Bloody Monday and the Know-Nothing Party
Posted by: 
xptwo
N 38° 15.473 W 085° 46.023
16S E 607871 N 4235147
Two-sided historical marker tells the story of election day riots in 1855, as well as the history of the American "Know-Nothing" Party in politics.
Waymark Code: WMEHZB
Location: Kentucky, United States
Date Posted: 06/02/2012
Views: 6
This marker can be found at 1011 West Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky, which happens to be the address of the Kentucky Lottery office in Louisville. It is a couple of blocks from several waymarks such as the ones for the Louisville Slugger Museum. The marker was unveiled on August 4, 2006 by the German-American Club and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Information about the dedication can be found at (
visit link)
The text of the marker reads:
Front side:
"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.
Reverse Side:
American (Know-Nothing) Party
This party feared that Catholic immigrants from Germany and Ireland threatened Protestanism 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.