Circa 1920 - just to the right of the track is now the
end of the parking lot on the north end of Cole Farms
Restaurant in Gray on Route 202/100.
Scrapbook in the Collection of the Library at
The Portland Lewiston Interurban (PLI) operations served the communities between Lewiston, Maine, and Portland, Maine, through Auburn, Danville, New Gloucester, Gray, West Cumberland, and West Falmouth, came to an end eighty-five years ago. Since 1933, the thirty miles of the PLI right-of-way (row) from Fairview Junction in Auburn to Deering Junction in Portland has been slipping away to the inevitable. Mother Nature and Progress. Yes, there are some vestiges remaining in the communities between Auburn and West Falmouth, former brick substations have been repurposed in Danville, Gray, and West Falmouth, and there are sections of the row that are clearly visible if one knows what to look for and where, but make no mistake, as time passes, those vestiges are seen more for what they are now and not for what they were.
July 15, 2018 - the same overpass. PWM
Starting with the years of its construction, 1910 through 1914, continuing during its nineteen years of service carrying more than seven million passengers, and ending in 1933, the Portland-Lewiston Interurban changed the communities it served. There is a story to tell, a story that is more than statistics; like passenger and mileage count, electrical output, tonnage carried by the freight service, or specifications of the vehicles that operated on the line. The PLI changed the lives of the people that lived in the communities served by the PLI. People that owned property the row passed through, people that were passengers, and the people that worked for the "The Finest and Fastest Electric Railroad in All of New England."
September 7, 2017 - the same overpass. PWM
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine is restoring the Narcissus. The Narcissus is the only surviving high-speed luxury interurban coach from the PLI. The Narcissus has been at Seashore Trolley Museum since 1969 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus, from Lewiston to Portland, on August 18, 1914. The Narcissus literally traveled on the remnants of the tracks that are pictured here in this bridge in Gray in this blog post.
November 15, 2017 - PWM
The Narcissus restoration is expected to be completed in 2021. The funding for the restoration has been secured. Please scroll down this post to find the list of donors for the restoration portion of the project. The list contains the historical societies served by the PLI and members of those communities. Noteworthy, and deserving of particular attention is the 20th Century Electric Railway Foundation in California and its principals, Arthur Jones and Joseph Brogan for previous matching grants since 2014 and a major gift that secured the funding to complete the restoration portion of the Narcissus Project.
The restored Narcissus will be the PLI time machine. At Seashore Trolley Museum, passengers will be able to enter the Narcissus, sit on the plush Mohair seats, and take in the incredible luxury of the interior; its ceiling panels with gold leaf fleur-de-lis in each corner connected by ribbons of gold leaf. The forty ornamental leaded stained glass windows above the passenger windows induce awe for passengers engulfed by an interior of mahogany walls with an inlay of Holly-Ebony-Holly decorations. And be a passenger on this majestic icon of Maine's famous Portland-Lewiston Interurban as it travels along the Museum's heritage railway. Think of it. Take it in.
November 15, 2017 - PWM
But.....we need to do more. The Narcissus has a story to tell. A story that needs to be told. A story that deserves to be told. For the people that built the PLI. For the people that had the line built through their farmlands. For the People that worked for the PLI. The millions of people that traveled for so many different reasons are on this line. For all those people whose lives and communities were changed by the PLI. The Narcissus can be the champion for the PLI. The Narcissus alone has the pedigree to be the common thread that connects all storylines inherent to the PLI.
November 15, 2017 - PWM
The interpretation portion of the Narcissus project includes the research, development, creation, and implementation of a comprehensive plan to tell the story of the Narcissus. This interpretation plan may include educational programming, exhibit and display offerings, as well as outreach programs in a variety of formats, including on-site, off-site, social media, and online curriculum. Funding for this portion of the Narcissus project is now essential and the focus of our fundraising efforts.
We are very interested in hearing from you if you have artifacts, ephemera, family stories of the PLI, photographs, etc. We are still researching, collecting oral histories, and looking to find pieces that help us tell the whole story. Email Phil Morse, Narcissus project manager: p.morse31@gmail.com
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. Scroll down this post to see options for making a donation today :)
November 15, 2017 - PWM
November 15, 2017 - This section has been removed as
of July 2018 - PWM
November 15, 2017 - This section has been removed as
of July 2018 - PWM
November 15, 2017
This section is gone in 2018
PWM
From the parking lot on the north end of Cole Farms
Restaurant. November 15, 2017 - PWM
We are still in need of funds for creating the interpretation programs that will tell this fascinating 100+-year-old story of the Narcissus. For information on donation options, scroll down this post and find the one that best fits your position. Fund 816 to help with the restoration and Fund 817 (PLI Education-Interpretation programs ) should be noted when making a donation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 Maine:
Center for Maine Crafts, West Gardiner Service Plaza
The Book Review, Falmouth
The Bookworm, Gorham
Letterpress Books, Portland
Maine Historical Society Store, Portland
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, Portland
Morph Gallery & Emporium, Kennebunk
New Gloucester Historical Society, New Gloucester
Nonesuch Books and More, South Portland
Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport
Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops, All Locations
Thompson's Orchard, New Gloucester
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-running 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 one-time donations or you
may choose to have a specific amount charged to your card
automatically on a monthly basis. Please contact the Museum bookkeeper, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2800 ext. 3.
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 in: 816 Narcissus, then continue filling in the required information.
Click Here for PayPal - to make an online donation: you can use email: finance@trolleymuseum.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, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2800 ext. 3,
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 - 2020/2018 - 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, stained glass windows is majestic.
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.
Patricia Pierce Erikson photo
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
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