July 7, 1833: Several Irishmen beat a sailor severely near Carr’s Wharf in Bangor. Hundreds of other sailors disembark from ships along the waterfront and burn Joseph Carr’s pub and a nearby tenement house to the ground.
The next night, sailors destroy Irish shanties and attack local Irishmen. The town calls out the militia. Several homes are set ablaze.
In spite of the incidents, more Irish immigrants move into the community; and partly because of the violence, a movement to incorporate Bangor as a city gains steam and is completed in 1834, with the goal of establishing a stronger police force.
July 7, 1876: Lot Morrill of Augusta, having served as Maine governor and a U.S. senator from Maine, becomes U.S. treasury secretary under President Ulysses Grant.
Morrill serves eight months in that post, with his tenure overlapping briefly with that of President Rutherford B. Hayes.
Presented by:
Joseph Owen is an author, retired newspaper editor and board member of the Kennebec Historical Society. Owen’s book, “This Day in Maine,” can be ordered at islandportpress.com. To get a signed copy use promo code signedbyjoe at checkout. Joe can be contacted at: jowen@mainetoday.com.
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