It happened in Windham. It happened in Portland, in Lewiston and in Bath. It happened in Augusta and in Livermore Falls. In 1918, a deadly influenza was spreading to communities all across Maine and the virus would go on to claim over 670,000 lives nationwide, with at least 5,000 deaths in Maine alone.

The origin of the epidemic is unclear, but experts agree that the name Spanish flu is a misnomer. Many believe the disease began in the trenches of war-torn France where soldiers were crowded together fighting World War I. Other theories are that it started in the U.S. Midwest or in China. It got the name Spanish flu because the neutral Spanish press was reporting on the illness while countries with boys fighting in the war were underplaying it to avoid panic and to keep up the morale of the soldiers in the field.

The first wave of the disease hit in January of 1918 and was mild. The second wave flared up in August of that year and this was a more virulent strain. It seemed to target people who were 20 to 40 years of age. The virus triggered an overreaction in the immune system that destroyed the linings of the respiratory system, causing the lungs to fill with fluid. This left the victims vulnerable to pneumonia that would eventually overwhelm them.

The first case in Maine appeared at Maine General Hospital in Portland on Sept. 19. By Oct. 24, there was a widespread epidemic with over 8,200 falling victim to the disease resulting in 200 deaths. The illness finally tapered off in November, but when it was all said and done, the Spanish flu had taken the lives of over 5,000 people in Maine.

The rapid spread of the disease was due in most part to the slow response in limiting exposure to those infected. At first, the stricken were allowed visitors and this just exacerbated the growth of the illness. Maine hospitals were quickly overwhelmed with patients and they were running out of beds.

In Portland, there was so much illness that Irish immigrants were being refused treatment. This led to the Catholic Church opening Queen’s Hospital, which today is Northern Light Mercy.

The eventual slowdown of the flu came in part thanks to the efforts of some forward-thinking people of the time. Portland Mayor Charles Bailey Clarke, was among the first to see the importance of closing schools, theaters, dance halls, cinemas and other public spaces. Though not always popular with the masses, this proved to be a necessary inconvenience as it was becoming more apparent that the disease was spread by coughing, sneezing and sharing of utensils and dirty towels. Though Catholic churches were reluctant to close their doors to parishioners, Bishop Louis S. Walsh stepped in and called off all services in the Diocese of Portland to keep the disease at bay.

In 1919, the Legislature voted to place all municipalities in the state under the supervision of the Maine Department of Health, the precursor to today’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This helped to provide uniform instruction when epidemics broke out in the future.

The Spanish flu was a horrible disease, but lucky for us, it taught some valuable lessons to the medical community. Many things that were learned during that pandemic are being putting into use right now as we battle the coronavirus. Social distancing, practicing good hygiene and staying home if you are sick continue to be best practices, and though we all miss life as we knew it, hopefully our patience will pay off further down the line.

Haley Pal is a Windham resident and an active member of the Windham Historical Society. She can be contacted at haleypal@aol.com.