Bath carbarn of the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street
Railway Company with the parlor car, "Merrymeeting" in
1899. This building was razed in 1911 and a smaller barn
was constructed with the salvaged materials.
O. R. Cummings Collection
Here is the newest release in the Maine Bicentennial series of electric railways in Maine. This blog post features the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway summary/images from the book, "Trolleys to Brunswick, Maine 1896-1937" by O. R. Cummings, presented as Transportation Volume 73 by the Connecticut Valley Chapter and the National Railway Historical Society- January-December 1966. Additional images will be credited.
O. R. Cummings Collection
- 3.15.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - York Utilities Company 1923-1949
- 3.14.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Atlantic Shore Railway 1911-1923
- 3.11.2020-Maine Bicentennial Series - Portsmouth, Dover & York St Rwy 1903-1906
- 3.9.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Auburn, Mechanic Falls & NorwayStRwy1902-3
- 3.7.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Portland & Brunswick Electric Railway 1902-1911
- 3.7.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway Co. 1919-1941
- 3.7.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville St Rwy 1907-1919
- 3.6.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath St Rwy 1898-1907
- 3.4.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Bangor Hydro-Electric Company 1925-1945
- 3.4.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Penobscot Central Railway 1898-1906
- 3.3.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Bangor. Hampden & Winterport Rwy 1896-1905
- 3.2.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Bangor, Orono & Old Town Railway 1895-1905
- 3.2.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Bangor Railway & Electric Company 1905-1925
- 3.1.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Bangor Street Railway 1889-1905
- 2.23.2020 -Maine Bicentennial Series - Portsmouth, Kittery & York St. Rwy 1897-1903
- 2.22.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Sanford & Cape Porpoise Railway 1899-1904
- 2.21.2020 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Mousam River Railroad 1892-1899
- 1.31.2019 - Maine Bicentennial Series - The Norway and Paris Street Railway 1894-1918
- 1.27.2019 - Maine Bicentennial Series - Aroostook Valley Railroad 1909-1946
- 10.17.2018 - Maine Bicentennial - Portland Railroad History 1860-1941
Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway
The Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway (LB&B) had its corporate beginnings on February 4, 1889, when the Brunswick Electric Railway Company, otherwise known as the Brunswick & Topsham Electric Railway, was incorporated and authorized to build and operate a street railway from Brunswick to the neighboring towns to Topsham and Harpswell.
The company was authorized capitalization of $250,000 and empowered to use either animals, steam, or electricity for its motive power, and the charter called for completion of the line by 1894.
The charter was extended for two years in 1893 and another two-year extension was granted in 1895. Shortly thereafter, control of the company was acquired by Amos F. Gerald of Fairfield, ME, later known as the "Electric Railway King of Maine," and his associate, Isaac C. Libby of Waterville, ME.
The route finally authorized began at the Sagadahoc County Fairgrounds in Topsom and extended through Winter and Main Street, across the Granny Hole Stream and Androscoggin River bridges into Brunswick, and up along Maine Street, Brunswick, to Bowdoin College. The line was to loop around the college campus via Maine Street, Longfellow Avenue, Harpswell Road, and Bath Street and was to cross the Maine Central Railroad at the grade on Maine Street (the initial proposal with a Brunswick-Harpswell route is believed to have been abandoned at an early date).
Brunswick-Bath Line Map by Charles D. Heseltine in
the NEERHS 2015 publication, "The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's
Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946.
Construction on the 3.5-mile line began on September 24, 1896, with the first car, a single-truck, four-wheel open car making the trial trips between the two towns on October 12. The Sagadahoc County Fair opened the same day and the little trolley stole the show, carrying more than 1,500 riders between the fairgrounds and Brunswick.
Power for the line was purchased, probably from Cabot Mills, which operated a hydroelectric plant on the Androscoggin in Brunswick.
The building of the Brunswick Electric Railroad was only the first step in Amos F. Gerald's grand plan for the construction of an approximately 25-mile line to link Auburn and Lewiston with Brunswick and Bath.
Gerald was interested in the Bath Street Railway, which had commenced operation in 1893, and early in 1897, he gained effective control of the Lewiston & Auburn Horse Railroad, which had come into being in 1881 and had electrified its 14-mile system in 1894-95. It is believed Gerald had also acquired the charter of the Lewiston & Brunswick Electric Railroad, which had been incorporated on May 13, 1896, to build from Brunswick through the towns of Topsham and Lisbon to Lewiston.
Shortly after gaining control of the Lewiston-Auburn lines, Gerald received authority to extend the Brunswick Electric Railroad line from Topsham into and through the town of Lisbon to the Lewiston city line, and from Brunswick to the Bath city line, and to build lines in Bath over streets not occupied by tracks of the Bath Street Railway. The authorization further allowed Gerald's Lewiston & Auburn Horse Railroad to extend its line to the Lisbon boundary and sanctioned the sale of the Horse Railroad and the Bath Street Railway to the Brunswick Electric Railway
Once all these pieces were together, the name of the Brunswick Street Railway was changed to the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway (LB&B) on March 26, 1898, followed by the Lewiston & Auburn system merging with the new LB&B on March 30 and the Bath Street Railway being leased to the LB&B on June 1, and formally merging with the LB&B in 1901.
O. R. Cummings Collection
Lewiston & Auburn Horse Railroad
At the time of its consolidation with the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railways, the Lewiston & Auburn Horse Railroad owned 14 miles of mainline track with four routes: Main Street, Lake Grove, New Auburn Belt, and Figure 8.
The heart of the Lewiston railway system was Hulett Square.
At the intersection of Main and Lisbon Streets (left), in
Lewiston. A Waterville-bound car is shown turning into
Lisbon Street, while a car from Bath stands in front of the
waiting room. Currently, J. Dostie Jewelers occupies the
street-level space of the building on the left, formally
known as the "Journal" building. PWM postcard
The Main Street line, beginning at Main Street and Lisbon Streets in Lewiston, extended up Main Street to the State Fairgrounds, while the Lake Grove route, also beginning at Main and Lisbon Streets, ran down Main Street hill to and across the so-called upper bridge over the Androscoggin River to Court Street in Auburn/ Running along Court Street in Auburn, it continues through Turner Street and Lake Grove Avenue to Center Street to Lake Grove Park, a railway-owned amusement resort on the shore of Lake Auburn in East Auburn.
Lake Grove, Auburn
Postcard Collection of PWM
The New Auburn Belt-line, beginning at Court and Main Streets, Auburn, extended through Main and Mill Streets to Broad Street in New Auburn and thence across the lower or South Bridge over the Androscoggin River to Cedar Street in Lewiston. Continuing up Cedar Street to Lisbon Street, it ran along Lisbon Street to Main Street.
The Figure 8 line, as its name implies, consisted of a loop through several streets in Lewiston and a similar circuit in Auburn. The Lewiston loop, beginning at Lisbon and Pine Streets, extended up Pine Street to Sabattus Street, along Sabattus Street to Skinner Street; down Skinner Street (now Campus Avenue) past Bates College to College Street; along College Street to the inner end of Sabattus Street, and on Sabattus Street to Main Street, connecting with the Fairgrounds line at Hospital Square.
The Figure Eight is seen here on the Map by
Charles D. Heseltine in the NEERHS 2015
publication, "The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's
Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946.
In Auburn, tracks extended from Turner Street through Dennison Street to the intersection of Goff Street and Gamage Avenue; on Goff Street to Court Street, and down Court Street to Turner.
The original carhouse and power plant were located on
Bath Street Railway
The Bath Street Railway had only one line that was 4.25 miles long. It began on Washington Street near Winship Street, at the North End of the city, and extended through Washington and Linden Streets to Front Street in the heart of the business district. Running along Front Street, it continued up Center Street to Washington Street and along Washington Street to Lamont Street. Here it entered a private right-of-way extending across a field to High Street, the tracks running alongside High Street to the west end of the Winnegance Bridge in Bath's South End. The carhouse, a former factory, was located at Washington and Spring Streets, and the power station was nearby.
As seen here in 1934, the larger original carhouse in Bath was
razed and this smaller carhouse and substation were built
in 1911 using salvaged materials from the larger original
carhouse. O. R. Cummings Collection
To create the proposed route from Lewiston to Bath, it was necessary to construct approximately 18 miles of tracks between Lewiston and Topsham and 8 miles of line between Brunswick and Bath.
The first rails and ties for the Lewiston-Topsham trackage were distributed along the line on January 19, 1898, and sleighs were used to haul the construction materials over the snow-covered ground.
Lewiston-Lisbon Map by
Charles D. Heseltine in the NEERHS 2015
publication, "The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's
Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946.
One Mr. Libby of Lisbon Falls was contracted to grade the right-of-way and lay the rails between Lewiston and Lisbon Falls. Other contractors were engaged to handle the grading and track-laying between Lisbon Falls and Tompson and between Brunswick and Bath.
Lisbon Fall -Topsham-Brunswick Map by
Charles D. Heseltine in the NEERHS 2015
publication, "The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's
Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946.
Construction started on March 12, when a crew started to drive piles for constructing the trestle across Lamont's Creek in West Bath. More than a mile of track was laid between Lewiston and Crowley's Junction in South Lewiston by May 6th. By the end of May rails extended to Lisbon Center. In addition, the railway had to move about 250 telephone poles to make way for the track.
New Meadows River pile trestle, showing car No. 38 one of
the Brigg's Carriage Company's 20-foot closed cars purchased
for the Lewiston-Bath service in 1898 by the Lewiston,
Brunswick & Bath Street Railway An image in the Lancaster
Collection among the O. R. Cummings Collection.
By early July, the rails were to Lisbon Falls and construction had begun on two viaducts over the Maine Central Railroad's Lewiston-Brunswick line - one near Crowley's Junction and the other in Lisbon, near the boundary of Lewiston.
Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Railway open car on the
Straight Bridge over Maine Central RR in Lisbon.
O. R. Cummings Collection image in the NEERHS 2015
publication, "The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street &
Electric Railways 1863-1946."
A certificate of safety for the Brunswick-Bath trackage was issued on July 17, 1898. But the Lewiston-Topsham section didn't receive its certificate of safety until September 3rd. The Bath trackage was approved on September 1st. The last line built was a 6-mile extension from Lewiston to Sabattus Villiage in the town of Webster. The total mainline miles of track for the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath line was 53.28 miles. In 1902 after some new local lines in Auburn were added, the mainline totaled 57.77 miles.
Brunswick-Bath Map by Charles D. Heseltine in
the NEERHS organization's
2015 publication, "The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's
Street & Electric Railways 1863-1946.
Regular service between Brunswick and Bath was begun by the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway on July 18, 1898, with two new 14-bench, double-truck, open cars going into operation.
14-bench open car No. 77 at Lisbon Falls en route from Bath
in 1901. Wesley A. Lancaster Collection in O. R. Cummings
Collection.
Maine Street, Brunswick, Maine, circa 1901 with a 14-bench
open car and two freight cars. O. R. Cummings Collection
On Sunday morning, September 4th, the first car for Bath left Lisbon Street in Lewiston, a 14-bench, double-truck, open car with officials and directors of the railway, representatives of the press, and invited guests.
To quote a newspaper description of the first trip:
"The long open car rode fast and smoothly as it passed onto the new rail on lower Lisbon Street. Through the outskirts of Lewiston, people cheered and waved as the car passed, one farmer even fired a salute from a rusty shotgun.
The trestles over the Maine Central at Crowley's Junction and in Lisbon, which the Railroad Commissioners declared to be the finest and strongest in the state, constituted a new thrill in trolley riding. The trolley 'seemed to swoop over the Maine Central tracks with a leap.'
At Lisbon Falls, a group of 500 persons greeted the car and after a speech by I. C. Libby, treasurer of the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway Company, crowded around the officials for interviews. Many attempts were made to obtain permission to ride to Brunswick, even at the cost of returning on foot.
Leaving Lisbon Falls, the ride to Topsham was found to be very beautiful. Over this stretch of private right-of-way through the woods and fields, the open car was reported to have run at a speed of 30 miles per hour."
O. R. Cummings Postcard in the NEERHS 2015 publication,
"The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street & Electric Railways
1863-1946."
Initially, it appears the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath line was divided into four divisions; the First Division was the local lines in Lewiston and Auburn, the Sabattus branch, and the portion of the Lewiston-Bath line lying within the city of Lewiston. The Second Division included Lisbon and Lisbon Falls, and part of the Topsham trackage of the Lewiston-Bath line, the Third Division was located in Topsham and Brunswick, and the Fourth Division was in Bath.
Private right-of-way on the South End line in Bath.
Photo from Roger Borrup Collection in O. R. Cummings Coll.
In 1904 or 1905, the local run was abandoned altogether. In 1907, the track from Walker's Corner to the fairgrounds in Topsham and part of the Bowdoin College loop was removed before April 30, 1907. By 1907 only three divisions were operating. There were few changes in operations in the decade after the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Railway was absorbed by the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway Company in 1907.
The "Merrymeeting" at the Tacoma Inn near Lewiston.
The "Merrymeeting" was a double-truck (two sets of wheels
& motors) parlor car built by the Briggs Carriage Company
of Amesbury, MA, for the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street
Railway, for $7,000. Photo courtesy of Seashore
Trolley Museum's Library. Text from O. R. Cummings
1959 publication, "Trolley Parlor Cars of New England"
One of the sights to see at Tacoma Inn was Gorman's
handsome white horses, "King and "Queen", jumping from
a high platform into Sand Pond.
Litchfield Yesterday
Pleasure Resorts
No self-respecting street railway company considered itself complete without a pleasure resort during the golden years of the trolley era, and both the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath, and the Portland & Brunswick maintained such facilities to help generate summer excursion traffic.
Click here for more on Trolley Parks in the heart of Maine by Seashore Trolley Museum.
Merrymeeting Park
Merrymeeting Park was opened to the public in the summer
of 1898, the attractions included this $30,000 casino. Casinos
of the day were not gambling establishments.
The three-story casino had broad verandas,
a very large dining room, a dance
hall, a parlor, and smoking rooms. PWM postcard
Twenty-six miles from Lewiston. Notice the castle-like stone
attachment to the veranda. Amos F. Gerald, the builder of the
Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath line, loved castles and frequently
incorporated a castle into the trolley parks he was
associated with. PWM postcard
Merrymeeting Park was located one and a half miles from Brunswick on a 147-acre tract along the Androscoggin River. On approach to the casino, the visitors passed through the zoological department in which there were numerous houses, cages, and pens for the fine collection of animals that formed the principal attractions. The collection included a herd of buffaloes, bears, moose, elk, deer, and foxes. Vast lawns, ponds, and groves of trees made for a relaxing atmosphere. Frequently, the attendance in the early years at the park was from 2,000 to 4,000 people on a given day. The park's popularity did decline fairly quickly though and was closed after the 1906 season.
PWM Postcard
The amphitheater had seats for up to three thousand patrons
and programs that included band concerts, vaudeville, magic
shows, minstrels, comedies, and dramas. PWM postcard
Tacoma Inn
The Tacoma Inn, near the intersection of Sand & Woodbury Ponds, was a favorite spot for factory and commercial outings. Only 14 miles from the Lewiston waiting station, there were many charter trips from Lewiston and Auburn to the Inn. An annual excursion was that of the Healy Asylum, a boys' orphanage in Lewiston. This yearly event was financed by a bequest in the will of W. Scott Libbey, builder of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, Bates College, and probably Colby College classes and groups held outings and reunions at the inn.
The feature attraction at the Tacoma Inn was the "High Diving
White Horses." The handsome white horses, "King" and
"Queen" would jump into Sand Pond from a high platform
(info provided by Historical Society of Litchfield, ME)
PWM Postcard
The "Merrymeeting" parlor car was delivered in May 1899.
It could be chartered for $10 a day and was taken over by the
Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway in 1907. It
remained in service as late as 1917. It was stored until 1920
when its trucks were removed for use on a freight car and
the body was scrapped :( Photo courtesy of Seashore Trolley
Museum's Library. Text from O. R. Cummings 1959
publication, "Trolley Parlor Cars of New England"
New Meadows Inn
Another attraction on the Lewiston-Bath line was the privately-owned New Meadows Inn, on the bank of the New Meadows River in Bath. The inn was world-renowned for the quality and abundance of its shore dinners. Because of heavy traffic to and from the famous eating place, the railway provided a passenger platform, a small waiting station, and a siding near the inn.
One of the single-end observation platform cars
in 1907 at the New Meadows Inn trolley stop platform.
The Inn was between the Merrymeeting stop (3 miles) and the
Bath carhouse (2.5 miles). O. R. Cummings collection at STM
Amos F. Gerald and his associates had promoted and built the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway (LB&B) for the express purpose of selling the property to investors, and early in 1900, they found a purchaser. This was a syndicate in New York that acquired 5,000 shares of the railway's capital stock. At the same time, the syndicate also purchased control of the Gerald-promoted Portsmouth, Kittery & York Street Railway Company in York County, Maine.
The LB&B was not a particularly profitable railway. It had a deficit during its second full year of operation. Dividends were only paid in two years when the railway was new.
Control of the LB&B was sold in 1906 to the group headed by John R. Graham of the Bangor, Railway & Electric Company. The Graham group also acquired control of the Augusta, Winthrop & Gardiner Street Railway Company, connecting the Maine capital with Gardiner, Winthrop, and Togus; and the charters of the Auburn, Mechanic Falls & Norway Street Railway and the Augusta & Waterville Railway Companies, both of which proposed to connect the points named in their corporate titles. More acquisitions occurred in the following years.
On April 3, 1907, the name of the Auburn, Mechanic Falls & Norway Street Railway was changed to the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway; on April 24th the new company absorbed the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath St. Rwy and the August, Winthrop & Gardiner St. Rwy. The LB&B became the Lewiston Division and the former Agusta, Winthrop & Gardiner routes became the Augusta Division.
The Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway, which also owned the local lines in Lewiston and Auburn, was absorbed by the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Steet Railway in 1907, and in 1913, the former Portland & Brunswick Street Railway, which had been reorganized as the Brunswick & Yarmouth Street Railway in 1911, was merged into the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville system. The Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville went into receivership in December 1918 and was reorganized on October 1 of the following year (1919) as the Androscoggin & Kennebec Railway.
We are still in need of funds for creating the interpretation programs that will tell this fascinating 100+-year-old story of the Narcissus. For information on donation options, scroll down this post and find the one that best fits your position. Fund 816 to help with the restoration and Fund 817 (PLI Education-Interpretation programs ) should be noted when making a donation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 Maine:
Center for Maine Crafts, West Gardiner Service Plaza
The Book Review, Falmouth
The Bookworm, Gorham
Letterpress Books, Portland
Maine Historical Society Store, Portland
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, Portland
Morph Gallery & Emporium, Kennebunk
New Gloucester Historical Society, New Gloucester
Nonesuch Books and More, South Portland
Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport
Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops, All Locations
Thompson's Orchard, New Gloucester
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 one-time donations or you
may choose to have a specific amount charged to your card
automatically every month. Please contact the Museum bookkeeper, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2800 ext. 3.
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 in 816 Narcissus, then continue filling in the required information.
Click Here for PayPal - to make an online donation: you can use email: finance@trolleymuseum.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, via email at finance@trolleymuseum.org or by phone, at 207-967-2800 ext. 3,
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 - 2020/2018 - 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, stained glass windows is majestic.
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
