Thank you to Mike Simonds for bringing this story to my attention :)
Next year (2020) is Maine's Bicentennial.
One hundred years ago, during Maine's Centennial, the Portland-Lewiston Interurban (PLI) had its busiest day ever in its existence. Carrying passengers during the Centennial celebration on July 5, 1920, was a crazy busy day. One account that day has four of the PLI cars with a combined total seating capacity of 208, carrying 503 passengers on one trip alone to Portland from Lewiston.
Fifty years ago, Maine's Sesquicentennial, the Narcissus (now the sole surviving interurban coach from the PLI), was recognized by the State of Maine Sesquicentennial Commission.
To commemorate the honor of the Museum membership, the May/June/July 1970 issue of Seashore Trolley Museum's newsletter, The Dispatch, had a nearly five-page story titled, "The Narcissus Saga" (notice the drawing of the Narcissus at the top of the front page). Below, the Narcissus story is retold. For me, as someone who has been working on the Narcissus Project since 1999 and has been the volunteer Narcissus Project manager since 2010, the story paints a clear picture of years of dedication, commitment, and passion, to save and restore the Narcissus. So many people within the membership of the Museum and from members of the communities along the PLI rallied to save the Narcissus, find parts, and raise funds to see it restored to its former majestic presence as an operating interurban. As we read the story now, we know the planned outcome of restoration fell short. My assessment of the shortcoming of meeting the restoration goal is that the sheer magnitude of the Narcissus restoration is an incredibly complicated and expensive undertaking, that required much more time and money than anyone in those early years planned.
The Narcissus has now been on campus at the Museum for fifty years. Fifty years! I so wish that those folks, who are no longer with us, who worked so hard for the Narcissus over all the many years, could be with us in the fall of 2021, during the Narcissus ribbon-cutting ceremony at Seashore Trolley Museum's Morrison Hill Station. We will gather to celebrate the completed restoration of this PLI icon in Maine's railway history. Read this Narcissus Saga story knowing that the complete restoration of this National Register of Historic Places member, Narcissus, is now indeed on track.
The Narcissus Saga
Fifty years ago, when Maine observed the 100th anniversary of statehood, the Portland-Lewiston Interurban performed yeoman service on July 5, 1920, when it transported thousands of people from the Twin Cities of Lewiston and Auburn to the Centennial Exposition at Deering Oaks, Portland -- and then conveyed them home at night. It was the biggest day in the history of the interurban; its eight available passenger cars couldn't begin to handle the heavy traffic and three express cars had to be fitted out with portable benches to help accommodate the crowds. Attempts to maintain the regular schedule were abandoned early in the day, and trains, after disgorging their loads in Portland, were rushed back to Lewiston to pick up still more people.
"We have had holidays and we have had crowds before but we never struck any such combination like this," was the statement made by General Manager Fred D. Gorton of the Interurban to a newspaper reporter the following day.
One of the interurban cars operated in the exposition service was No. 14, the "Narcissus", and the acquisition and restoration of this coach by the Seashore Trolley Museum have been given the official blessing of the Maine Sesquicentennial Commission. It is hoped to have the car at least running, if not fully restored, during this sesquicentennial year in the Pine Tree State.
* * *
The Narcissus Saga began in 1933, after the abandonment of the Portland-Lewiston when several car bodies were sold to private parties. The body of the "Narcissus", which had been built by the Laconia Car Company in 1912, was conveyed to a man who had it moved to the immediate vicinity of Long Beach at Sabattus Lake, about six miles northeast of Lewiston. He intended to convert the car to a diner but the project was somewhat less than successful and subsequently, he sold the car body to J. Henri Vallee of Lewiston, who had been one of the first and one of the last riders on the interurban, and who had many fond remembrances of the line.
Shortly after Ben Minnich became General Manager of Seashore, he approached Mr. Vallee to discuss the possible acquisition of the "Narcissus" by the museum. Mr. Vallee, who was using the car as a summer home, agreed to donate the "Narcissus" to Seashore if he was provided with equivalent housing. Unfortunately, the museum was not in a position at that time to take advantage of this offer.
Then, in 1956, the museum acquired the bodies of PLI Nos. 40 and 42 from, Llewellyn I. Welch of South Casco, Maine, who had been using them for carpenter shop purposes. Built by Laconia in 1915, these cars had been used for local service on the interurban and were considerably smaller than the "Narcissus". No. 42 was in an extremely deteriorated condition (and has since been dismantled) but No. 40 was reasonably sound and is considered to be restorable.
While the Portland-Lewiston Interurban was now at least represented in the Seashore collection, the desire to continue to obtain the "Narcissus" persisted. To make a long story short, in January 1968, William M. Dox Jr. of Portland was requested by several museum trustees to visit Mr. Vallee to determine the present and future status of the car. Mr. Vallee repeated his offer to donate the car to the museum in exchange for equivalent housing. He indicated that the body was beginning to show numerous signs of deterioration and that unless the museum acted, he (Mr. Vallee) would have to undertake extensive repairs and modify the "Narcissus" to convert it into a reasonable year-round dwelling. In other words, Seashore had to move quickly if it wished to add the "Narcissus" to its roster.
This information was relayed to the Seashore trustees. At about the same time, O. R. Cummings, the Society historian, reported that a new history of the PortlandLewiston Interurban was about to be published and indicated his willingness to have the net proceeds from the sale of the history devoted to the "Narcissus" project. He also suggested that the balance in the "50 Fund", which had been raised through the sale of Massachusetts Northeastern Street Railway histories, be transferred to the "Narcissus" project to help get it off the ground. O. R.'s proposals were accepted by the trustees and a committee was named to actively seek the acquisition of the "Narcissus" in that year, with complete authority to do whatever was legally, legitimately, and morally necessary to obtain the car. Named to the committee were Cummings, Dox, Donald G. Curry, who ultimately would get the job of restoring the car, John Coughlin, a trustee who had been involved in several prior attempts to acquire the car, and John Fancy, who was later obliged to withdraw because of other commitments.
In due course, the PLI history was published and the first order of work became the sale, promotion, and distribution of the book to as great a readership in the area formerly served by the line as possible. Newspapers in Portland and Lewiston gave generous publicity, as also did "Down East" magazine, and the history proved to be a - "best seller." Dox handled the local distribution in Maine while Cummings took care of sales by mail. Within 90 days, the printer's bill had been paid and the "Narcissus" fund began to grow.
By September or October, it became apparent that the fund, while sizable, would be totally inadequate to do the job necessary to provide the "equivalent housing" for Mr. Vallee. Accordingly, building materials manufacturers and suppliers in the general area where the interurban operated were solicited for donations of materials needed to construct the shell of a U. S. Department of Agriculture Extension Service dwelling, which was satisfactory to Mr. Vallee.
As soon as commitments of donations for 80 percent of the needed materials were received as a result of some 40 solicitations, a search was begun to find a builder willing to undertake the erection of the structure on Mr. Vallee's premises at a figure that the museum could afford. Also, a formal legal agreement was drawn up which permitted Seashore to erect a dwelling on Mr. Vallee's property at Sabattus and assured the donation of the "Narcissus" to the museum after a new structure had been closed in and was made weather-tight.
After a long search, the committee found a builder who agreed to erect the building at cost. However, because of severe weather conditions, he was unable to begin work and finally, he advised the committee that because of the weather and other commitments, he probably would not be able to undertake construction until sometime in the late spring of 1969. At his suggestion, the committee then contacted another builder, Joseph R. Blais, of Montello Avenue, Lewiston, who agreed to undertake construction on a cost basis but who stated flatly that the time of starting and completion would have to depend on weather and site conditions.
A long time ago. Car 14 "Narcissus" in regular service
in 1933 in Lewiston just before the abandonment of service.
Not so long ago. After the PLI went out of existence,
the Narcissus found its way to Sabattus where it was used
as a private dwelling for several years.
Now. After many years and much work on the part of TM
members, the Narcissus rests atop the Highway Monster in the
parking lot adjacent to the gift shop and awaits its re-trucking.
Accordingly, museum forces, under the direction of Donald Curry and John Coughlin, in two weekends of pouring rain and heavy snowfall, jacked up the "Narcissus" and moved it sideways to clear the building site Several outbuildings were also moved to provide sufficient room for the "equivalent housing". And then winter conditions put an end to all efforts until late May of 1969,
It had originally been intended to use the existing concrete piers on Mr. Vallee's property to support the new dwelling but these proved to be inadequate and a cement block foundation had to be substituted. Deficiencies and shortages in donated materials, plus price increases on supplies that had to be purchased, depleted the cash fund but finally, the building was completed, Mr. Blais was paid and on July 30, 1969, Mr. Vallee formally transferred title to the "Narcissus" to the Museum. Left in the Narcissus Fund was a balance of less than $25.
But expenditures still had to be made. In the course of solicitation, of the building materials, commitments were made to try to give the donors a certain amount of advertising publicity in return for their gifts, some of which ran to more than $300 in value. This was to be done by placing a banner, listing the donors of materials, on each side of the "Narcissus" under the windows. The cost of such banners, plus payment of a few bills for building materials, ultimately resulted in a Narcissus Fund deficit of $300 plus. Most of the cost of the banners and some necessary lettering on the car itself was underwritten by several members, but there remained a sizable deficiency in the account. All bills had been paid, however by borrowing from the museum's general fund, as authorized by the trustees, with the understanding that the borrowed money would eventually be repaid.
Some of the deficit was wiped out through the sales of PLI histories. The rest was erased largely through the efforts of Mrs. Eleanor Libbey Awalt of Auburn. The granddaughter of W. Scott Libbey, the builder of the Portland Lewiston Interurban, she became involved in the Narcissus Project in 1968 and solicited donations from other members of the Libbey family and from various outside sources. Her endeavors contributed greatly to the success of the project and getting the car safely to the museum property.
After the title of the "Narcissus" was acquired, there came the task of moving the car. Because of the pressure of summer activities at the museum, it was impossible to do this until early October when a crew of 12 Seashore members loaded the body aboard the "highway monster".
Finally, the great day, Halloween 1969, came. Necessary permits had been obtained from the state but on the eve of the proposed move, Lewiston officials decided that a house moving permit must be executed before the "Narcissus" could proceed through the city. Required insurance information had to be obtained and the building inspector had to be located before the permit could be issued. Fortunately, the inspector was familiar with the Narcissus Project and knew J. Henri Vallee well. He made calls to the Central Maine Power Company and the New England Telephone Company and then gave immediate clearance.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Awalt, who had acted as a clearinghouse in the dissemination of publicity about the project, had contacted news media and historical groups about the impending move, However, because of the delay resulting from obtaining the house moving permit, planned TV coverage of the transportation of the "Narcissus" between Lewiston and Portland was lost. Such coverage had been arranged by the - Portland Chamber of Commerce.
About 11 a.m. the move started. Tom Brigham was at the wheel of the Mack, with Jack and Paul Murray riding in the cab, in case of the event of an emergency, Ernest Brigham, Bill Dox, and Mrs. Awalt's party of those locally interested served as escorts. The caravan moved without major incident through Lewiston, Auburn, Upper Gloucester, Gray, West Cumberland, and West Falmouth and was met by Portland police at the city line. Once in the city proper, the police skillfully controlled situations that might have developed into hairy traffic jams.
Page Five - - May-Jun-Jul 1970
In Portland, the "Narcissus" followed the interurban's old route through the city, that is, up Forest Avenue hill to Congress Street, up Congress Street to Monument Square, through Federal and Temple Streets to Congress Street again; on Congress and Preble Streets to Portland Street, and on Portland Street, past the old PLI barn, to Forest and Park Avenues.
The only serious trouble along this route was caused by a double-parked truck at the corner of the turn from Congress Street into Preble Street. Tom and Ernie Brigham and the Murray boys mastered it quickly by stopping and clearing following traffic in Monument Square to permit a second and successful pass by the "monster" at the corner.
Due to the delay in Lewiston, a planned public viewing stop on Park Avenue, at Deering Oaks, had to be canceled to allow time to reach Seashore by early sundown. And thus one more famous ghost of a bygone era joined its kind at Seashore.
At the time of this writing, the "Narcissus" still was on the "monster" in the Seashore parking lot. As soon as possible, the body will be unloaded and placed on trucks obtained some years ago from the Canadian National Railways through the efforts of former Gov. John H. Reed of Maine. Materials to equip the car electrically and mechanically are on hand and it is hoped to have the work underway by summer.
"Help save the Narcissus" was the rallying cry of the project a few years ago. Now the cry is, "Help restore the Narcissus". Donations will be gratefully received and should be sent to the membership secretary, Joseph B. Doherty, 40 Hawthorne Avenue, Arlington, Mass. 02174.
William M. Dox Jr.
O. R. Cummings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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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