Narcissus Restoration Project - 2018 Outreach Summary

Many happy guests seated in the 1901 Connecticut Car

Company open-trolley car No. 303 just before departure for

an early evening ride along the Seashore Trolley Museum's

heritage electric railway. The ride followed a wonderful

opening reception with programs for the 2018 Teddy

Roosevelt Days fundraising event to benefit the

1912 Portland-Lewiston Interurban No. 14,

Narcissus. PWM

     The Narcissus 1912 Project Blog celebrated its third full calendar year as 2018 came to a close. Total page views passed 190,000 at the end of December (2018). This is an increase of 75,000 views since the end of 2017. The blog was created for reaching out to a large number of folks, through the power of social media, to introduce them to the Narcissus Project. 

     The Narcissus Project blog posts include updates on the restoration of the Narcissus, which is currently taking place at Seashore Trolley Museum's Donald G. Curry Town House Restoration Shop in Kennebunkport, Maine. Posts also include topics; on the connections that Theodore Roosevelt has here in Maine, the Portland-Lewiston Interurban (PLI) and its connections to the communities it served (Portland, Falmouth, Cumberland, Gray, New Gloucester, Auburn, and Lewiston), the builder of the PLI; W. S. Libbey, other electric railway systems in Maine, people of Maine that had an impact on electric railway development here in Maine, and the Seashore Trolley Museum.

     Hopefully, as the restoration continues over the next three years, these posts generate interest from readers to become engaged in the Narcissus project to help spread the word of the project and perhaps support the Narcissus financially. For information on donation options, scroll down the page until you come to that section. We are currently fundraising for the interpretation programs that will be created to tell this fascinating 100+-year-old story of the Narcissus. Please help by making a donation today:)

     

      The Narcissus is currently under restoration at the Museum and is on track to be completed in the fall of 2021.  Once the restoration is completed, the Narcissus will serve as an operating testimonial to Maine's Finest and Fastest Electric Interurban Railroad.

Click Here to go to the Narcissus Restoration Update - 2018 summary

You will read of some exciting and even some amazing developments that have come about in 2018 during our outreach programs. If you have something to contribute to the story, please, I encourage readers' feedback via email - p.morse31@gmail.com or through the blog comments.

Outreach - Connecting with the Community 2018

Outreach opportunities include presentations in various communities.

Volunteer project manager for the Narcissus project, Phil

Morse is seen here at the Scarborough Public Library

 as a guest speaker for the Scarborough Historical Society.

March 4, 2018 - PWM photo

Thank you to Shun "Kevin" Yao and Jingqi "Owen" Tu for volunteering

to help with the Narcissus display and with the sales of Narcissus

Suncatchers and Theodore Roosevelt-related books. Kevin and Owen were

freshmen at Thornton Academy in Saco, Maine (2018). They both are

international high school students enrolled in Thornton Academy's

 Residential Life Program in Saco, ME. PWM

Volunteers Donald Curry and Phil Morse were speakers

during a luncheon at the Lewiston Public Library on

April 10, 2018. Thank you to STM volunteers John Mercurio

Jingqi "Owen" Tu and Wenyuan

"Wen" Du from Thornton Academy for volunteering to help.

PWM

The Narcissus exhibit during the presentation by

Donald Curry and Phil Morse at the West Falmouth Baptist

Church as the guest speaker of the Falmouth300 committee

on April 17, 2018. Falmouth celebrated its tercentennial

(300th) anniversary. Thank you to STM members John

Mercurio, Ms. Denise Macaronas, and Randy Leclair, along with

Zaocheng "Sunny" Zhong from Thornton Academy for

volunteering and helping. PWM

Donald Curry and Phil Morse at the West Falmouth Baptist

Church as guest speaks for the Falmouth300 committee.

 Falmouth celebrated its tercentennial (300th) anniversary.

PWM

We made it into the 2019 Commemorative Calendar :)

See below.

Thank you to Erin Cadigan, Chair of the Falmouth300

Committee for the calendars :)

Phil Morse and Donald Curry were presenters at the West

Cumberland Recreation Center Hall as the guest speaker of

the Prince Memorial Library on May 15, 2018. Of all the 

spring presentations, this one had the largest turnout with

70 or so attending. Thank you to Zaocheng "Sunny" Zhong

from Thornton Academy for volunteering and helping.

PWM

Museum L-A (Lewiston-Auburn) presented, Maine Innovation

Expo 2018 at the former Bates Mill complex on May 19.

Seashore Trolley Museum and the Narcissus were well

represented with volunteers  John Middleton, John Mercurio,

and Phil Morse, along with  Zaocheng "Sunny" Zhong

and Hunh Huy "Henry" Nguyen from

Thornton Academy. PWM

These charming ladies (l-r) Miriam Bisbee, Charlotte
(Verrill) Frost, and Elizabeth (Whitney) Megquier all rode
on the interurbans of Portland-Lewiston Interurban when they
were young girls growing up in Gray, Maine. Two
nonagenarians and one centenarian. We recorded their stories
on Saturday morning, June 23, 2018, at the Gray Historical

Society. PWM photo.


Remnants of a PLI overpass in Gray start to disappear.
Jul 15, 2018 - PWM

Outreach includes connecting donors with

one another to share stories about one of

their favorite projects :) July 2018

Left to right - Bryan Conley, Mary Libbey

Conley, with Arthur Jones. Mary Libbey

Conley is a great-granddaughter to W. S.

Libbey. Thank you to Arthur Jones and Joe

Brogan, Founders of the 20th Century Electric

Railway Foundation for believing in the

Museum as we continue the work on the

Narcissus. So many donors, like the Conleys,

made the Foundation match possible through

their generous donations to the Narcissus

Project. Thank you, to all the donors,

grantors, and businesses that continue

to help the Narcissus ❤❤

Photo courtesy of Mary Libbey Conley

The fourth annual Teddy Roosevelt Days event was at STM

on July 20-23. Here, guests listen to Sheila Libby Alexander

from the Skyline Farm & Carriage Museum in North

North Yarmouth, ME. The next guest speaker was Donna 

Davidge, owner of the Sewall House Yoga Retreat, and

great-granddaughter of William Sewall. Sewall and

Roosevelt remained friends throughout their adult lives.

Guests included members

from historical societies in Falmouth, Cumberland, Gray,

New Gloucester, and of course Seashore Trolley Museum.

Agata Sloniewska and Zaocheng "Sunny" Zhong from

Thornton Academy volunteered to help Phil Morse at

the 114th Annual John Libby Family Association reunion

held in Libby Hall at the Black Point Congregational Church

in Scarborough, ME. W. S. Libbey, the builder of the PLI

is descended from John Libby, as is this blogger:)

The Libby reunion is all about family connections. The

Narcissus is a Libby/Libbey family artifact PWM

Visited the Cumberland & Androscoggin County

Registry of Deeds in August. PWM

     These outreach programs made many new friends for Seashore Trolley Museum, the Narcissus, and for me :) Kathy Allen Merrill and Nancy Wilson Latham have deep family roots in the West Cumberland area. They have both been deeply involved in researching their family's connections over many generations. They were both interested in researching and sharing their families' connections to the Portland-Lewiston Interurban and the Narcissus. Nancy's great-uncle, Henry Wilson kept a diary, and Nancy and Kathy read through the entries in the series of annual diaries during the construction of the Portland, Gray, and Lewiston Railroad (PLI later). They have been very generous in sharing their findings with me. Thank you:)

This deed has a piece of land in West Cumberland from

Nancy Wilson's great-grandfather was sold to the electric

railroad people - Nancy grew up at the

Wilson Farm. Her great uncle, Henry, kept a diary each year

over many, many years. He did work for the electric railroad

people during the construction of the line. Even had

W.S. Libbey had dinner at the Wilson Farm on a couple

nights in April 1913.

The Museum crew that brought the Narcissus from Sabattus to

the  Museum via Lewiston-Portland in 1969 made a stop at 

Kathy's parent's store, Allen's Farm Store in West Cumberland.

One of Kathy's parents took this picture.

October 31, 1969 photo courtesy of Kathy Allen Merrill

Amazing contacts and connections are made through these
community outreach offerings. In this photo are James
and Robert Greenwood. Their father, Forest Greenwood
was a motorman for the Portland-Lewiston Interurban out of
the Lewiston terminal. Forest would become a motorman

at Seashore Trolley Museum. James is holding his father's
trolley museum motorman hat with member number 301
 hat badge. Robert is holding his father's trolley museum
ticket punch and a strip of A & K Railway tickets.

Photo courtesy of John Mercurio

Forest Greenwood, mentioned in the above photo caption,

made a donation to the Gray Historical Society in 1965.

Forest donated several Portland-Lewiston Interurban-related items.

Employee Badge No. 233 belonged to Joseph R. Levigne.

Joe was a motorman for the Portland-Lewiston Interurban

and worked out of the Portland, Maine, station. 

Androscoggin Electric Company became the owner of the 

PLI in 1914 following the unexpected death of the

builder of the line, W. S. Libbey. Central Maine Power

acquired the Androscoggin Electric Company in 1920, 

thereby becoming the owner of the PLI and the

Narcissus. Among the collection of the Gray

Historical Society. PWM

The original "key" for operating the Narcissus! This lever

is positioned in the keyway of the controller in the

neutral position and depending on whether the motorman

needs to move the coach forward or reverse the key lever 

is moved into the forward position or the reverse position

before activating the electrical current by moving the

controller handle. Collection of the Gray

Historical Society. PWM

Outreach includes going out into communities.

While doing research in Portland and 

South Portland communities, many former

line poles used by the Portland Railroad were

seen along Congress Street in the Munjoy Hill

area of Portland. Fifty in all. The Museum

is now in communication with the city

officials on plans to consider donating

line poles and surviving caps to the Museum

as street upgrades are made in the future.

PWM

One of the ornate caps that are still in place

on an original Portland Railroad line pole

on Congress Street on Munjoy Hill in

Portland. PWM

South Portland has at least one surviving

former line pole in place from the Portland

Railroad. This one not only has its ornate

cap still in place but also its rare ornate

base skirt. PWM

The ornate base skirt was cast across the 

bridge on the Portland waterfront at the

Portland Company foundry. PWM

Once its restoration is completed, the Narcissus, once a high-speed luxury interurban coach, its name and exquisite interior personally appointed by the intrepid builder of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, W. S. Libbey, will return to passenger service on special occasions after being retired from the PLI in 1933.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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