Portland in Louisville in Jefferson County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

“Bloody Monday” / American (Know-Nothing) Party

"Bloody Monday" Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Karl Stelly, December 22, 2009

1. "Bloody Monday" Marker

Inscription. "Bloody Monday" Election day, Aug. 6, 1855, known as Bloody Monday due to riots led by "Know-Nothing" mobs. This political party was anti-Catholic and nativist. Attacks on German immigrants east of downtown and Irish in the west caused at least 22 deaths, arson, and looting. Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption & St. Martin's Church were threatened with destruction.
American (Know-Nothing) Party This party feared that Catholic immigrants from Germany and Ireland threatened Protestantism and democracy. By 1854, the party claimed a million members nationwide and led Jefferson Co. govt. They split over slavery and by the end of the Civil War they had vanished from politics in Louisville and Jefferson Co.

Given by the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the German-American Club.

Erected 2006 by Kentucky Historical Society & the Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 2205.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the Kentucky Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 6, 1855.

Location. 38° 15.473′ N, 85° 46.023′ W. Marker is

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in Louisville, Kentucky, in Jefferson County. It is in Portland. Marker is on West Main Street, on the right when traveling west. Marker is directly in front of the Kentucky Lottery Building on the North side of West Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1011 West Main Street, Louisville KY 40202, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The 32nd Indiana Infantry Monument (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort-on-Shore (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fort Nelson Park (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Stockade On Corn Island, 1778 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Old Catholic High School (approx. 0.4 miles away); 125 South Sixth Street (approx. 0.4 miles away); Evan Williams (approx. 0.4 miles away); Bridgeford, Ricketts & Company (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Louisville.

Also see . . .
1. Know-Nothing Party - Wikipedia. Excerpt:

The Know Nothing movement also briefly emerged as a major political party in the form of the American Party. Adherents to the movement were to simply reply “I know nothing” when asked about its specifics by outsiders, providing the group with its common name.

Supporters of the Know Nothing movement believed that an alleged “Romanist” conspiracy was being planned to subvert civil and religious liberty in the United States, and sought to politically organize native-born
Photographed By Karl Stelly, December 22, 2009

2. American (Know-Nothing) Party Marker
Protestants in what they described as a defense of their traditional religious and political values. The Know Nothing movement is remembered for this theme because of fears by Protestants that Catholic priests and bishops would control a large bloc of voters.

(Submitted on September 30, 2010, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.)

2. Wikipedia Entry for Know-Nothing Riot. Excerpt:

These anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic protests culminated into riots in Philadelphia in 1844, St. Louis in 1854, Cincinnati and Louisville in 1855, Baltimore in 1856, Washington, D.C. and New York in 1857, and New Orleans in 1858.

(Submitted on August 1, 2020.)

Additional keywords. Political unrest

"Bloody Monday" / American (Know-Nothing) Party Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Karl Stelly, December 22, 2009

3. "Bloody Monday" / American (Know-Nothing) Party Marker

This view shows the marker and West Main Street, looking Eastward towards downtown Louisville.

Louisville Bloody Monday Election Riots of 1855 Newspaper Illustration image. Click for full size.

Published in the Louisville Herald, via Wikipedia Commons

4. Louisville Bloody Monday Election Riots of 1855 Newspaper Illustration

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 27, 2009, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 5,205 times since then and 85 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week August 2, 2020. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 27, 2009, by Karl Stelly of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 4. submitted on August 1, 2020, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.