Sept. 7, 1964 - National Guardsmen were ordered to the scene of wild riots in Hampton Beach, N.H., early today when police were unable to control the several thousand rock-throwing youths who twice tried to storm the police station.
Governor John H. King issued the order shortly after midnight and instructed Brig. Gen. Francis McSwiney to move with all available speed.
Shortly before, Hampton Beach police had been firing over the heads of the mob at the police station in an effort to quell the riot. Shotguns were commandeered from homes and loaded with rock salt.
The milling crowd, which numbered more than 7,000, was split into small groups, but state and local police were hard pressed to control the rock-throwing rebels who were smashing store windows, setting fires, and breaking automobile windows.
Forty Hampton Beach police and special officers, reinforced by 150 men from neighboring forces and the New Hampshire State Police, warned those milling along Ocean Blvd. they would be arrested unless they cleared the area.
Roving gangs fled through side streets, showering the police station with debris.
Helmeted police, swinging billy clubs and using dogs in the most troubled areas, cleared certain areas along the two-mile beachfront only to have other groups re-form.
A large group gathered outside the Hampton Beach Casino, shouting: “Burn it down!”
Hundreds of youths roamed up and down the beachfront, hurling rocks across the boulevard at stores and cars. Plate glass windows in restaurants and novelty shops were smashed.
Cars driving slowly through the streets on the way out of town were stopped by youths who jumped on their hoods and smashed windows.
Beer cans, some empty, some filled with sand, were thrown at police and at the porches of private homes.
At 9:30 p.m., riot guns were issued to 25 policemen while another squad was instructed to fire flares over the beach area. One policeman was hit in the face with a rock. By 10 p.m., 30 persons had been arrested.
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