This post is of photos taken of each page (92 pages including covers) from my personal copy of O. R. Cummings's original, September 1, 1967 book, Portland-Lewiston Interurban - Maine's Fast Electric Railroad. It was originally published as, Bulletin No. 3, New England Electric Railway Historical Society, Inc. (NEERHS) The NEERHS is the 501c3 nonprofit educational organization located in Kennebunkport, Maine, that owns and operates the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, and the National Streetcar Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts. Originally, when first published, O. R. had the royalties from the sales of this book designated to the Narcissus restoration fund. O. R. so wanted to see the Narcissus restored. Sadly, he passed away before being able to take that first exciting ride on a restored Narcissus. In a letter of support for grant applications to benefit the Narcissus, O.R. wrote in June 2010, "I rode the Interurban just once - in 1932 when I accompanied my mother to her 20-year reunion at Bates College. We traveled from Newburyport, Mass. to Portland by train and continued on to Lewiston over the PLI because of problems that day on the Maine Central. When I matriculated at Bates in 1940, the Interurban was gone but the right-of-way was very much in evidence and I was able to trace a lot of it as I traveled by auto between the Twin Cities and Portland. I am the author of two histories of the Interurban and the third version is in the process of preparation."
This September 1967 book on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban is the second, of a trilogy, written by O. R. Cummings. The 1967 book seen here and the May 1956 book (that is available by CLICKING HERE) were obviously both published. 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. 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 titled, but Chapter One is labeled; "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 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.
The final full paragraph on this page (37) is the story of Theodore Roosevelt as a passenger
on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914. A photo of a postcard on page 38, includes text that
states TR actually was a passenger Narcissus that day. This story is an
Interurban Railway to run in the state of Maine. The opening paragraph in that 1956 piece
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.
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.
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.
The last image above of the "new" highway -
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.