Harold Shaw Libbey
Sept. 10, 1881-April 19, 1919
image from the Google image online
One hundred years ago, on April 19, 1919, the Portland-Lewiston Interurban lost Harold Shaw Libbey, another important person who was integral to the initial construction of the line beginning in 1910 (then known as the Portland, Gray, & Lewiston Railroad), to its opening in 1914 and the corporate transition after the untimely death of its fearless founder and Harold's father, W. S. Libbey.
Within the published histories and accounts of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, Harold's name and official role in the line are mentioned, but unlike his famous father, Harold's importance in the PLI and within the Libbey businesses has received much less attention. The depth of Harold's character is made clear in the write-ups after his own untimely death in April 1919. He was so important in maintaining stability in the Libbey Company during what could have been very tumultuous times following his father's death in May of 1914. I felt strongly that I should shed some light on Harold, the well-qualified businessman in his own right, and his lesser-known influence on the PLI. A biographical sketch of Harold is included below.
At his farm in Wayne, ME, with four friends (L-R) Stern,
Cobb, Day, Hunnewell, and W. "Scott" Libbey, with son
Harold, in front. Libbey practiced shooting with his shotgun,
hence the above transcription reference (went shooting clays
for quiet and rest). Son Harold also became a great lover of
life outdoors and shooting. Image from "W. S. Libbey:
The Man and His Mill."
Three years after his marriage to Annie Shaw, Scott Libbey
began construction of the family home at the corner of
Sabattus and Nichols Streets, Lewiston (ME).
This photograph was taken in 1901... 11 years after the home
was built...shows the Libbey children, Gertrude, Harold,
and Alla, running down Sabattus Street in front of the house to
began construction of the family home at the corner of
Sabattus and Nichols Streets, Lewiston (ME).
This photograph was taken in 1901... 11 years after the home
was built...shows the Libbey children, Gertrude, Harold,
and Alla, running down Sabattus Street in front of the house to
welcome their Papa. The house still remains at the site, but things
have changed a great deal from this scene of gravel street,
horse and buggy and the gas light on the corner.
Image from "W. S. Libbey: The Man and His Mill."
have changed a great deal from this scene of gravel street,
horse and buggy and the gas light on the corner.
Image from "W. S. Libbey: The Man and His Mill."
Here is a photo of the former W. S. Libbey home in August
15, 2018. Harold grew up here in Lewiston. PWM photo
Harold's gang refers to Mrs. Helen C. Libbey's husband,
Harold S. Libbey, son of W. S. Libbey, Mrs. Libbey is
seen here in the upper right with his daughter, Eleanor.
Image from the Portland-Lewiston Interurban
collection of the NEERHS Library.
Harold, with his young family, would camp out along the proposed electric railway route during its construction years. Harold, who graduated from Lewiston High School, Bates College, and also from MIT, would write letters to his father with updates on the progress of the construction. Harold also worked closely with the surveyors in creating maps with precise measurements of elevations and the grade of the thirty-mile right-of-way that the electric railroad would operate along.
In the image above, dated May 1911, there is what we know as Mrs. Harold Libbey holding her daughter, Eleanor, as they both look on at the crew working on the construction of the P, G, & L RR. As an adult, later in the 1960s, Eleanor was a staunch advocate for the Narcissus when it was acquired by Seashore Trolley Museum from Mr. J. Henri Vallee. Here is a paragraph, stating Eleanor's important role, taken from the four-and-half-page story by Museum member, Bill Dox, on the Narcissus being recognized as an official State of Maine Sesquicentennial project in the May/June/July 1970 issue of the Museum's newsletter, The Trolley Museum Dispatch:
"Some of the deficit was wiped out through the sales of PLI histories (blogger note: referring to O. R. Cummings 1967 book, "Maine's Fastest Electric Railroad: Portland-Lewiston Interurban"). The rest was erased largely through the efforts of Mrs. Eleanor Libbey Awalt of Auburn (Me). The granddaughter of W. Scott Libbey, the builder of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban, she became involved in the Narcissus Project in 1968 and solicited donations from other members of the Libbey family and from various outside sources. Her endeavors contributed greatly to the success of the project and, in fact, did successfully transport the car (Narcissus) to the museum property."
Harold's family and his extended Libbey family members continue to this day to provide invaluable insight, ephemera, artifacts, and financial support to the Narcissus Project. Below, second in from the left, is Eleanor's son (Harold's grandson), Hugh Awalt, with his wife, Marjorie next to him on his left. And a little bit further to Marjorie's left, wearing the dark red dress, is Paige McLaughlin. Paige is the daughter of Margaret Awalt, the sister of Hugh. Paige is Harold's great, granddaughter, and W. S. Libbey's great, great, granddaughter!
One of the many fabulous moments of the 2017 Teddy
Roosevelt Days opening gala for the weekend event. When,
on Friday, July 21, fourteen descendants of W. S. Libbey and
their spouses gathered in front of the number one end of one
of the Libbey patriarch's prized possessions, 1912
Portland-Lewiston Interurban No. 14, Narcissus, for a family
photo. Nine great-grandchildren, two great, great-grandchildren,
and three great, great, great-grandchildren of
and three great, great, great-grandchildren of
W. S. & Annie Libbey. PWM
On November 15, 2017, I had the honor and pleasure to meet with Mr. Paul Libbey. Mr. Libbey, a nonagenarian, is the grandson of W. S. Libbey, Sr., and nephew to Harold Libbey. Paul Libbey was very generous and made a donation to the Museum of the original map of the elevation and grade of the right-of-way of the Portland, Gray & Lewiston Railroad (which became Portland-Lewiston Interurban in 1914), that his uncle Harold had helped create. The map is 28.5 feet long and is one continuous roll of paper. The map is extraordinary and was sorely in need of conservation. An appraisal of its condition and an estimate totaling $11,000 to professionally conserve, repair, and photograph the map was provided by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in Andover (MA) in May 2018. Through the generosity of many donors during the following months, we had the necessary funds to cover the costs to have all the work on the map completed. Currently (April 2019), work has begun in Andover to conserve, repair, and photograph the map. We are so very grateful to Mr. Paul Libbey and to all the donors who made this possible.
A photo showing a portion of the original hand-drawn map
of the elevation and grade of the Portland, Gray and
Lewiston Railroad before being delivered to NEDCC for
conservation work. PWM photo
Mrs. Harold S. Libbey is Helen, wife of Harold S. Libbey,
son of W. S. Libbey. Image from the Portland-Lewiston
Interurban Employees Scrapbook which is among the
collection of the NEERHS Library.
Mrs. Harold S. Libbey is Helen, wife of Harold S. Libbey,
son of W. S. Libbey. Image from the Portland-Lewiston
Interurban Employees Scrapbook which is among the
collection of the NEERHS Library.
Mrs. Harold S. Libbey is Helen, wife of Harold S. Libbey,
son of W. S. Libbey. Image from the Portland-Lewiston
Interurban Employees Scrapbook which is among the
collection of the NEERHS Library.
Mrs. Harold S. Libbey is Helen, wife of Harold S. Libbey,
son of W. S. Libbey. Image from the Portland-Lewiston
Interurban Employees Scrapbook which is among the
collection of the NEERHS Library.
No. 18 Azalea at Deering Junction with Walter E Pinkham,
one of the first PLI motormen. And Clarence J Cobb who
became PLI's first Freight Agent in 1915. On June 26, 1914,
Harold, his Libbey family members, friends, and state
one of the first PLI motormen. And Clarence J Cobb who
became PLI's first Freight Agent in 1915. On June 26, 1914,
Harold, his Libbey family members, friends, and state
railroad commissioners rode in the Azalea as they made an
inspection trip along the Right-of-way of the Portland,
inspection trip along the Right-of-way of the Portland,
Gray, & Lewiston Railroad, before the line being opened
to the public. From the O.R. Cummings Collection
All the photos above that were provided by Helen C. Libbey, Harold's wife, were from the photos she shared with former Portland-Lewiston Interurban employees during the four annual reunions that took place in Gray from 1938-1941. There is a scrapbook containing precious reminders of those reunions and the times the former PLI employees shared during the operating years and their lives after the closing of the line on June 29, 1933.
The cover page of the large scrapbook created by Charles D. Heseltine,
using photos, newspaper clippings, and original ephemera from the
Portland-Lewiston Interurban (PLI); including poetry, personal
cards, notes, and notations from employees and their families.
My understanding is that Heseltine passed the scrapbook on to
Portland-Lewiston Interurban (PLI); including poetry, personal
cards, notes, and notations from employees and their families.
My understanding is that Heseltine passed the scrapbook on to
O. R. Cummings, who, in turn, passed it on to the New England
Electric Railway Historical Society's (NEERHS) Library.
Seashore Trolley Museum is owned and operated
Electric Railway Historical Society's (NEERHS) Library.
Seashore Trolley Museum is owned and operated
by the NEERHS in Kennebunkport, ME
The Employees of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban Scrapbook. Starting in 1938, for four consecutive years before the U.S. entered WW ll, the former PLI employees and their families attended an annual reunion in Gray (ME). All were encouraged to submit PLI-related items to share with the gathered attendees. A scrapbook was made to hold these submitted items. This scrapbook is about 28 inches by 23 inches with 112 pages. More than 200 photographs, numerous newspaper clippings, hand-written notes, poems, PLI-related ephemera, etc., are attached to pages in the scrapbook. The contents are incredible. Flipping through the pages, looking at the photos, reading the poems, news clippings, personal notes, and cards, one can’t help but become sentimental, nostalgic, and grateful. Grateful to Charles Heseltine and those PLI employees and their family members who provided these personal keepsakes for inclusion in this amazing scrapbook. Charles Heseltine then entrusted the scrapbook to O. R. Cummings, who in turn entrusted the scrapbook to the Library at Seashore Trolley Museum. All items in the scrapbook have condition issues and need conservation. An appraisal of its contents' condition and an estimate totaling $26,000 to professionally conserve, repair, and photograph the contents was provided by the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover (MA). Due to the extremely fragile condition of the P, G, & L RR elevation map, our fundraising efforts first focused on having the conservation work done on the map. With that goal reached and the map now being conserved, we have turned our fundraising focus now is on raising the monies needed to repair, conserve, and photograph all the contents within this incredible scrapbook. Scroll down the page to find the options for contributing and please consider making a donation to help have this important work done.
The scrapbook has several pages dedicated to reunions of
former PLI employees and their families. There are four
reunions specifically cataloged; June 29, 1938, June 29, 1939,
June 30, 1940, and June 28, 1941. All four of the reunions
were held in Gray, ME. 1938, and 1941 reunions were held
at the Newbegin Hall (seen above). The 1939 and 1940
reunions were held at the Pennell Institute Gymnasium.
It is noted in newspaper articles of the times, that combined,
the total of former PLI employees and their family members
that attended each of the reunions in 1939 and 1940, well
exceeded 100 in attendance. The image above is from the
final annual reunion in 1941. Image from the Portland-Lewiston
June 30, 1940, and June 28, 1941. All four of the reunions
were held in Gray, ME. 1938, and 1941 reunions were held
at the Newbegin Hall (seen above). The 1939 and 1940
reunions were held at the Pennell Institute Gymnasium.
It is noted in newspaper articles of the times, that combined,
the total of former PLI employees and their family members
that attended each of the reunions in 1939 and 1940, well
exceeded 100 in attendance. The image above is from the
final annual reunion in 1941. Image from the Portland-Lewiston
Interurban Employees Scrapbook which is among the
collection of the NEERHS Library.
Newbegin Hall is seen from the back of the Pennell Institute
building in Gray. Photo September 2018 by PWM
From Biographical section of History of Maine - pgs 177 & 178
The records of the lives of W. Scott Libbey and Harold S. Libbey, his son, form a splendid chapter in the annals of the business fraternity of Lewiston. Harold S. Libbey succeeded to heavy and pressing responsibilities, which he bore capably and well until called from his labors at the early age of thirty-eight years, his passing is mourned in the many channels that his influence penetrated.
Governor William T. Cobb, the intimate friend of both the elder and younger Libbey, spoke of Harold S. Libbey as follows; "Of fine physique and clean life, it seemed to look at him and to know his love and capacity for the work of the business, that fortune had much more in store for him than to be claimed by death at thirty-eight years...He was sure to become a prominent factor in the business life of his city and of the State, and personally, in character and wise ambitious, was the type of young man from whom his own generation had every right and reason to expect fine accomplishments and helpful influence."
Harold Shaw Libbey, son of W. Scott and Annie E. (Shaw) Libbey, was born in Lewiston, on September 10, 1881, where his death occurred suddenly on April 19, 1919, resulting from influenza-pneumonia. He graduated from Lewiston High School in the class of 1901 and received the degree of A.B. from Bates College in 1905, then pursued post-graduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, specializing in chemistry and the textile industry. Upon the completion of his education, he entered the Cumberland Woolen Mills at Lewiston, where he received his practical training in textile manufacture, rising to the position of superintendent. He fulfilled the duties of his position until the death of W. Scott Libbey in 1914 when he became treasurer and agent of the S. S. Libbey Company, and the Cumberland Mills. He directed these affairs with profitable results until his sudden death, serving at the same time as a director of the Androscoggin Electric Company and the Manufacturers' National Bank of Lewiston, being especially interested in the latter institution and rarely failing to attend the meetings of the board of directors.
The close comradeship that existed between Mr. Libbey and his father continued through the business into their hours of recreation. During the construction of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban Railroad, which W. Scott Libbey built and controlled, he was in charge of portions of the work on the road. They were closely associated with the operation of the mills while their camping trips together were the greatest pleasure for both.
Mr. Libbey was a member of the United Baptist Church of Lewiston. He belonged to the Gardiner Gun Club, hunting and gunning being his favorite recreation, and he also belonged to the Boston Athletic Association. He devoted his time and means to the support of movements of progress and improvements in his city and was a citizen who gladly acknowledged the duties as well as privileges of citizenship. As a businessman, he held the regard of the business fraternity, and from the earliest days of his relationship with employees of the concerns he was connected, he was an employer wise and just, who valued and strove for the goodwill of his men and who held it by fair and straightforward dealings. In the brief time that was allotted to him, he won recognition as a man of able parts and lived in the approval of all men.
Harold S. Libbey married 1907, Helen V., daughter of Frank A. Channel, of Lewiston. Mrs. Libbey was a schoolmate of her husband both in high school and college. They were the parents of two children: Eleanor V. and Channel T.
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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 first 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
Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
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