The 1915 Morrison Hill Station of the Portland-Lewiston
Interurban from Mill Road in West Cumberland,
is the first stop on September 27, 2020, during Seashore
Cumberland, Maine is celebrating its Bicentennial with a celebration of the 200th birthday at Twin Brook Recreation Area (185 Tuttle Road) starting at 10 am and ending with fireworks at 7:30 pm.
Seashore Trolley Museum will have a canopy and tables with items on display that have connections to Cumberland's transportation history. The famous Portland-Lewiston Interurban (PLI) electric railroad operated through West Cumberland from 1914 until 1933. Seashore Trolley Museum has in its collection the only known surviving waiting station from the PLI and it is from West Cumberland! Morrison Hill Station. Stop by our canopy and visit us.
In addition, the Seashore Trolley Museum has the lone surviving majestic, high-speed, luxury coach from the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, No. 14, Narcissus. Each of the original six interurbans was named after the intrepid builder, W. Scott Libbey, favorite flowers; Arbutus, Gladiolus, Narcissus, Clematis, Azalea, and Magnolia. In 1920, one additional interurban was added and named Maine in honor of Maine's Centennial.
One of several memorial plaques on benches at
Morrison Hill Station. PWM
Greeting cards and other Narcissus-related
merchandise will be available as part
of the fundraising at the Museum's
canopy display at the Cumberland
Bicentennial Celebration on September 18, 2021.
Artwork by Amy J. Gagnon.
The Narcissus is currently undergoing restoration in the Donald G. Curry Town House Restoration Shop at the Seashore Trolley Museum. The Narcissus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Scroll down to see more about its history.
The beautifully appointed, high-speed PLI interurban coach,
No. 14, Narcissus in the restoration shop at
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME.
August 21, 2021 image PWM
the crowd gathered in Gray, Maine on August 18, 1914.
Image courtesy of Gray Historical Society
selling/signing copies of
her award-winning historical-fiction novel,
Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the
Elegant Ride, at the Bicentennial Celebration.
This heart-warming story features the PLI
and the Narcissus as the "elegant ride"
during the days of the
Cumberland Fair in the teens of
the twentieth century. PWM
A 1915 map showing Morrison Hill along the
Portland-Lewiston Interurban. The link to the map was forwarded
to us by Thomas Bennett, Director of
the Prince Memorial Library in Cumberland :)
The sign was restored and reinstalled in the spring of 2021.
A photo of the only known surviving porcelain tile that
promoted ticket sales at the few stations that sold tickets
to ride the majestic and speedy electric interurbans of
the famous Portland-Lewiston Interurban (PLI). The PLI
operated between Lewiston and Portland, Maine, from
1914 until 1933. Several local stops to the approximately
30-mile right-of-way between Fairview Junction in Auburn
and Deering Junction in North Deering (Portland) was added
in 1915. The Morrison Hill Station on Mill Road was one
of the local stops added in 1915.
From the 1994 Annual Report of the Trolley Museum,
a photo taken in about 1990, from where the
1915 Morrison Hill Station of the
Portland-Lewiston Interurban was located in West
Cumberland, Maine. Jay Mazzei is seen here.
His father, John Mazzei was assessing the structure in
preparation for moving the station to
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Image by John Mazzei
1992 when the Morrison Hill Station first arrived
at Seashore Trolley Museum.
Image from the 1992 NEERHS (Seashore
Trolley Museum) annual report
The Morrison Hill Station has been at the Seashore Trolley Museum for nearly 30 years. It was donated to the Museum by Dick Budd, owner of Budd's Gulf in West Cumberland. The PLI waiting station had been deteriorating in the backyard of the Gulf station for many years. Once at Seashore, the historic and only known surviving waiting station from the PLI was restored and placed on the opposite side of the mainline tracks as a crossing at Riverside Carhouse.
In recent years, benches with commemorative plaques have
been added to the station platform. Each plaque is in memory
of someone who was dedicated to the Portland-Lewiston
Interurban in one way or another. PWM
One of several memorial plaques on benches at
Morrison Hill Station. PWM
Portland-Lewiston Interurban No, 14, Narcissus makes stops
at the station as it did so often over many years in
West Cumberland. Notice the tiger lilies next to the station.
These are the same tiger lilies featured in Wade Zahares'
artwork. PWM photo
art by Maine artist Wade Zahares is now available
as a 4"x 6" greeting card. A box of ten cards with
envelopes.
Morrison Hill Station is a hub of activity
at Seashore Trolley Museum. PWM
The Morrison Hill Station and the Narcissus will be reunited
for the first time since 1933 when
the ribbon-cutting celebration takes place at the station upon the
restoration of the Narcissus being completed. PWM
Reece Saunders was the graphics art designer for the new 2021
exhibit panel in 1915 Morrison Hill Station at Seashore Trolley
Museum. Reece, a Thornton Academy class of 2017 alum,
graduated in May 2021 from the University of
Southern Maine where he was a Technology Management
major with a minor in Digital Design. PWM image.
Early in 2021, a new exhibit was installed in the
1915 Portland-Lewiston Interurban
waiting-station from
West Cumberland, Maine. PWM
Below is a short video that shows the 2021 exhibit
The PLI electric railway vehicles each had
a portable "cell " phone.
This model "E" Westinghouse Electric
portable phone will be installed in the
Narcissus. PWM
The interurban line was constructed between 1910 and 1914.
The tracks cut through many dairy farmers' cow pastures in the
very rural section of Maine between Lewiston and Portland.
The addition of fifty concrete underpasses for the safe passage of
dairy cows between pastures were critical for the farmers and
for the safe operation of the PLI vehicles.
Print of the original work of art, "Fast Friends", by Maine artist,
Wade Zahares. Prints and greeting cards are available for purchase.
All proceeds benefit the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, No. 14,
Narcissus Project.
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
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
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 one-time donations or you
may choose to have a specific amount charged to your card
automatically each month. 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: 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.
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
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