The Kittery Point Carhouse shortly after the opening of
the Portsmouth, Kittery, & York Street Railway 1897
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_9_102
Though the Narcissus1912 Blog features the historical background and restoration work of the National Register of Historic Places member, the high-speed, luxury, 1912 Portland-Lewiston Interurban, No. 14, Narcissus, the blog does release other posts that relate to Maine electric railways, Theodore Roosevelt-related connections with Maine, and posts about Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
This blog post features the Portsmouth, Kittery & York Street Railway's carhouse and power plant at Kittery Point, Maine. Summary/images from the book, "Atlantic Shore Line Railway" by O. R. Cummings, presented as Transportation Volume 4 by the Connecticut Electric Railway and the National Railway Historical Society-Connecticut Chapter - June 1950 Re-issued January 1957. And text/images are also taken from an O. R. Cummings book, "Trolleys To York Beach: The Portsmouth Dover & York Street Railway", Bulletin No. 1, New England Electric Historical Society, December 30, 1964. Additional images will be credited. Details on how the local community members felt about the introduction and approved construction of the new electric railway, find a copy of John D. Bardwell's compilation of news events published in the local newspaper; "The Diary of the Portsmouth, Kittery, and York Electric Railroad," released in 1986 through the Portsmouth Marine Society in Portsmouth, NH.
Additional blog posts on related electric railways can be found through the links below:
- 2.23.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Portsmouth, Kittery & York St. Rwy 1897-1903
- 3.11.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Portsmouth, Dover & York St Rwy 1903-1906
- 3.12.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Atlantic Shore Line Railway 1900-1910
- 3.14.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Atlantic Shore Railway 1911-1923
- 3.15.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - York Utilities Company 1923-1949
The first carhouse erected for the Portsmouth, Kittery, & York Street Railway in 1897, was located near Hutchins' Corner (at the intersection of Pepperall and Chauncey Creek Roads) in Kittery Point. The facility was a building 45 feet by 175 feet, wood-frame, erected on piles over a tidewater swamp. Two lead-in tracks were connected through a transfer table to the four tracks inside the rambling structure, which had a capacity of twelve cars. Some repair facilities were provided inside as well.
The brick power station of the Portsmouth, Kittery, & York Street Railway was located directly behind the Kittery Point carhouse. This power plant would generate the direct-current electricity that the various electric railway vehicles would utilize for operating the fleet in the early years. The original equipment included three Dillon 125-hp vertical boilers and two Ball and Wood tandem compound engines, one of 250-hp and one of 150-hp, belted to General Electric 550-volt direct-current generators of 225 and 110 kilowatts, respectively.
Enlargement of the Kittery point power station was undertaken between 1901 and 1902, with two Hodge 200-hp boilers, an Erie City 400-hp, four-valve, 21-inch x 21-inch engine, and a General Electric 225 kilowatt 550-volt direct-current generator being installed.
The building was an active operating center until trolley service in Kittery and Kittery Point ended; it was then razed. As early as 1909 fears were expressed that the wood-frame structure would be blown down in any severe windstorm but such a calamity did not occur. An attempt to burn the building on August 16, 1908, did not succeed. The carhouse was razed in 1926, while the powerplant remained several years thereafter.
The power station was situated directly behind the carhouse.
Coal for the boilers was hauled from Cutts Wharf near Kittery
Point bridge. Original equipment for the plant in 1897 included
three boilers, two engines, and two generators; two more boilers,
another engine, and a third generator were added in 1900.
The by-then-obsolete station was placed on reserve status
in 1915 after arrangements were made to purchase power from
the Rockingham County Light and Power of Portsmouth.
Image from the collection of H. T. Moulton within
the O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_9_104 circa 1910
Coal for the power station reportedly was first landed from barges at the rear of the building but later was received at the wharf adjacent to the Kittery Point bridge and carted to the plant. There was a coal pocket at the wharf and later a siding was provided so that the fuel could be hauled to the power plant via rail.
Outside storage of soft coal can be seen as a pile on
the right in this photo above. Soft coal was the fuel for the
steam boilers. This pile of coal is on the east side
of the power plant.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_9_107
February 1904 insurance company drawing of the steam
power station plant and the carhouse is seen off of
Pepperell Road in Kittery Point. Thanks to Ralph Littlefield
for pinpointing the current address to the entrance of the
former carhouse/power plant. 150 Pepperell Road;
the current site of the Kittery Point Citgo Gas Station.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_9_108
Rail that provided access to the power plant for
delivery of coal circa 1915
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_9_105
circa 1906
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_9_106
& Beach Railroad trestle and coal wharf where the Portsmouth,
Kittery, & York Street Railway received fuel for its
power plant appears in this 1898 view.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_8_50
Work car "B" of the Portsmouth, Kittery, & York Street
Railway was photographed at the Kittery Point
carhouse with many employees c 1897. These two tracks
led to a transfer table that accessed four tracks inside.
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_7_105
The interior of the Kittery Point carhouse where
the two entrance tracks led to the transfer table, seen here,
allowed access to four tracks inside the carhouse.
c 1905 O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_9_103
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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