Dyer Library Presentation - Trains & Trolleys of Saco (Maine) : The Leavitt Connection 4-15-2025

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. 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,

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, 2025. 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 Car 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

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

Map - Seashore Trolley Museum

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 Collection 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 with 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. Collection courtesy Mike Leavitt.

The photo on the right has Ralph Meserve sitting in the CMP office

with Foster Leavitt, Sr., circa 1960

Left - Foster Leavitt, Sr. (L), is with his brother, Edward Leavitt is 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

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

Click Here: For the list of links to Theodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail Posts in Easy Order to View

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 first captivates, then 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 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

Connecticut Open Car No. 1253 Transport to Maine 1948

Friday, August 6, 1948 - The Christian Science Monitor

www.trolleymuseum.org

    2024 is the 85th Anniversary year of the founding of what we know as the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. Today, I was looking through some of Ed Dooks' transcripts of his interviews with some of the early members. One interview was done in 1988 as Ed collected stories from John Amlaw and Henry Brainerd.

    The topic was about acquiring the Connecticut Company open cars in the late 1940s. One of those open cars was No. 1253. Sadly, shortly after arriving at Seashore, 1253 caught on fire and was badly damaged. In the 1948 Annual Report, a paragraph or two talks about the acquisition and transportation. 

    John Amlaw and Henry Brainerd mention a little more about 1253 in their interview.

    Brainerd: "Well, maybe it was '47 that was the last year they ran. I guess '48 was when we got them. That is, they were still there in the barn until spring, and we got 4 of them, one of which was 1253 that caught on fire, mysteriously."

    "The best we could figure was the cardboard carton with a big glass headlight lens broke open from the rain and the weather, and acted as a burning glass, and the car was burned beyond the point of salvage. Well, we thought so then. Today, I think we'd know how to rebuild it..."

    Amlaw: "We did go through a couple of side roads with it, and when we did, there was no room for anybody coming the other way. Fortunately, we didn't meet anyone because we only went down a short road on a detour, probably 2 miles long. But we backed that trailer into James Street Carhouse in New Haven, and operator Hamilton, who's the one we usually ask for, came out. He looked at it and said, "You'll never do it." So we backed the trailer in. Hooked up the rails. He said, "Well, if you're going to try it, I'll be willing to try it for you." So, he got into the car and very carefully ran it up the ramp and onto the trailer while we watched from both sides. He got on top of the trailer and went forward as far as it would go until the front truck touched the gooseneck of the trailer, looked down, and said, "I knew you could do it."

    "So, this was the point at which we fastened the car down and brought it up to Seashore. One of the things that amused me was that in this short detour, I was mentioning, we stopped to let an automobile get by. We had to come to a dead stop so that he could very carefully maneuver the automobile by the trailer in the other direction. Now, there were something like 30 cows in a field, and the 30 cows lined up on one side along the fence, and they all carefully watched while we moved that car away."

    Brainerd: "I guess somebody got a photo of it while it was stopped there, and they were trying to figure out what to do. The Christian Science Monitor got the photo, and I was, by then, working at MIT and was reachable by phone, so they called me. They knew I was the man they could get information from and asked me about it. Of course, this was a black-and-white photo, and they asked me what color it was. I said, "It's yellow", and they said, "Well, what shade of yellow?" I knew the boys called it butter yellow. "Well, that doesn't sound quite right. Doesn't it have a real name?" "Well," I said, "I think the caption on the photo was the butter-yellow trolley car going from New Haven to the Seashore Trolley Museum, or something like that. (The color is actually DuPont's Armour Yellow, no. 3421--DGC)

    "Altogether, we had our fun. We got some publicity."

    Henry mentions that during 1253's move from New Haven, CT, to Kennebunkport, the tractor-trailer with 1253 was aboard and pulled over to the side of the road. Someone took a photo, and it was published in the Christian Science Monitor.  I did an online search and ta-da!...found the newspaper with the photo and story.

Friday, August 6, 1948 issue.

Page 2 - ibid

Each paragraph in the page 2 story below is shown separately below...fyi

ibid

    No. 1253 is listed in the 1948 and 1949 Annual Reports as a passenger car in the "Rolling Stock" collection. However, in the 1950 and 1951 Annual Reports, 1253 is listed among the "Additional Work Equipment" in small print below the Work Cars collection list and is mentioned as "No. 1253, Open Car Body. 1253 is not listed after 1951.

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

Click Here: For the list of links to Theodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail Posts in Easy Order to View

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 first 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

Gold Book Award Winner plaque for

 Middle Reader category for The Eric

Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to

award-winning Maine author,

Jean M. Flahive