Text by Donat Boisvert Images from Franco-American Collection A
striking disparity in perceptions of Lewiston -- the grimy mill
town vs. the "Athens of New England" -- demonstrates the
cultural divide that existed at the end of the 19th century and
the beginning of the 20th. French-Canadians, who were flooding
into the city in huge waves of immigration, brought with them a
foreign language, religion and culture, which many non French-
Canadians under-appreciated, ignored, and even feared and
scorned. Nonetheless, the immigrants developed a great musical
and theatrical tradition, even mounting full-scale opera
productions, such as Gounod's Faust, before packed audiences.
These textile and shoe workers, carpenters and clerks, doctors
and lawyers provided their own French language entertainment to
what was becoming the majority of the population. Robert
Planquette's popular operetta, Les Cloches de Corneville (The
Chimes of Normandy), was first performed in Lewiston in 1896 and
last performed as a revival in 1983