significant that "Maine Road" in Manchester, England was named in support of the law, cementing Maine's international reputation in the temperance movement.
3. Maine's federal alcohol control chief during the prohibition era was based in York
Maine played a crucial role in "Rum Row"—a literal row of ships anchored offshore and outside of United States jurisdiction to illegally distribute alcohol to smaller boats. Maine's federal alcohol control agent, Henry Weaver, operated from York, Maine, positioning himself at the heart of the maritime smuggling operations.
4. Agents from York would raid boats, often targeting rum-runners disguised as lobster boats
According to a 1976 interview with Weaver and numerous historical reports, nighttime "dark of the moon" raids were conducted from the shores of York Harbor. One eyewitness described lobster boats returning without lobsters, but with plenty of other types of cargo—a clear sign of the creative smuggling methods used during this era.
5. During the same time, Duke Ellington became the first jazz musician to perform in Maine—99 years ago in 1926
At the height of prohibition, coinciding with the popularization of jazz music nationwide, the first recorded jazz concert was played in Maine. Duke Ellington and his orchestra performed in Old Orchard Beach in 1926, marking a milestone in Maine's cultural history.