Franco-American History in Lewiston/Auburn

The conditions of living for Lewiston/Auburn’s Franco settlers were less than ideal. Hastily constructed tenement buildings, often lacking running water and electricity, were crammed in the land between the river and the canals, and packed to the brim with multiple large families. Colloquially named “Little Canada,” this new and growing neighborhood was marked by narrow sidewalks, underground apartments, and a notable lack of green space. The positioning and arrangement of Little Canada threatened the health and safety of the city’s Franco population. They were disproportionately impacted by the detrimental effects of flooding, water-borne diseases, noxious fumes, and toxic foam all conjured up by their close neighbor, the Androscoggin. While immigrant workers were confined to the spaces proximal to the factories, the wealthier elite population of L/A enjoyed cleaner, open spaces on the outskirts of Lewiston or in the higher elevation of Auburn, far from any environmental concerns caused by industrial waste and crowded living in the heart of the city. (2, 6)

The layout of Lewiston/Auburn today closely mirrors the circumstances of living during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Low-income and immigrant communities residing in the more industrial and crowded conditions of downtown areas remain disproportionately affected by negative health concerns. The poor and often dangerous quality of downtown housing -- constructed quickly and without much care to accommodate the influx of immigrant workers -- continues to put families at risk in the 21st century. Lead poisoning from peeling lead-based paint and the lack of access to green spaces are among the many environmental justice concerns faced by L/A residents today. The organization of L/A remains largely divided on the basis of class and race, and the present-day disparities between upper and lower class citizens are rooted in the city’s establishment as a center of industry.

As the Franco-American population of Lewiston/Auburn continued to grow, they found many ways to contribute to the community, planting the roots for generations to come. While the physical conditions of Petit Canada were less than ideal, residents’ close proximity with neighbors allowed the Franco-Americans to build a tight-knit community that revolved around family and friends. The atmosphere of Petit Canada possessed a great amount of character; gardening, house parties with lively music, French cuisine, holiday celebrations, and recreational activities. Weddings, baptisms, and funerals were major and highly-attended events. (2, 6)

The first French organization in Lewiston, established in 1872, was the “Institut Jacques Cartier,” a fraternity dedicated to the preservation of Franco culture and heritage. The French newspaper, “Le Messager,” was founded in 1880 and despite facing a number of leadership issues and funding barriers, it was central to the work of L/A’s Franco-Americans to preserve their language until 1966. Lewiston/Auburn Franco-Americans formed a number of clubs revolving around athletic activity, most notably, “La Montagnard” snowshoe club in 1924. The Franco-American community was also deeply involved in the arts, performing plays, musicals, and operas for local audiences. “Les Défenseurs,” an established theater group among many, was active in the early 20th century. Many parochial schools had choirs, theater groups, and put on Christmas pageants for the community. (2, 4, 6)

Franco-Americans in Lewiston/Auburn faced challenges related to institutional discrimination and targeted persecution as well. By 1920, Franco-Americans made up nearly half of Lewiston’s population. These numbers, paired with their continued exercise of the French language and Roman Catholic faith sparked significant tensions throughout the 20th century. In 1919, the Maine State Legislature made it illegal to speak French in public schools, a direct effort to disrupt the preservation of Franco language and culture across generations. The French language became increasingly threatened as Franco immigrants made greater efforts to learn English, viewing the language as more professional and a mechanism of upward social mobility.

The Franco-American community’s existence as a strong, devoutly Catholic group threatened the Protestant norms of the region as well. Founded as a white supremacy group in the South during the 1860’s, the Ku Klux Klan experienced a 20th century resurgence, now operating under the new ideals of Americanism and nativism, which allowed the organization to expand in areas throughout the North. Strong anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiment arose out of this movement, making Lewison/Auburn’s Franco-American population a natural target of Klan activity in the 1920’s. The KKK worked to preserve the sociopolitical dominance of Protestant leaders and institutions in Maine by staging demonstrations and using fear tactics to keep immigrants and non-Protestants out of positions of power. In 1924, the Klan celebrated an electoral win by detonating bombs and setting fire to crosses throughout Lewiston/Auburn and in surrounding towns, in part to intimidate the Franco residents of the region. (7)

Today’s Franco-American community has deep roots in Lewiston/Auburn’s establishment and growth as a booming mill city. Any number of topics touched upon in this broad survey history -- religious life, factory work, community resistance, etc -- could be a Story Map of its own. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of my research has been exploring the ways in which L/A’s Franco population has been revitalized throughout the past two decades as new French-speaking African immigrants have joined the community. I would suggest that future researchers more deeply explore the lives and accomplishments of the Franco community in the 21st century in working to understand how its rich history and culture manifests in the present-day.