To see the full book online, the Bangor Public Library has it here.
This post is of photos taken of each page (29 pages including the drawing of the Arbutus) from my personal copy of O. R. Cummings's original, May 1956 book, "Portland-Lewiston Interurban" - A History of the Finest Electric Interurban Railway to run in the state of Maine. It was originally published as Transportation Volume 10 by the Connecticut Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, Inc. in conjunction with The Connecticut Electric Railway.
Donald Curry, lead restoration technician, and Phil Morse, Narcissus project manager, will be conducting a presentation on the History of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban 1910-1933, at the Portland (Maine) Public Library, on April 19, 2017. Click Here for all the details on the presentation. The presentation will also be broadcast live via Facebook Live starting at noon on the 19th.
This May 1956 book on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban is the first, of a trilogy, written by O. R. Cummings. The 1956 book seen here and the September 1967 book (92 pages) were obviously, both published (the 1967 book will be available in a Narcissus project blog post, following the Portland Public Library presentation on April 19). Sadly, O. R. Cummings passed away in 2013. He left a significant portion of his electric railway collection to the Library of the New England Electric Railway Historical Society (NEERHS) in Kennebunkport, Maine. NEERHS is the 501c3 nonprofit organization that owns and operates, the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, and the National Streetcar Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts. One of the files that O. R. did leave with the NEERHS Library is that of a manuscript, with about fifty pages of text, that includes materials on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban. The manuscript is not officially titled, but Chapter One has these labels and starts off with; "MAINE'S FAST ELECTRIC RAILROAD - 1905-1933
RAILROADS AND RAILWAYS - Rail travel between Portland and the Twin Cities became possible as early as December 4, 1848, when the Atlantic & St. Lawrence Railroad, organized in 1845 to build from Forest City through Maine and northern New Hampshire and Vermont to the Canadian border, commenced operation between Portland and Danville Junction on the outskirts of Auburn, 27 1/2 miles." This third book, yet unpublished, clearly digs much deeper into the relationships between railroads and electric railways. What would be nice is if we could publish and then release this third book at about the same time Narcissus is released as a fully restored and operating interurban of the PLI :)
Donald Curry, lead restoration technician, and Phil Morse, Narcissus project manager, will be conducting a presentation on the History of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban 1910-1933, at the Portland (Maine) Public Library, on April 19, 2017. Click Here for all the details on the presentation. The presentation will also be broadcast live via Facebook Live starting at noon on the 19th.
This May 1956 book on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban is the first, of a trilogy, written by O. R. Cummings. The 1956 book seen here and the September 1967 book (92 pages) were obviously, both published (the 1967 book will be available in a Narcissus project blog post, following the Portland Public Library presentation on April 19). Sadly, O. R. Cummings passed away in 2013. He left a significant portion of his electric railway collection to the Library of the New England Electric Railway Historical Society (NEERHS) in Kennebunkport, Maine. NEERHS is the 501c3 nonprofit organization that owns and operates, the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, and the National Streetcar Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts. One of the files that O. R. did leave with the NEERHS Library is that of a manuscript, with about fifty pages of text, that includes materials on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban. The manuscript is not officially titled, but Chapter One has these labels and starts off with; "MAINE'S FAST ELECTRIC RAILROAD - 1905-1933
RAILROADS AND RAILWAYS - Rail travel between Portland and the Twin Cities became possible as early as December 4, 1848, when the Atlantic & St. Lawrence Railroad, organized in 1845 to build from Forest City through Maine and northern New Hampshire and Vermont to the Canadian border, commenced operation between Portland and Danville Junction on the outskirts of Auburn, 27 1/2 miles." This third book, yet unpublished, clearly digs much deeper into the relationships between railroads and electric railways. What would be nice is if we could publish and then release this third book at about the same time Narcissus is released as a fully restored and operating interurban of the PLI :)
The Narcissus Project Blog was created in April 2015 to reach out to a large number of folks through the power of social media to introduce them to Narcissus. The Narcissus is a luxury, high-speed, wooden electric interurban. The Narcissus was built in 1912 in Laconia, NH, and operated on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, in Maine, between Portland and Lewiston, from 1914 into 1933. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914. The blog posts appeal to folks with an interest in Theodore Roosevelt's connection to Maine, to folks generally interested in regional/local history, as well as those folks within the greater railway family. Hopefully, these posts will endear many of the readers to help support the Narcissus financially, as it undergoes a complete restoration over the next few years at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
This drawing is a folded page within the binding that unfolds to show
the Arbutus. Some of the clerestory stained glass windows and mahogany
sash were made available for use in the Narcissus restoration.
Click Here: to see the post on the leaded stained glass used in the
Narcissus restoration.
This stretch of New Gloucester-Danville road parallels the PLI and is
where many a race between autos and interurbans took place.
Click Here: Clyde Walker Pierce, post, of racing the interurbans in the early 30s.
The image at the top of the page talks about the Railroad Commissioners doing the
initial inspection run in 1914. Click Here - to read the post that has the detailed
newspaper story of that inspection trip.
On this page is a section titled "Important Events" - The opening paragraph speaks to
August 18, 1914, the day that Theodore Roosevelt, after a hunting trip up in Maine,
was a passenger on one of the interurbans, believed to have been the Arbutus.
In O. R's, September 1967 book, Maine's Fast Electric Interurban -
Portland-Lewiston Interurban, an updated story on page 37, with a
photo of a postcard on page 38, includes text that states TR actually was
a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914.
This writer did additional research in 2010 and found two newspaper articles
about TR's visit to Maine in 1914. A local story mentions that TR specifically
boarded the Narcissus for his trip to Portland. It also mentions the Gray stop.
The New York Times story mentions that TR took the train from Boston
to Lewiston that day. There was no mention of a hunting trip in Maine
before TR rode the Narcissus from Lewiston to Portland. So, I'm not
sure where the hunting trip part of the initial story came from? Click Here to
read the post about TR's visits to Maine and see the two newspaper accounts from
his August 18, 1914, visit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We continue the restoration work on the 1912, Narcissus, the only surviving high-speed, luxury interurban coach of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban.
Click Here: Narcissus Restoration-Related Posts
Being more than a century old, the stately, "Elegant Ride," Narcissus, is a gem. This shimmering precious stone of Maine transportation history is brilliantly resplendent as it emanates so many elements of history, including; time, places, people, and events, that it was coupled to, that when just a smattering of its seemingly innumerable stories are shared, the contents captivates, fascinates, then generates, interest to learn more 🙋. The majestic Narcissus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Please consider joining the epic journey to complete the Narcissus Project by making a donation today!
Click Here: Donation Options
The restoration of this majestic icon of Maine's electric railway history is but one in a series of captivating stories containing an abundance of incredible coalition of narratives.
Click Here: History-Related Posts - Narcissus and Portland-Lewiston Interurban
The Narcissus is featured in the national Gold Award-winning novel, Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride. The "Elegant Ride" is the Narcissus. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914, between Lewiston and Portland, Maine, while campaigning for the Progressive Party candidates.
Click Here: Bookstores and Businesses promoting the Narcissus Project
Independent book publisher, Phil Morse, holding
the Gold Book Award Winner plaque for
the Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
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