Underwood Spring Trolley Park - Falmouth, Maine - 1899 - 1907

 

c 1901 Titled: Underwood Park.

The description says: "This photograph depicts the Spring

House and Gazebo at Underwood Spring Park in Falmouth Foreside."

From the J. A. Waterman Negatives Collection at

the Osher Map Library, USM, Portland, Maine 

Underwood Spring Park - July 18, 1899 - 1907   

    Underwood Spring Park was one of several popular pleasure resorts (known as trolley parks) in Maine, built by electric railway companies to enhance their ridership. The Portland & Yarmouth Electric Railway opened the Underwood Spring Park on July 18, 1899. Late in 1900, the Portland & Yarmouth Electric Railway became a division of the Portland Railroad.

Click Here: for the post on Casco Castle Trolley Park 1902-1914

Click Here: for the post on Merrymeeting Trolley Park 1899-1906

Click Here: for the post on Riverton Trolley Park 1896-1933

    Built upon an underground spring that gushed forth a quarter of a million gallons of healthy water every 24 hours. Day-trippers from Portland could depart Monument Square every 30 minutes (every 15 minutes during peak times) for 20 cents for a roundtrip. Every evening between 8  p.m. and 9 p.m., an engineer would operate the electric fountain, manipulating its controls to create a shifting rainbow of color in the water. 

Built 1897 by the J. G. Brill Company, Philadelphia, PA

for Portland & Yarmouth Electric Railway showing 

Underwood destination while sitting at the Yarmouth carhouse.

Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;

O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_38_102

From Oxford Street to Washington Avenue

across Tukey's Bridge and on to Yarmouth.

Map from the 2015 NEERHS book,

"The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street

& Electric Railways 1863-1946"

Route - From the beginning, 30-minute headway between Portland and Yarmouth, 15 minutes to Underwood Spring during summer months, afternoons, and evenings. Fall, winter, and fall had 60-minute headway. Cars left Monument Square, Congress to Elm Street, and Oxford Street to Washington Avenue, across Tukey's Bridge to East Deering, Veranda Street, past the Marine Hospital, and over Martin's Point Bridge to Falmouth, Cumberland, and Yarmouth.

     In Yarmouth, passengers could then board a Portland and Brunswick Street Railway to continue along the coast or, in Brunswick, could board a trolley car for Lewiston and then on to Augusta and Waterville, etc. Eventually, an agreement was reached between the two lines, and service was provided starting in 1906.

Yarmouth Division Mileage

Monument Square to:

Washington Avenue Carbarn    1.25

Veranda Street Siding               2.14

Marine Hospital Siding            2.55

Martin's Point Siding               3.25

Cemetery Siding                      4.60

Foreside                                   5.97

Underwood                              7.08

Spear's Hill                               8.78

Russel's Siding                         9.50

York Siding                             10.36

Moxey's Siding                        11.40

Yarmouth Carbarn                   12.11

Terminus - Yarmouth               12.44

The milage above is from O. R. Cummings

1957 book, Part 1, "Portland Railroad."

J. G. Brill Co., Philadelphia, PA built Nos. 4, 5 & 6

10-bench open trolley cars in 1896 for the  P & Y Elec. Rwy.

Here is No. 5 on the main line, across from the entrance to

 the Underwood Spring Park. For the first month, passengers

would disembark here and walk into the park.

These 10-bench opens would carry 50 passengers.

Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;

O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_053

One-way rates for the PRR.

From O. R. Cummings

1957 book, Part 1, "Portland Railroad."

    The popularity of the Underwood Spring Park, was immediate when it opened in July. The P&Y reacted quickly in August, by building a loop from the main line into the park which enabled the trolley cars to deliver passengers directly to the front door of the casino that was erected there.

Here No. 5 is seen on the spur from the entrance

into the Underwood Spring Park and is about to enter the loop.

Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;

O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_038

Here No. 31, a 14-bench open that could carry 70 passengers,

is about to enter the loop.

Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;

O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_042

Here No. 7, a 10-bench open, is at the front door of the casino,

where passengers arriving will disembark. Then, passengers may

board, who are looking to depart the park.

Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;

O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_041

Here No. 11, a 10-bench open, is at the front door of the casino.

The destination sign reads, Portland. Notice in the photo on the left,

there is a waiting area for passengers with benches. Once on board,

No. 11 will depart, with its destination being Monument Square

in Portland.

Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library;

O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_041

    Underwood Spring Park featured a handsome, three-story casino, set in a beautiful wooded landscape. The casino's dining room was bright and spacious. Visitors dined on shore dinners while enjoying views of the harbor. The casino had a sitting room and a music room decorated with potted palms. The card room was on the second floor and decorated in purple and red. Comfortable armchairs were upholstered in rich Bagdad cloth with trimmings. Across the hall from the card room was the smoking room, in red. A large dance hall was located on this floor as well. (Description by Charles D. Heseltine in an unpublished manuscript - from 2012, NEERHS book, "The Trolley Parks of Maine)

The next few images of Underwood Spring Park are from the 57 glass plate negatives (13 x 10.5 cm each) taken by J. A. Waterman and are among the Digital Philanthropy Collection at the Osher Map Library in the Smith Center for Cartographic Education on the campus of the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine.

     Alternative Title: Waterman Negatives [57 Glass Plate Negatives]

     Creator: Waterman, J. A.

     Date Range: circa 1898 - circa 1910

     Historical Content: Images of later nineteenth and early twentieth-century town(s) of Maine.

     Notes: Glass plate negatives taken by J. A. Waterman. Images depict Gorham, Kittery, Falmouth,                Yarmouth, and Portland. 

c 1901 Titled: Underwood Park, Falmouth.

The description says: "This photograph depicts the Gazebo

at Underwood Springs Park in Falmouth Foreside.

From the J. A. Waterman Negatives Collection at

the Osher Map Library, USM, Portland, Maine.

    Underwood's open-air theater offered entertainment after the fountain show. Vaudeville acts, under the direction of the Gorman Brothers of Medford, MA, came through every week. The annual appearance of the celebrated song and dance team, Primrose and West, was greatly anticipated by theater-goers. (Description by Charles D. Heseltine in an unpublished manuscript - from 2012, NEERHS book, "The

 Trolley Parks of Maine)

c 1901 Titled: Underwood Park Shows Rustic Theater, Piano Player.

There is no further description.

From the J. A. Waterman Negatives Collection at

the Osher Map Library, USM, Portland, Maine.

c 1901 Titled: Underwood Park from Casino Looking Toward Shore.

The description says: "This photograph shows the fountain and

shore at Underwood Spring Park in Falmouth Foreside."

From the J. A. Waterman Negatives Collection at

the Osher Map Library, USM, Portland, Maine.

Postcard - O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_036

Falmouth had Maine's only electric fountain at Underwood Spring Park.

Postcard - O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_035

Every evening between 8 and 9 p.m., an engineer would operate

the electric fountain, manipulating its controls to create a shifting

rainbow of color in the water. The casino and theater burned down in

1907 and were never rebuilt.  O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_26_037

    There are very few remains of Underwood Spring Park to be found today. Below are two newspaper

articles that look back at the park. 

Evening Express - October 23, 1963

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid - October 23, 1963

Lewiston Sun Journal - January 7, 1967

Ibid

Ibid

Ibid - January 7, 1967

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We continue the restoration work on the 1912 Narcissus, the only surviving high-speed, luxury interurban coach of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban. 

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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 🙋. The majestic Narcissus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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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.

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     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.

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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