This image is of the "2nd" Kineo House. You can get a sense of why
thirteen-year-old TR would have made the notation "Good" in his journal entry,
where he wrote Kineo House :) The first Mount Kineo House was built during
1848 and burned in 1868. The second Mount Kineo House was built during
1870 and opened in 1871. This second house would burn in 1882. The third
Mount Kineo House opened in 1884. This third house burned shortly after 1938
PWM postcard
Update 6-10-2026
May 31, 2026, Joe Banavige released this wonderful American 250 Tribute to William W " Bill" Sewall, TR's Maine guide (along with Wilmot Dow, Bill's nephew)
Click here to see Joe's Substack post
I first started researching Theodore Roosevelt in 2010. As a volunteer at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, I oversaw the Narcissus project (Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914). This initial research piqued my curious nature. I wanted to learn more about Theodore Roosevelt and his various visits to Maine.
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, and 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 describe "Star 21" shown on the list (key) above - Greenville/Moosehead Lake Region
Theodore Roosevelt's own biography and any number of TR historians have spoken about TR's first trip to Maine. He traveled by stagecoach to stay at a camp at Moosehead Lake. The stagecoach ride became a life-changing event for TR. During the ride, he was bullied by a couple of young boys. TR was physically unable to defend himself. Following that incident, he pledged to himself to work diligently to become physically fit so he could defend himself in the future. The steps he took to do just that are well documented. This stagecoach ride in Maine in 1872 clearly had a direct impact on the boy who would become the man that we now know.
(Edits not made to the original writings)
Excerpt from Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography - Chapter 2 -The Vigor of Life - pg 30
"I was sent off by myself to Moosehead Lake. On the stagecoach ride thither, I encountered a couple of other boys who were about my own age, but they were boys! They found that I was a foreordained and predestined victim, and industriously proceeded to make life miserable for me. The worst feature was that when I finally tried to fight them, I discovered that either one singly could not only handle me with easy contempt but handle me so as not to hurt me much and yet to prevent my doing any damage whatever in return.
The experience taught me what probably no amount of good advice could have taught me. I made up my mind that I must try to learn so that I would not again be put in such a helpless position; and having become quickly and bitterly conscious that I did not have the natural prowess to hold my own, I decided that I would try to supply its place by training. Accordingly, with my father's hearty approval, I started to learn to box."
Being a curious person. The very brief explanation of TR's visit, I see what I consider to be several questions that need answers. I want to know more details about TR's time in Maine in 1872. I searched in published books for more details. I didn't find many answers locally. Even some answers had conflicting dates and stories of his visit. Nothing, on which railroad company he used to travel to Maine. What town/city did he arrive in? What stagecoach line did he take to Moosehead? What town did he arrive in? What camp did he travel to? Did he take a steamer? If so, what was the steamer's name? Was it a boys' summer camp? Did someone meet him and spend time with him in the area? What did he do during his stay?
Theodore Roosevelt's journal page with entries of his time in
Maine during his August 1872 visit.
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
1872 - August - Greenville/Moosehead Lake Region
When reading Roosevelt's account of his trip to Maine in August of 1872, I was very happy to read details that helped answer some questions I had. There is no mention of an act of bullying that was to have taken place during the stagecoach ride in either direction from or to Dexter. I took this information and shared it with Candy Russell, the Executive Director (at the time) at the Moosehead Historical Society & Museums in Greenville.
Answers and updates on the Dexter portion of TR's trip to Moosehead Lake are in the post:
The process and results when researching the Greenville/Moosehead Lake Region are here:
1874 "Guide to Moosehead Lake" advertisements of the train schedule and the Frye Stage Line.
.jpg)
Pages from the 1874 "Guide to Moosehead Lake."
.jpg)
1872, which included transporting passengers from Dexter by Stage
and then by the Frye-owned steamer, Twilight, to Mount Kineo House
I was able to pinpoint the steamer, Twilight, as the steamer used by TR when I located this Maine Superior Court document online, William A. Frye vs Maine Central Railroad...bought the newly built Twilight in 1872...you'll read the details in the opinion in the court document...also the contractual agreement between Frye, his stage line, and the railroad.
Frye v. Maine Central Railroad, 67 Me 414
(1877)
Sept. 5, 1877 - Maine Supreme Judicial Court
67 Me. 414
William A. Frye vs Maine Central Railroad Company
Penobscot.
(Edits not made to the original writings)
Description of the Steamer "Twilight" in Maine Memory Network:
There were two steamboats named Twilight. The first vessel, pictured here, was constructed in Bath by Mr. Patten in 1871, and it was brought to Lowe's Bridge by the Bangor & Piscataquis Railroad. It was then hauled by 30 pairs of oxen (60 animals) under the direction of Captain Frey to Moosehead Lake.
In 1888, the original Twilight was rebuilt under the ownership of the Coburn Steamboat Co. It operated on the lake until the early 1900s, when it burned. In 1910, the second Twilight was built by Stillman Sawyer of Greenville for Coburn Steamship Co.
The Steamer Twilight image is in the collection
of the Moosehead Historical Society and posted
on the Maine Memory Network
The postcard in the first image of this post shows the "2nd" Mount Kineo House. That would have been the one where TR stayed in August 1872. He wrote his notation "Good." During my research on the Moosehead Lake Region in the early to mid-1870s, I found a fair number of written publications. One is an original copy of an August 1875 issue of Harper's New Monthly Magazine. The writings in general are phenomenal. In particular, the lengthy write-up of a trip to Moosehead Lake with a stay at the Mount Kineo House. To write, edit, and publish the story in August 1875, the trip was likely taken many months in advance. Maybe the trip took place as early as the summer of 1874? Regardless, not much would have changed for services, etc, that were available in 1872 when TR was a guest. Here are some excerpts from the publication.
Cover of the August 1875 publication of Harper's New
Monthly Magazine.
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid
TR mentions he rented a rowboat for two days, rowed over to Mount Kineo, and ascended the mountain.
TR mentions that he stayed one night in "The Lake House." He wrote a note, "Poor," which I reckon means he wasn't too happy with the accommodations.
The Lake House mentioned in TR's diary dated Moosehead, August 27, was located in Greenville.
The Lake House in Greenville, Maine
The image above and text from the1880 Farrar's Illustrated
Guide Book to Moosehead Lake and Vicinity.
TR mentions he went fly fishing at Echo Lake with a man named Peter Strong. Echo Lake is basically next to Dexter. Research then in Greenville and Dexter had not led to any additional information on Peter Strong.
The research did continue, and that extended research, Thank you, Joe Banavige 😀, identified Peter Strong as not being a Maine guide but as a family friend of one of Theodore Roosevelt's uncles, Robert B. Roosevelt.
From this one trip to Maine, in August of 1872, TR opened the door to local history in the communities of Dexter, Greenville, and the Moosehead Lake Region. These communities present themselves famously to those folks who are aware. How many new visitors might these communities draw into the area to experience their spectacular landscapes and storied local history?
The location of Echo Lake brings up a question of logistics and timing based on TR's entries - more research is necessary.
We continue seeking support materials (photos, etc.) that will add more context. Contact me, Phil Morse (p.morse31@gmail.com), if you have any information or materials that would assist our research.
A portion of my collection of TR-related books :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Click Here: For the list of links to Theodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail Posts in Easy Order to View
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
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 first captivate, fascinate, then generate 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 donating 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 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
Gold Book Award Winner plaque for
Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
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