Dyer Library and Saco Museum 371 Main Street, Saco, Maine,
Lower photos - Foster Leavitt, Sr, Foster Leavitt, Jr, and Edward Leavitt
(Foster, Sr's younger brother) Postcard of the first-day operation of
the Flying Yankee in 1935 when it stopped in Old Orchard Beach.
Both images in the Foster Leavitt, Sr., Collection courtesy of Mike Leavitt
Lower right photo of a portion of the Foster Leavitt, Jr. diorama
made by him to commemorate his experience when he was 5 years old
in 1935 and joined his parents in riding the Flying Yankee that first
day from OOB station to Saco - PWM photo
Here is the series of slides I used during the presentation at Dyer Library on Tuesday evening, April 15, 20205. This blog post will add some details and some links for posts related to several of the topics mentioned throughout the talk. Thank you to Mike Leavitt, son of Foster Leavitt, Jr. for sharing family photos and stories with me. The Leavitt family has 125 years of direct connections with the Seashore Trolley Museum's Biddeford & Saco Railroad open car No. 31. This presentation provides some information on those family connections that include local community connections in Biddeford, Saco, and Old Orchard Beach. The Dyer Library and Saco Museum together have been a wonderful basis for the Leavitt family archives.
Sign at the main entrance for the Seashore Trolley Museum in
Kennebunkport, Maine, at 195 Log Cabin Road. Below the sign is Car 31
on July 15, 1939, as it waits to be delivered to the initial 10 acres of land
in Kennebunkport, which is now where the main entrance is today.
Photos in the Seashore Trolley Museum
The aerial view on the right shows the main entrance on the lower left and
much of the main campus of the Seashore Trolley Museum.
Google Earth screenshot
Dyer Library has donated many dioramas and individual models to the
Seashore Trolley Museum from their Foster Leavitt, Jr. collection. The
Trolley Museum will display the Leavitt pieces in the Museum's new
Model Railroad building. Photo STM
Interior photos of the Trolley Museum's model railroad/railway
Photo STM
Interior photos of the Trolley Museum's model railroad/railway
Photo STM
A few of the incredibly beautiful railroad and railway items made by
Foster Leavitt, Jr., donated to the Seashore Trolley Museum. Photos PWM
Top left screenshot from Great Documentaries YouTube page
Top right photos of the front and back cover of the DVD of PWM
Click Here: to go to the YouTube documentary or click on the video below
Click Here: to see the post 90 Communities in Maine with Electric Railway Service
Click Here: to see the post 57 Million Passengers Carried on Maine Electric Railways 1915
Click Here: Biography of the Electric Railway King of the Pine Tree State - Amos Fitz Gerald
The Leavitt family has been connected to Car 31 for 125 years!
Top left - Charles "Bob" Leavitt worked for the Biddeford & Saco RR (BSRR)
for 39 years beginning in 1896. He was a motorman and conductor and
operated Car 31 beginning when 31 first arrived in Saco in 1900. Both of his
sons, Foster Leavitt, Sr., and Edward "Eddie" Leavitt, also worked for the BSRR
and operated Car 31 (top center photo - Foster is motorman, Eddie is conductor).
Top right - Foster Leavitt, Sr, Foster Leavitt, Jr, and Eddie Leavitt 1939.
Lower Left - Foster Leavitt, Sr., and Edward "Eddie" Leavitt on Car 31 at
the Seashore Trolley Museum. They were members and operators during the
1950s, '60s, '70s, and '80s at the Trolley Museum. Lower center and right -
Mike and Judy Leavitt with daughters Natalie and Amanda in 1999 at
Dyer Library/Saco Museum and in 2023 with all their family members
on Car 31 at the Seashore Trolley Museum. Photos from Mike Leavitt, PWM, and STM
Photo in the O R Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Click Here - for the post on the history of the Biddeford & Saco Railroad
Left - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Right - PWM
Photos on the left - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photos on the right - Foster Leavitt, Sr., courtesy Mike Leavitt
Photo - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Newspaper - Biddeford Daily - June 7, 1900
Click Here - for the post on Car 31 arriving and other activities of the B&SRR in 1900
Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photo - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Click Here - for the post on the history of the Atlantic Shore Line Railway 1900-1910
Photo left - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photo right - courtesy McArthur Public Library
Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photo top left - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photo bottom left - PWM - right - courtesy Donald Curry Coll.
Photo/postcard - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Click Here - for the post on the history of the Portland Railroad going through Scarborough
Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photo left - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photo right - Foster Leavitt, Sr. Coll. courtesy Mike Leavitt
Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Trolley Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Stained glass photo - PWM
Click Here - for the post on Electric Railway Fans visiting the B&S RR and Mrs. Anthony at Bay View
to spend time with 1912 Portland-Lewiston Interurban No. 10, Arbutus
Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Postcards - PWM
Photos - O. R. Cummings Coll. Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
In June 1999, the Seashore Trolley Museum brought Car 31
to Saco to begin an 8-day "Home Tour" to celebrate the 60th
anniversary of Car 31 being saved and establishing the Seashore Trolley Museum.
The bottom photo is from 1999 in Old Orchard Beach and shows the
the same building in the background 60 years after the photo
of Car 31 in the same location was taken on June 18, 1939.
Photo top right - O. R. Cummings Coll. Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum
Photo bottom right - PWM
Click Here - for the post on the Fan Trip on June 18, 1939 - Car 31 Chosen to be Saved
Click Here - for the post on the 1999 Car 31 Home Tour Celebration
Click Here - for the post on Car 31 as one of the Ten STM National Register of Historic Places Vehicles
Photos from the O. R. Cummings Coll. at the Seashore Trolley Museum
Click Here - for the final day of trolley operations at the Biddeford & Saco Railroad, July 5, 1939
Photos from the O. R. Cummings Coll. at the Seashore Trolley Museum
Photos from the O. R. Cummings Coll. at the Seashore Trolley Museum
Newspaper clipping from the Foster Leavitt, Sr. Coll courtesy Mike Leavitt
Photos from the Foster Leavitt, Sr. Coll. courtesy Mike Leavitt
Photo right has Ralph Meserve sitting in the CMP office
with Foster Leavitt, Sr. c 1960
Left - Foster Leavitt, Sr. (L) is with his brother, Edward Leavitt at the Seashore Trolley Museum
Upper photo - Motorman Foster Leavitt, Sr. with conductor Edward Leavitt on Car 31 at STM
Right - Foster Leavitt, Sr. at STM
Newspaper clippings and photos from the Foster Leavitt, Sr. Coll. courtesy Mike Leavitt
Photos from the Foster Leavitt, Sr. Coll. courtesy Mike Leavitt
Photos from the Foster Leavitt, Sr. Coll. courtesy Mike Leavitt
Book photo on right - PWM
Newspaper from the Foster Leavitt, Sr. Coll. courtesy Mike Leavitt
Photos and newspaper clippings from the Foster Leavitt, Sr. Coll. courtesy Mike Leavitt
Photo on left - PWM - Newspaper clipping from the Foster Leavitt, Sr. Coll.
courtesy Mike Leavitt. Photo of Ralph Meserve courtesy of Tricia Erikson
Photo left - Foster Leavitt, Sr. Coll. courtesy Mike Leavitt
Photo right - PWM
1999 photos - PWM - 2023 photos courtesy Mike Leavitt
Top photos - PWM
Bottom photo from the Seashore Trolley Museum
Click Here - for the post on Car 31 arriving in Kennebunkport on July 15, 1939
Click Here - for the 7-minute video of B&SRR trolleys operating 1936-1939 or click below
Click Here - for the 9-plus min. video of B&SRR trolleys operating 1936-1939 and buses operating 1953 or click below
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 🙋. 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!
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 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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