The collection of Seashore Electric Railway and the Seashore Trolley Museum
brochures that this blogger has acquired over the years. We'll look into
the contents for each one and seek to ID the date(s) each was available.
With the 85th Anniversary year of the Seashore Trolley Museum coming to a close, I thought taking a look at some of the early brochures would be a nice reflection of the early years of the Museum and its activities.
As you might expect, the type of brochure, its design, and its contents vary. Some have dates, some do not. Some have contents that help to focus on the possible date(s) one might have been made available.
Contents that can help focus on narrowing in on a particular timeframe:
* a trolley mentioned or pictured (each one arrived on campus during a particular year)
* a building mentioned or pictured (each was built on campus during a particular timeframe)
* the use of "Trolley Museum" (the term began to be used during a particular timeframe)
* the use of "Seashore Electric Railway" (the name was used during a particular timeframe)
* the use of "Seashore Trolley Museum" (the name began to be used during a particular timeframe)
* the use of "Museum of Mass Transit Museum" (the term began being used at a particular time)
* office mailing address used (the address varied during the early years)
* whether an admission fee is being charged or not (a transition from donations accepted, to required, to an admission fee being required, took place during a particular timeframe)
* location of trolley operations for passengers to ride a trolley (changed during a particular timeframe)
I'll attempt to narrow down the date(s) that the brochures presented in this post were used to promote the attendance of visitors to the Museum. If you have evidence that will help to pinpoint a particular year for any of these brochures, please message me and include the evidence and I'll be happy to update the info used in this post. Thank you :)
I became a member at the Museum in 1991, so I chose to have the last brochure be from that timeframe 1991-...
1950s
December 27, 1953, was the date that the first trolley operated on the main campus property using electric power. Twin City Rapid Transit No. 1267 from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Line was the first car to operate on the Seashore Electric Railway property. It would be a few more years before visitors were able to be passengers in the operating cars.
In the mid-1950s, there were about 45 cars owned by the organization and many, but not all, were located on the original ten-acre property. Many visitors would stop, park, and check out the various cars available to take a look at. Donations were encouraged, but there was no admission fee in the early years.
In 1954, the organization released the first book on the collection of trolleys that had been acquired.
Historic Cars of the Seashore Electric Railway
The front cover of the 1954 publication
The copyright page
Intro pages includes details of the organization
Ibid
Ibid
Appendix page
The Roster of Equipment
1957 was the first year with operations on Route One at the Biddeford-Arundel city/town line at Proctor Road. Known as the Terminal, trolleys operated during the summers through 1960. 1961 was the first year that public operations took place at the main campus in Kennebunkport.
The front panel of the brochure whose contents
focus on a date of 1955.
The design of this brochure is a little different than many three-fold,
six-panel ones. What seems to be the front panel is the center panel above.
Notice the wording on the top of the right panel: "See the Antique Trolleys"
No rides on cars at that time.
The 1955 Annual Report helped to match up with the contents above and
helped to pinpoint the year of this brochure as being most likely 1955.
A total of 45 cars were owned by the Seashore Electric Railway.
Thank you to Mike Simonds for clarifying the phrase "...a car carrying
the famous destination sign Desire,..." The phrase had me scratching my head.
I knew that No. 966, from New Orleans, Lousiana, didn't arrive on campus until
1982. Mike recalled there was a destination sign on campus, which
did have one destination as "Desire, back in the day, well before No. 966 arrived.
The U. S. Route One, Seashore Junction Terminal, opened for passenger service during the summer of 1957. That first season, a little more than 20,000 passengers were carried. 1957 was also the year that the common term, "Trolley Museum", used by so many visitors to describe the organization, rather than The Seashore Electric Railway, was utilized in the organization's marketing. The Seashore Trolley Museum would also be used as well. Ultimately, that name, The Seashore Trolley Museum, would be the name used.
The front panel features, simply, "Trolley Museum."
The featured name transition continues...
This brochure (the common terms used at the time
was, leaflets and flyers) design was used during the
1957-1960 era of the "Terminal" operations.
Connecticut Company, open car, No. 615 was on
the front panel, and in 1958, after it was
refurbished to become No. 303, it was used on the
front panel of the 25th Anniversary brochure in 1959.
The interior panels of the brochure with "615" on the front panel.
Back panel
20th Anniversary celebrated in 1959 with
Connecticut Company, open car, No. 303 on the front panel
The interior panels use the term "Seashore Trolley Museum."
The back panel of the 1959 brochure
1960s
1960 was the final year of trolley ride operations at "The Terminal." The annual reports describe the reasoning behind the decision to consolidate the operation of trolley cars at the Terminal with the main campus on Log Cabin Road. The main collection of vehicles on display at the main campus was a prime destination for visitors, which divided the available volunteers between the two locations.
The front panel of a 1961- brochure featuring the name,
(The) Seashore Trolley Museum. Up to 70 cars
owned by the Museum. This brochure design was the
base design for a few years.
The interior panels of the 1961- brochure. Notice the announcement of the
closure of the former U. S. Route One location.
The back panel of the 1961- brochure
The front panel of the 25th Anniversary brochure
in 1964. Up to 80 cars were owned by the Museum.
The interior panels of the 1964 brochure. The notice of the former U.S.
Route One location as being closed, is still included. Notice, no zip code with
the mailing address and the WOrth 7-2712 phone number.
Rear panel of the 1964 brochure
This brochure was included in the mailing of
the Museum's newsletter, "The Trolley Museum Dispatch,"
in May 1965.
The front cover of the very first issue of the Trolley Museum Dispatch was
May, 1958.
The interior panels of the 1965 brochure have different images of cars.
Notice that for the first time, a zip code was added to the General Office address.
The zip code "font" makes me think it was added separately.
Nationally, zip codes were introduced beginning July 1, 1963.
There are similar brochures that do not have the zip code included.
Those brochures also have a variation
of the Museum's phone number. The brochure above has
(207) 967-2712. The 1964 brochure, is similar to this one; has the museum
number as WOrth 7-2712. So, I'm thinking the brochures with no zip code
and the WOrth 7-2712 phone numbers, were all pre-1965.
The back panel of the 1965 brochure
A third similar brochure from the mid-1960s. The
interior, below, has a slight change added.
Interior panels of a mid-1960s brochure. Notice in the Summer Season
The schedule in the upper right of the right-side panel includes
"Rides every 30 minutes."
The back panel of a mid-1960s brochure.
There is a small ID located on the lower left side.
The company that printed these brochures.
1970s
Probably later in the late 1960s or early 1970s.
Inner panels. Still no admission fee. Phone number and zip code mean
post-1965. The mailing address listed was in use until 1972.
The back panel shows the printer of the brochures
as Star Press in Kennebunk.
The front panel of a tri-fold brochure.
The 1973 Annual Report mentions "...a new
supply of flyers in 1973..." Based on the
contents, I think this is a brochure from 1973.
The first (far left) interior panel has a photo instead of a sketch or drawing.
Of the brochures I have, this is the first since the 1955 brochure to have a photo
on an interior panel. The panel on the right shows the mailing address of
P.O. Box 220, in Kennebunkport. This address was used beginning in 1973
through January 6, 1984. Notice: No Admission Fee. Instead, a modest fare
is charged for a ride. This is probably a 1973 brochure. 1974 was the year
that the transition took place in advance of the standard admission fee for
all guests that began in 1975. The 1974 transition had two stages; 1) instead
of a charge per trolley ride, a higher admission fee was charged and guests could
have unlimited rides, with free access to the gift shop, with no fee charged to visitors
who did not desire to take a trolley ride.
Tri-fold fully open showing the three interior panels. A third of a century is mentioned
as the general length of time the Museum has been in existence. So, that matches up with
the idea that this is a 1973 brochure. Annual attendance is mentioned as 50,000. I don't
have access to info that lists attendance separately from Admission revenues. Some
Annual Reports mention attendance. 1977 states attendance at 44,000.
It mentions an extension to a round trip taking place in 1972. Another point
that helps the idea of this being a 1973 brochure.
The back panel
The front panel of a 1976 brochure.
The United States Bicentennial Celebration year.
The first brochure I have that shows "THE MUSEUM OF MASS TRANSIT"
The marketing phrase was used on the new sign installed at the
Main Entrance to the Trolley Museum on Log Cabin Road.
A photo in the 1974 Annual Report showing the new main entrance area.
The full three panels of the tri-fold opened.
Two panels with the Museum location on a map...the map has an
image of the new main entrance sign. The 1976 Annual Report mentions
...the adoption of straight admission policy that began in 1975...
The back panel
The front panel
The first two interior panels - The admission charge simply states
"a modest admission charge..." This is the first brochure I have that shows
Food Service - Our Trolley Dining Car - Electroburger hamburgers, etc.
North Shore Dining Car No. 415 was first used at STM as the
dining car beginning in mid-July 1978. It continued as the dining car for
visitors for a few years, but the contractors that used the car to provide the
food never really made enough money to maintain constant operations.
The text in this brochure says the food service is available beginning
in mid-June, I'm going to guess this brochure is 1979 or 1980-ish.
The tri-fold panel when fully open
The back panel
1980s
The front panel of a 1982 brochure
The first two pages of the interior panels. Trolley Dining Car Food Service
still happening. Christmas operations are listed. The first Kennebunkport
Christmas Prelude took place in 1981.
The tri-fold panels when fully open. Notice the Visitors Center in one of the photos.
The Visitor Center construction began in July 1979. Portions of the Visitors Center
were available for public use beginning in 1980.
The back panel
The front panel of the brochure that was
mailed with each Jan.-Mar. 1988, Dispatch
newsletter.
The first two panels of the interior
The tri-fold panels when fully open. Food Service in the Trolley Dining Car
was still in service during the summer months.
The back panel
1990s
The front panel of a brochure from 1991-
The first two panels of the brochure opened. The "Ghost Trolley" event
is two weekends. The first Ghost Trolley event was one weekend in
October, 1990. So, this brochure is one from the early 1990s, starting in 1991.
All tri-fold panels when fully open. Notice the Food Service is different. No Dining Trolley.
"Sandwiches, drinks, and desserts are available at the Trolley Dog Snack Bar..." The Northampton Station is mentioned as an option to see. It arrived in the summer of 1990.
The back panel of the 1991- brochure
We continue the restoration work on the Narcissus, the only surviving interurban coach of the PLI. Please consider making a donation to the Narcissus Project to help the restoration work continue to completion.
Click Here for the post that has the short virtual 3-D video of the digital model of the Narcissus, with components added to the file from earlier this year (the gold leaf file had not been added yet).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Restoration work continues on the Narcissus. The Narcissus is more than 110 years old now and has so many incredible stories to share. The restoration of this majestic icon of Maine's electric railway history is but one of those incredible stories.
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.
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
Seashore Trolley Museum Promo Video
The paperback edition of Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride can be purchased online through the Seashore Trolley Museum's store website. Books purchased through the Museum's website directly benefit the Museum and the Narcissus project.
Click Here to go to the Museum Store web page to order online
Click Here to go to the Amazon page to order the ebook or audiobook online
Paperback books are available at these local bookstores in
Androscoggin Historical Society, Lewiston
Eliot Historical Society, Eliot
Gray Historical Society, Gray
Kennebec Historical Society, Augusta
Letterpress Books, Portland
Maine Historical Society Store, Portland
Morph Gallery & Emporium, Kennebunk
New Gloucester Historical Society, New Gloucester
Print: A Bookstore, Portland
Roosevelt Campobello International Park, Welshpool, NB, Canada
Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport
Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops, All Locations
Thompson's Orchard, New Gloucester
Winthrop Maine Historical Society, Winthrop
Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride
by Jean M. Flahive
Illustrations by Amy J. Gagnon
Listen to a 2-minute, 30-second, Retail Audio Sample of the Audiobook
Millie Thayer is a headstrong farmer's daughter who chases her dreams in a way you would expect a little girl nicknamed "Spitfire" would run full tilt and with her eyes on the stars. Dreaming of leaving the farm life, working in the city, and fighting for women's right to vote, Millie imagines flying away on a magic carpet. One day, that flying carpet shows up in the form of an electric trolley that cuts across her farm. A fortune-teller predicts that Millie's path will cross that of someone famous. Suddenly, she finds herself caught up in events that shake the nation, Maine, and her family. Despairing that her dreams may be shattered, Millie learns, in an unexpected way, that dreams can be shared.
A resource for teachers
Companion curriculum State-standard-based units,
vocabulary, and reading activities for use in grades 3-8
are available online as downloadable resources through
Seashore Trolley Museum's website
www.trolleymuseum.org/elegantride/
Maine Historical Society has created eight companion lesson units in Social Studies and ELA that were inspired by Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride - These State-standard-based lesson plans for use in grades 6, 7, and 8 are easily adapted for use in grades 3-5. Vocabulary and Reading activities for grades 3-8 along with the eight lesson plan units are available free and may be downloaded through Seashore Trolley Museum's website www.trolleymuseum.org/elegantride/
Go to the Teacher Resource Page in the pull-down for more details.
A 60-second intro to Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride by author, Jean Flahive
Click Here to watch the video on YouTube
Award-winning author, Jean M. Flahive
Please Consider a Donation to the Narcissus Project to help us tell the incredible story of the Narcissus through the interpretation portion of the Narcissus Project.
Here is an example of how donations to the Narcissus Project now will help with the interpretation portion of the project. The interpretation programming will include exhibits, displays, and education programming. In 2019, through generous donations to the Narcissus Project, we were able to conserve, replicate, and have high resolutions digital image files made of the original, 1910, 28.5-foot long, surveyor map of the elevation and grade of the 30-mile private right-of-way of the Portland, Gray, and Lewiston Railroad (Portland-Lewiston Interurban) Click Here
Thank You!
the crowd gathered in Gray, Maine on August 18, 1914.
Image courtesy of Gray Historical Society
The Narcissus as the Sabattus Lake Diner in Sabattus, Maine,
circa 1940. Photo by John Coughlin in the Kevin Farrell
Collection at Seashore Trolley Museum
L. Henri Vallee (right) and family members in the
Narcissus, when it was Vallee's summer camp in
Sabattus, Maine circa 1958. Photo courtesy
Daniel Vallee
Inside the Donald G. Curry Town House Restoration Shop, the Narcissus is in the midst of major work as we strive to complete its restoration. We are now planning the interpretation portion of the Narcissus Project. Donations to the Narcissus Project may be used in the future to help tell the incredible 100-plus-year-old story of the Narcissus. Your donation to the Narcissus is helping to make the dream of the project's success, a reality.
See below for Donation options -
It starts with YOU
Your Donation Matters
Make a Donation TODAY
Please Help the Narcissus.
Donation Options to Help the Narcissus Project:
The New England Electric Railway Historical Society
is the 501c3 organization that owns and operates the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME, and the National Streetcar
Museum in Lowell (MA).
The New England Electric Railway Historical Society registered with the IRS (EIN# 01-0244457) and was incorporated in Maine in 1941.
Check or Money Order ***** should be made payable to:
New England Electric Railway Historical Society
In the memo: for a donation to the Interpretation programming
please write: PLI Education Fund 817
For a donation to help with the restoration write: Narcissus Fund 816
Mail to: Seashore Trolley Museum
P. O. Box A
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
Credit Card ***** donations can be a one-time donation or you
may choose to have a specific amount charged to your card
automatically each month. Please contact the Museum bookkeeper, Jill, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2712 ext. 5.
Online Donations - may be made by using a Credit Card:
Click Here to make an online donation through the Museum's website - When at the Donation page: Fill in donor info, etc., when at "To which fund are you donating? Scroll down to "Other" and type: 816 Narcissus, then continue filling in the required information.
Click Here for PayPal - to make an online donation: you can email: finance@NEERHS.org and in the message box write:
For "Narcissus Fund 816" - if supporting the restoration
For "PLI Education Fund 817" - if supporting Interpretation programs
Donation of Securities ***** We also accept donations of
securities. You can contact the Museum bookkeeper, Jill, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2712 ext. 5,
for brokerage account information for accepting donated securities.
BONUS ***** If you work for a company/corporation that will
"match" an employee's donation to an approved 501c3 non-profit
educational organization, please be sure to complete the necessary paperwork with your employer so that your donation is matched :)
Questions? ***** Please contact Narcissus project sponsor:
Phil Morse, narcissus@gmail.org or call 207-985-9723 - cell.
Thank You :)
Thank You for our Current Funding Partners
* 20th Century Electric Railway Foundation - 2018 - Major Gift, 2017/2014 Matching Grants
* Renaissance Charitable Foundation (LPCT) by Fiduciary Trust Charitable Giving Fund
* Renaissance Charitable Foundation (LPCT) by Fiduciary Trust Charitable Giving Fund
* Mass Bay RRE - 2018 Railroad Preservation Grant
* Thornton Academy (Saco, ME) - Staff & Alumni - Matching Grant Challenge 2014
* New England Electric Railway Historical Society (Kennebunkport, ME) - Member Donations
* Amherst Railway Society - 2015 Heritage Grant
* National Railway Historical Society - 2016 & 2015 Heritage Preservation Grants
* Enterprise Holding Foundation - 2015 Community Grant
* Theodore Roosevelt Association - Member Donations
* John Libby Family Association and Member Donations
* The Conley Family - In Memory of Scott Libbey 2018/2017/2016/2015
* The W. S. Libbey Family - Awalt, Conley, Graf, Holman, Libbey, McAvoy, McLaughlin, Meldrum, O'Halloran, Salto, - 2018/2017
* The Hughes Family 2017/2016/2010
* New Gloucester Historical Society and Member Donations
* Gray Historical Society and Member Donations
* Gray Public Library Association - Pat Barter Speaker Series
* Scarborough Historical Society - PRR/PLI
* LogMein - Matching Employee Donation
* IBM - Matching Employee/Retiree Donations
* Fidelity Charitable Grant - Matching Employee Donations
* Richard E. Erwin Grant - 2017/2016
The Narcissus, with interior back-lit, majestic stained glass windows.
Make a donation today to help restore the interior of this Maine gem.
Help Theodore Roosevelt's Maine Ride get back on track! Once restored,
you will be able to ride in luxury on this National Register Treasure at
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
PWM photo
Please Consider Making a Donation to the project of the National Register of Historic Places member, Narcissus. We are currently raising funds to advance the restoration and to tell the incredible story of this Maine gem.
Various News stories during the summer of 2015 about the
Narcissus and its connection to Theodore Roosevelt. TR
was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914.
Photo by Patricia Pierce Erikson
The Narcissus - July 31, 2015. Make a donation today.
Help Theodore Roosevelt's Maine Ride get back on track!
Once restored, you will be able to ride in luxury on this
National Historic Treasure at
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
