August 26, 1902, the caption states: "President
Theodore Roosevelt Delivering Speech at
Biddeford, Maine" However, research shows this
location is not the train station in Biddeford.
It is Old Orchard Beach.
Photo: Harvard University - This image is from the
Doris A. and Lawrence H. Budner Theodore Roosevelt
Collection, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University
Update 11-3-2022
I first started researching Theodore Roosevelt in 2010. As a volunteer at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, overseeing the Narcissus project (Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914), I felt the need to learn more about Roosevelt's visit to Maine. That initial research piqued my curious nature to want to learn more about Theodore Roosevelt.
Twelve years later, that seed of curiosity has taken root and blossomed, into the development of what is the: Theodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail: Connecting Maine Communities. Insight throughout the State of Maine is what this trail provides by tracing and describing Theodore Roosevelt's connections with each of these communities.
Each community is identified with a star with a number or
a moose with a letter. The key to the logo landmarks is below.
Each moose represents a community that has an indirect
connection with Roosevelt, meaning he may not have paid the
community a visit, but there is a meaningful connection to
Roosevelt in that community. The stars indicate a community
that Roosevelt visited and probably engaged with the people
and or the local geography. As research continues, other
communities will be added to the logo.
Logo: "Designs by Reece" - Reece Saunders
Over the ensuing weeks, each of these
communities/landmarks with its Roosevelt
connections will have a separate page describing
details of TR's connections. Each will also
have a link(s) to local resources/venues.
Key by "Designs by Reece" - Reece Saunders
Today, we start with "Star 2" shown on the list (key) above - Biddeford
The metaphor of "going down the rabbit hole" pretty well captures many of my experiences, over the years, including this one. As I attempt to clarify what initially may seem a fairly simple piece of information to confirm or refute, I frequently find myself presented with a variety of unexpected twists and turns related to the research subject matter. More rabbit holes to consider investigating.
While researching President Roosevelt's schedule for his two-day Maine visit during his 1902 tour of New England states, up popped the photo at the top of this page. The caption caught my interest as Biddeford was not listed in the itinerary of Maine stops in the presidential schedule, for August 26 and 27, 1902. Scroll down the page for the short piece on his March 23, 1912, and August 18, 1914 stops at the Biddeford railroad station.
of President Roosevelt's train tour that included communities
in Maine. A stop in Biddeford was not listed. August 26, 1902,
issue of the Lewiston Evening Journal EXTRA 8:30 p.m.
So, I visited Biddeford's McArthur Public Library to search through their extensive microfilm collection of vintage local newspapers. I located the story of the president's train unplanned stop and brief speech (excerpt below) and in addition, read a feature story about a local Biddeford resident, Fred C. Watson, who was a cowboy working for Roosevelt in the Dakotas during 1884 and 1885! For me, this was like uncovering a valuable nugget of gold while prospecting in a new rabbit hole :) With much help from Renée L. Burkett, Archivist/Special Collections Librarian, more intriguing information about Fred. C. Watson was learned. But first, before we move on to Fred's rabbit hole, below is the excerpt from the local newspaper describing the unplanned stop at the Biddeford train station:
Although no stop by the president had been anticipated in this city (Biddeford) there was a crowd of three or four hundred people at the Western Division station awaiting the arrival of the train, and when it was seen to slow down there was a tremendous straining of necks to ascertain what the cause was.
It soon developed that the engine had a hot box. As soon as the train came to a standstill there was a rush for the rear car, and to the delight of the crowd, the president appeared on the platform. He was cheered lustily as he emerged through the doorway, bowing to the right and the left.
The president made a short speech in which he referred to the state of Maine as a place where men who are a credit to the nation are brought up.
Somebody in the crowd presented the president with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and then the train began to pull out (to travel to the first scheduled stop in Maine at Old Orchard Beach). The crowd gave three rousing cheers to which the president responded by bowing and waving his hat.
Biddeford Weekly Journal, Friday Morning, August 29, 1902
Initially, I was happy to find the evidence to verify that TR's train did indeed stop at the Biddeford Station. However, a new rabbit hole presented itself as Renée and I spent some time viewing the photograph that described TR making a speech to the crowd from the platform of his train while stopped at the Biddeford train station.
I'm familiar with the train station and the local neighborhood surrounding it. The buildings in the image did not look anything like any of the buildings of the time (1902) near the Biddeford train station. Renée and I separately looked into period photos, postcards, maps, etc. of the 1902-area neighborhood of the Biddeford station and we both agreed, that the photo was not taken at the Biddeford station. We still are seeking evidence to support the actual location of the station in the photo. Stay tuned for updates in the future :)
Now for the Fred C. Watson story...
Renée, at McArthur Public Library in Biddeford, has been great to work with on this research. When I mentioned to her about discovering the "nugget" of Fred C. Watson in the newspaper feature, she started looking through the Library's resources and found more information on Fred! Thank you so much, Renée.
Here we go...
Below is the Biddeford Weekly Journal, Friday Morning, August 29, 1902 story about Fred C. Watson that I saw while looking for the Biddeford train station info. I split the screenshot into three sections so that the text could be read without me retyping it all :)
.jpg)
Ibid
Ibid
.jpg)
Ibid
Below is an excerpt from the Biddeford Daily Journal, August 27, 1902, with the story of Fred meeting up with President Roosevelt at the train while it was stopped in Old Orchard Beach on August 26, 1902.
Ibid
Renée found that Fred C. Watson was a native of North Saco, Maine, and later lived in Biddeford, after returning from the Dakotas. Fred was a blacksmith and was active in the Townsend Family Reunion Assoc. Fred's mother was Georgianna (Townsend) Watson. And she found that Fred had donated, to the library, his pair of spurs (Item 31597) and a branding iron (Item 31634) from the Dakotas while he was there in 1884 and 1885.
The description of the spurs: Item 31597 - spurs belonged to Fred C. Watson of Biddeford. He was a blacksmith, and as a young man traveled to the western frontier to work at the Elkhorn Ranch, which was owned by Theodore Roosevelt. The ranch was run by two men from Maine, Bill Sewall, and Wilmot Dow, and that may be how Watson ended up working there. The blacksmith's workshop was completed in the spring of 1885 when Watson was 20 years old. Upon returning to Maine, Watson worked at Townsend Brothers carriage makers in Biddeford and eventually was the foreman at the blacksmith shop at Saco-Lowell. He retired from Saco-Lowell in 1937.
The description of the branding iron: Item 31634 - iron with the letters "S" and "E", forged by Biddeford blacksmith Fred C. Watson around 1885. Watson worked as a cowboy and a blacksmith out on the western frontier to work at the Elkhorn Ranch, which was owned by Theodore Roosevelt. The ranch was run by two men from Maine, Bill Sewall, and Wilmot Dow, and that may be how Watson ended up working there. Upon returning to Maine, Watson worked as a blacksmith at Townsend Brothers carriage factory and then at Saco Lowell shops.
I returned home and did some online research that also turned up a photo of McArthur Library on the Maine Memory Network.
.jpg)
Photo from the McArthur Library Collection as posted on the
The Townsend Brothers manufactured carriages at 9 Jefferson
Street in Biddeford from about 1890 until 1910. The crew
from the Townsend Brothers Carriage Shop are (left to right):
David Berry, Fred Watson, Charles H. Townsend,
Jesse Charles Townsend, John Alden Hanson Townsend,
George E. Townsend, and Alonzo Kimbal Circa 1900
Having seen Watson's description of his spurs and branding iron from Elkhorn Ranch, I looked through William "Bill" Sewall's book on Theodore Roosevelt. I happen to have a first edition copy and did find a couple of pages that did not include Fred Watson's name, but perhaps a reference to him.
On page 31 Sewalll mentions..."There were six of us; three were natives of Maine...". He went on to describe that four of the six were old experienced cattlemen "...except myself and one other." The six of them went on a 500-mile trek through the Dakotas. On page 32, Sewall mentions "Myself and the boy went with me..." I wondered if "the boy" might be the 20-year-old Fred C. Watson.
Page 32
I looked through a few other books and found the same story that Sewall recounted on page 182, in Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands by Roger L. Di Silvestro.
I emailed the Biddeford Historical Society asking about the train station (Paul McDonough did reply and stated his research also clarifies that the train station in the TR photo is not the Biddeford train station) seen in the TR photo and reached out to a couple of my TR historian friends asking if they were aware of Fred C. Watson at Elkhorn Ranch...nope. I then emailed Erik Johson at the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University. Erik replied that he had found Fred Watson in the 1885 Census. He attached the complete census and within the email, he included the names of all the "Mainers" listed in the census. Sure enough, there is Fred. Erik was not able to match the "S" and "E" branding iron with any ranch in the area. He did email a request to the Stockmen's Association to see if they may have a record of the brand.
1885 Census of Billings County, Dakota Territory:
I forwarded the materials from Erik to Renée. Renée in turn used the info to do some additional research on the "Townsend" side of Fred Watson's family tree. She found that Fred's mother, Georgianna had died very young, at age 29. This may have led to Fred becoming part of the Townsend clan (his mother's family) that went to the Dakotas...as seen in the 1885 census. Renée sent a list of the 1880 Census...seen below.
Samuel Townsend
in the 1880 United States Federal Census
Name:
Samuel Townsend
Age: 29
Birth Date: Abt 1851 Birthplace: Maine
Home in 1880: Bismarck, Burleigh, Dakota Territory, USA
Street: Meigs Street
Dwelling Number: 153
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Frances Townsend
Father's Birthplace: Maine
Mother's Birthplace: Maine
Occupation: Laborer
Neighbors: View others on "page"
Household Members
Age Relationship
Samuel Townsend 29 Self (Head)
Frances Townsend 24 Wife
Ernest Townsend 6 Son
George Townsend 4 Son
Townsend 2 Daughter
Renée also sent me some other newspaper clippings related to Fred Watson. The story below of Fred with Boy Scouts while camping at Kennebunk Pond in 1932 has some cool personal TR-related stories.
Biddeford Daily Journal, Monday Evening, August 8, 1932
Ibid
Ibid
.png)
Ibid
Ibid
As Renée and I hopefully find additional information relating to the Roosevelt train stop (that is not Biddeford :) and perhaps on Fred Watson, I'll update this page.
March 23, 1912
Lewiston Saturday Journal, March 23, 1912
- page 18
August 18, 1914 - Also included a stop at the Saco train station where the former POTUS engaged with people at the station, from the steps of his car.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 š. 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!
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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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