Freeport Square, circa 1902. Open car No. 11 heads four
Portland & Brunswick Street Railway opens. Photo from
Ronald Cummings Collection in O. R. Cummings Collection
Here is the newest release in the Maine Bicentennial series of electric railways in Maine. This blog post features the Portland & Brunswick 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.
Looking south on Main Street from the village center in
Freeport circa 1910. O. R. Cummings Collection in the
2015 NEERHS book, "The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street
& Electric Railways 1863-1946"
- 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
Fred Mitchell standing on the ground with William Soule
in the doorway of Portland & Brunswick No. 2,
"Alice," at South Freeport. No. 2 is a combination car.
The sliding door on the side is for loading/unloading
light freight/express, with the remaining 2/3rds of the car
with seats for passengers. Photo from Ronald Cummings
Collectin in O. R. Cummings Collection
Portland & Brunswick Street Railway
The first public mention of a through trolley line between Portland and Brunswick was made in the late summer of 1899 when Portland newspapers noted that such a route was being proposed and stated that construction probably would begin the following spring.
According to the press accounts, the Portland & Yarmouth Electric Railway, then already in operation, was to be extended from Yarmouth Village to the Yarmouth-Freeport boundary, there to connect with the projected branch of the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath Street Railway (LB&B) from Brunswick.
Late in the year - on December 20th, permission was granted (LB&B) for a route to access the Freeport town line through Brunswick. There was considerable discussion over the route to be followed through Freeport. The LB&B wanted a direct route along the existing highway. Many townspeople want the line to be built through South Freeport on the shore of Casco Bay. The initial unwillingness of the line LB&B softened over several months and submitted a plan, but the plan was dismissed by the Railroad Commissioners. No further action was taken by the LB&B company, However, in 1901, several of the LB&B directors organized the new Portland & Brunswick Street Railway to build from Brunswick to Freeport, South Freeport, and Yarmouth.
Incorporators included Amos F. Gerald and other associates of his who were involved with other electric railways in Maine. Articles were approved by the Railroad Commissioners on April 22, 1901, and a short time later the LB&B released its rights to the access granted in 1899. The state Railroad Commissioners did not agree that the LB&B could release their rights simply with a token payment. Litigation followed. Finally, on November 27, 1901, the Railroad Commissioners approved the plan.
Construction started in the spring of 1902, starting in Brunswick at the LB&B connection at Maine and Pleasant Streets to Mill Street. Here it swung to the east side of the highway, which generally paralleled up to Kendall's Corner in Freeport.
Brunswick-Freeport-Yarmouth Map from
2015 NEERHS book,
"The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street
& Electric Railways 1863-1946"
From Kendalls' Corner, the line ran through the center of upper Main Street to Freeport Square and continued through the middle of lower Main Street to a point just north of a grade crossing of Maine Central Railroad. Crossing the railroad, the line paralleled the east side of the highway for nearly a half-mile and then extended southeasterly over the private right-of-way to Pine Street in South Freeport.
Heading for Brunswick is this 15-bench open car shown
at Pine Street and South Freeport Road in South Freeport.
O. R. Cummings Collection
Amos Fitz Gerald was a fan of castles. He built a castle or castle-like
structure at many of the electric railway parks he was involved with over
the years of his developing railway systems in Maine. Casco Castle Park in
Freeport is one example. Opened in 1902, the casino was like no other in
Maine. It even had a moat! The park was never profitable for the railway
company and was sold and later burned in 1914. The 100-foot-tall rower still
stands today. Some text from the 2012 NEERHS book, "The Trolley Parks of
Maine." Image from a postcard postmarked May 8, 1906, PWM
"Camillia" like its sister combination cars, "Alice", "Dorothy",
"Flora", and "Lida" carried passengers and light freight
and express (see the sliding door on the side on the left).
Seen here at the trolley stop at Casco Castle, South Freeport.
O. R. Cummings Collection
Continuing along Pine Street to South Freeport Road, it ran beside the latter to the present Route One, which it followed to and across Todd's Brook and the Cousin's River into Yarmouth. The line entered town via Spring and East Main Streets, across the Royal River Bridge, on through Lafayette Street, and deadends at the junction of Route 88, just a short distance from the Portland & Yarmouth tracks.
Royal River Bridge, Yarmouth, showing a Portland &
Brunswick 15-bench open car crossing before 1906 when
tracks via this span were abandoned and a new route into
Yarmouth Village was constructed to permit a more
convenient connection with the Yarmouth Division of the
Portland Railroad. Photo by Don Welch in O. R. Collection
The Portland & Brunswick constructed mainline track was 15.4 miles long. A certificate of safety was issued for a portion of the line on July 23, 1902, with a certificate of safety for the remaining track issued on August 8.
Freeport carbarn and power station of the Portland &
Brunswick is shown here on South Main Street near the
Maine Central crossing in about 1906. Photo by Don Welch
in O. R. Cummings Collection
For some reason, the Portland Railroad was unwilling to cooperate with the Portland & Brunswick (P&B) in efforts to effect a physical connection in Yarmouth. P&B had no authority to build a line to Portland from Yarmouth, so a new company was formed, the {Portland & Brunswick Extension Railway Company. A charter was granted on December 6, 1905.
This action brought the Portland Railroad to terms in short order; on January 24, 1906, the Portland Railroad and Portland & Brunswick signed a contract for through service that would connect with the Portland Railroad's existing track near the Grand Trunk Railroad station in Yarmouth Village. This rerouting of the track in Yarmouth resulted in P&B operating on 15.8 miles of the mainline track.
On Main Street in Freeport, two open cars heading in
opposite directions. O. R. Cummings Collection in the
2015 NEERHS book, "The Illustrated Atlas of Maine's Street
& Electric Railways 1863-1946"
The Portland & Brunswick Railway was built on speculation, but, the owners were never able to dispose of its securities and needed to continue its operation. The line never made sufficient profits to permit payments of dividends. There was a deficit of nearly $11,000 at the end of the fiscal year in 1908 and lost money every year after.
In 1910, the Lewiston, Augusta, and Waterville Street railway moved in and acquired most of the P&B's $300,000 in capital stocks and its$225,00 in mortgage bonds and began a rehab program on the P&B infrastructure. The P&B was then reorganized in 1911, foreclosure proceeding led to a new company being formed in November 1911, the Brunswick & Yarmouth Street Railway (B&Y), which was a part of the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway (LA&W) and formerly merged with the LA&W on August 19, 1913. The B&Y became the LA&W Freeport Division.
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
