The Neal Dow House, also known as Gen. Neal Dow House, is an historic house found at 714 Congress Street in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

. It was built in 1829 for noted politician and

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

ist

Neal Dow Neal Dow (March 20, 1804 – October 2, 1897) was an American Prohibition advocate and politician. Nicknamed the "Napoleon of Temperance" and the "Father of Prohibition", Dow was born to a Quaker family in Portland, Maine. From a young age, he ...

(1804-1897), and was later designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

for that association. Dow was the author of the first prohibition law passed by the Maine legislature in 1851 (and giving such laws the epithet "

Maine law The Maine Law (or "Maine Liquor Law"), passed on June 2, 1851 in Maine, was the first statutory implementation of the developing temperance movement in the United States. History Temperance activist Neal Dow helped craft the Maine liquor law whil ...

"). He was known as a tireless, internationally known activist for the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

. Dow's house was a center of activism in his lifetime, and is now the headquarters of the Maine chapter of the

Women's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

Architecture and building history

The Dow house is a large, -story, 17-room brick structure with late Federal styling. It is roughly rectangular in shape, with three distinct sections. A main block, stories in height and three bays wide, anchors the corner lot on which it stands. A -story ell extends to the right from the rear of this block, and there is a single-story flat-roof section in the crook of the L created by the two taller sections. The main entrance is in the right side bay of the main block, and is sheltered by a late Victorian decorative hood. and The building was constructed in 1829, on the occasion of Neal Dow's marriage to Maria Maynard. It was Dow's home for 67 years, until his death at age 93 in 1897. The house was given by Dow's son

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Ro ...

to the local chapter of the

, along with a large number of Dow's possessions and related artifacts. Although the chapter went through a period of low activity, attempts were begun in 2013 to revive it after the state legalized the sale of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

. The house is open to the public at no charge on weekdays or by appointment.

Significance

Neal Dow was born and raised in Portland to

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

parents, and was an early advocate of

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

as well as a prominent local businessman. In 1829 he organized the Maine Temperance Union, and began to speak publicly in favor of the complete

prohibition of alcohol Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

. He won election as mayor of Portland in 1851, and immediately promoted the passage of a statewide prohibition law, which he was the author of. The law passed, bringing Dow a nationwide reputation, and labeling such laws in other states as "

s". He traveled extensively throughout the country, speaking on behalf of the cause. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

he served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

, rising to the rank of brigadier general. After the war he resumed his temperance activities, and also visited

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, making common cause with temperance advocates there. In the 1880 presidential election he was a candidate for president on the

Prohibition Party The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movement. It is the oldest existing third party ...

ticket, receiving about 10,000 votes. He remained active in the cause until his death. Biographer Frank Byrne credits Dow for paving the way, in terms of his principles, strategy, and tactics, for later temperance advocates. Dow's house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1973, and was designated a

the following year.

References

External links

Neal Dow Memorial
{{National Register of Historic Places Houses completed in 1829 National Historic Landmarks in Maine Historic house museums in Maine Museums in Portland, Maine Houses in Portland, Maine Woman's Christian Temperance Union Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine Neal Dow

Architecture and building history

Significance

See also

References

External links