From the Maine Historical Society archives in Portland, ME.
Front cover of a copy of the first issue of the newsletter
of the Portland (Maine) Division of the Electric
Railroaders Association (ERA) - March 1938 Volume l, Number 1
Last summer (2023) I conducted research on the Seashore Trolley Museum founders during 1939. I reached out to some Museum friends asking them to share any information they might have to help with my research. Several were able to share some great information. I was very grateful. Kevin Farrell shared two original copies of the Maine Electric Transiteer newsletter from 1938. I had never heard of the newsletter. I found them incredibly interesting, full of wonderful information, and very timely as the contents clearly were stepping stones for the path leading to what would become the activities that saved Car 31 and began what we know today as the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Click Here: for the post on the March 1938 (The Very First Issue) Transiteer newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the April 1938 Transiteer newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the May 1938 Transiteer newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the June 1938 Transiteer newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the July 1938 Transiteer newsletter
Click Here: for the post on the Feb/Mar 1939 Transiteer newsletter
I looked online and was able to acquire one original copy of the Maine Electric Transiteer newsletter from 1939. It too was full of stepping stones for the path leading to the founding of the Museum. And that was how the summer ended. Only three newsletters were located.
Last week, I began my summer 2024 research for additional materials on people and places during the late 1930s. This year, I subscribed to the Portland Press Herald so that I could access the online newspaper archives. Wow! What a great choice I made. I located more than 50 articles so, far (in just a few days ) that feature the Portland (Maine) Division of the ERA, their members, activities, fan trips, etc.
Seeing how several of the members lived close to the greater Portland area and in Charles D. Heseltine's case, for some time, he worked for the Maine Historical Society (MHS) in Portland. I reached out via email to the research department at MHS. Gave some background on what I was up to and asked for help on a couple of topics...Charles D. Heseltine and the Portland Division of the ERA and in particular, the Transiteer newsletter.
I received a prompt reply from Mia Sigler, Reference Librarian at the Brown Research Library. She provided a list of Charles's Collections and yes, there were five original issues of the Transiteer newsletter. Three that I did not have. Mia shared the process and costs related to the scanning of the items. We moved ahead and I received all three copies this afternoon!! (Thursday, June 19, 2024) Awesome!
Thank you, Mia 😊 I look forward to planning time to spend checking out the Charles D. Heseltine Collections :)
I will be reviewing the three posts done last year on the Transiteer newsletters. To see if I need to update.
This will be the first in a series of posts related to the Portland Division of the ERA. I look forward to sharing their activities over the short time they were an active group. I haven't located the date when the end of the group came about. Conversations have generated ideas that perhaps when the trolley operations in Portland came to an end in 1941. The onset of WWII may have had an impact on the ending of the group. I'll keep searching...
The Portland Division of the ERA was officially established on October 4, 1937. Below, the October 6, 1937, issue of the Portland Press Herald, features the new organization, its meeting place, and its leadership members. Current trolley fans may recognize a couple of these names. They became well known in the electric railway book publishing field.
The first issue of the Maine Electric Transiteer newsletter is mentioned in the March 4, 1938 issue of the Portland Press Herald. The article focuses on the Portland Division ERA group and the topic of Portland considering adding Trolley Buses to the public transportation system.
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The article also mentions the Portland-Lewiston Interurban.
Portland Press Herald - March 4, 1938 - pg 34
Click Here: for the post on the beginning of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban on July 2, 1914
Click Here: for the post on the end of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban on June 28, 1933
Editorial staff members for the Transiteer.
Page 2
News Items - happenings at various electric railways.
Page 3
Click Here: for the post on the history of the Aroostook Valley Railroad (Seashore has two of the AVRR cars, No. 52, and No. 70. both are on the National Register of Historic Places
Click Here: for the post on the history of the A & K (Androscoggin and Kennebec Railway
Editorials
Page 4
Click Here: for the post on Car 31 arriving and the Biddeford and Saco Railroad activities that year - 1900
This month in Maine's Electric Railway History
This page mentions very many Maine Street Railways
Page 5
Click Here: for the post that will link you to the history of every electric railway in Maine
Click Here: for the post on the Casco Castle Trolley Park
A poem - Fan trip - Some brief stories
A quote from the above page:
We Just Found Out: "That, legally, streetcar operators
are known as Motorneers" in the city of South Portland.
Page 6
Trolley Bus Rumors in Portland and the ERA
Page 7
Portland-Lewiston Interurban - Short History
The above page mentions that the builder of the
Portland-Lewiston Interurban, W. Scott Libbey,
died unexpectedly on May 18, 1914, just a few weeks
before the official opening of the PLI - June 28, 1914
Page 8
Click Here: for the post on the sudden death of W. Scott Libbey
Click Here: for the post of the biography of W. Scott Libbey
Click Here: for the post from his Biographical section of History of Maine - pgs 175-177
Several of the PLI crossing/stops are listed above
Page 9
See the locations of some of the PLI crossings/stops that are mentioned
Charles D. Heseltine hand-drew every map of every electric railway
in Maine in the 2015 NEERHS book, by Charles D. Heseltine
and O. R. Cummings
"The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street & Electric Railways
1863-1946"
Wrapping up the PLI history and mentioning theArbutus
going to W. Scott Libbey's daughter's home in
Bay View, Saco, Maine, Mrs. Gertrude Libbey Anthony
Page 10
Mrs. Gertrude Libbey Anthony was a passenger on the Arbutus
when it operated for the public on the opening day of the PLI
on July 2, 1914. Mrs. Anthony also was a passenger aboard
the Arbutus during the final public trip on June 28, 1933.
Image and caption from the incredible scrapbook
containing materials from the reunions (1938-1941)
of the former employees of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban.
The PLI employees' Scrapbook is among the holdings
of the Seashore Trolley Museum Library
Even though Ted Santarelli, one of the founders of the Seashore Trolley Museum had visited Mrs. Anthony and discussed the new Electric Railway collection in Kennebunkport and asked her to consider having the Arbutus join the new collection in Kennebunkport, as late as 1940, she responded she was keeping the Arbutus as a memorial to her beloved father.
However, sadly, later, near the end of WWII, she did scrap the Arbutus to benefit the War coffers.
A few years later, in the 1960s, the members at the Seashore Trolley Museum were able to negotiate with the owner of the body of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, No. 14, Narcissus, and by building the owner a new home, to replace the Narcissus where they had lived, the members were able to acquire the Narcissus body.
Click Here: for the post on looking back 50 years at the Narcissus being acquired.
Click Here: for the post on the beginning of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban on July 2, 1914
Click Here: for the post on the end of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban on June 28, 1933
We continue the restoration work on the Narcissus, the only surviving interurban coach of the PLI. Please consider making a donation to the Narcissus Project to help the restoration work continue to completion.
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
Print: A Bookstore, Portland
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 a one-time donation or you
may choose to have a specific amount charged to your card
automatically each month. Please contact the Museum bookkeeper, Jill, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2712 ext. 5.
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 email: finance@NEERHS.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, Jill, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2712 ext. 5,
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 - 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, majestic stained glass windows.
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
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
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