Carrie Nation hatchet badge
Ca. 1900
Courtesy of the Charles E. Burden Collection
Mrs. Nation (1846-1911), was known for attacking saloons with her hatchet and made at least one visit to Bangor. Her violent actions were frowned upon by the W.C.T.U.
"From a very small beginning, the [woman's christian temperance] Union has been brought up in a few years to its present commanding position in this country, only by the wisdom, prudence, singular devotedness and persistent work of the women who lead in its great endeavor..." - General Neal Dow (1804-1897), Reminiscences of Neal Dow, 1898
Frances E. Willard and her Mother
Evanston, Illinois, ca. 1885
Collections of Maine Historical Society; gift of Madelyn Provancher, 1998
1998.189.2
The Home vs. the Saloon
W.C.T.U., ca. 1900
Postcard
Collections of Maine Historical Society
Temperance march in Bangor, 1909
Courtesy of Henry Gartley, an individual partner
W.C.T.U. Parade
Bangor, September 15, 1909
Courtesy of Henry Gartley, original from the Herbert Cary family
A view of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union marching down Columbia Street in Bangor carrying signs such as "Bread is better than beer".
W.C.T.U. Prohibition Progress
ca. 1910
Collections of Maine Historical Society
Coll. 1863, Box 3
What Lillian M. N. Stevens Said
Anna A. Gordon, Womans Christian Temperance Union, 1914
Collections of Maine Historical Society
M 178.5 St47
Maine Womans Christian Temperance Union Scrapbook
1898
Collections of Maine Historical Society
This scrapbook of newspaper clippings and photographs chronicling the progress of the W.C.T.U. is inscribed, "Presented to Mrs. Lillian M. N. Stevens by the Press Department of the Maine Woman's Christian Temperance Union at the State Convention, Bangor, Sept. 20, 1898."
National Womans Christian Temperance Union School Reports
ca. 1910-1920
Collections of Maine Historical Society; gift of Richard J. Kahn, MD
S-5664
These surveys, distributed to schools around the state, asked teachers how temperance was encouraged in their classroom and whether they themselves had pledged to abstain from drinking alcohol.
The Beautiful Life of Frances E. Willard
Anna A. Gordon, Womans Temperance Publishing Association, Chicago, 1898
Courtesy of Joyce Butler, also Collections of Maine Historical Society, B W6612g
Grand Temperance Rally
Broadside, 1912
Collections of Maine Historical Society
Coll. 2096, Box 1/Folder 6
Lillian M. N. Stevens was born in Dover, Maine and educated at Foxcroft Academy. She taught school, married and settled in the Stroudwater section of Portland. A founder of the Maine W.C.T.U., she became the successor of Frances Willard as National President. A social activist on many fronts, Lillian Stevens was the first woman to be honored at her death by the lowering of the statehouse flag.
Frances E. Willard Memorial Postcard
1898
Courtesy of the Charles E. Burden Collection
Which Shall it Be: The Work of The Mill or the Still?
W.T.P.A., 1887
Chromolithograph
Courtesy of John Matzke
The Little Water Girl
Bronze replica from a sculpture by George E. Wade, ca. 1917
Photograph by Mark Skinner
The Little Water Girl, as she is commonly called, was commissioned in honor of Lillian M. N. Stevens. It is a replica of a statue honoring Frances Willard. Originally located in Portland's Deering Oaks Park, the statue was moved to the courtyard of the Portland Public Library in 1979.
Lips That Touch Liquor Shall Never Touch Mine
Postcard, early 20th century
Courtesy of the Charles E. Burden Collection
Many young men and women tended to see Temperance women as old maids, out of step with the roaring 20s—a very different image from the young heroines portrayed in the 1850s.
"...we can see prohibition looming up all the way from Mt. Kineo in the east to Mt. Shasta in the west, from the pine forests in the north to the palmetto groves in the south. We verily believe that the amendment for national constitutional prohibition is destined to prevail and that by 1920 the United States flag will float over a nation redeemed from the home-destroying, heart-breaking curse o the liquor traffic." - L.M.N. Stevens, 1913.
Home of Mrs. Lillian M.W. Stevens, Portland, ca. 1910
Greater Portland Landmarks
Home of Lillian M. N. Stevens
Postcard, ca. 1908
Collections of Maine Historical Society; gift of Madelyn Provancher, 1998
Coll. 2083, Folder 6, Box 1
This postcard describes Lillian Stevens home in Stoudwater as the destination of many tourists visiting the Portland area.
Marching Songs for Young Crusaders
Anna A. Gordon, Womans Temperance Publishing Association, Chicago, 1885
Maine Historical Society; gift of Madelyn Provancher, 1998
Pamphlet 2542
Tee Total Plate
mid 19th century
Earthenware with transfer printing
Courtesy of the Charles E. Burden Collection
This charming plate belonged to Lillian M. N. Stevens. A teetotaler is one that abstains from alcohol.
Lillian Stevens Gavel
Courtesy of the Charles E. Burden Collection
By the 1880s women had pretty well taken charge of the Prohibition movement.