Sunday, October 23, 2016

Theodore Roosevelt & The Narcissus - Connecting Maine Communities

August 18, 1914 - Theodore Roosevelt aboard the Narcissus, waving to the gathered
townspeople in Gray, Maine. The Narcissus has been listed on the
National Register of Historic Places since 1980. It is currently under restoration at
the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Image courtesy of Gray Historical Society

Update - 8-7-2026

May 31, 2026, Joe Banavige released this wonderful American 250 Tribute to William W " Bill" Sewall, TR's Maine guide (along with Wilmot Dow, Bill's nephew) 
Click here to see Joe's Substack post

      First Look at Logo - "My Debt To Maine" - Logo - Theodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail 6-15-22

    The Narcissus Project Blog was created in April 2015. The first to reach out to a large number of folks through social media to introduce them to Narcissus. The blog posts appeal to folks interested in Theodore Roosevelt's connection to Maine, to folks generally interested in regional/local history, as well as those folks within the greater railway family. These posts will endear many of them to help support the Narcissus financially, as it undergoes a complete restoration over the next few years at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. As an interurban, the Narcissus connected people with communities in Maine. Theodore Roosevelt was well known for connecting people with places and/or ideas.

Theodore Roosevelt and the Narcissus should work together to connect Maine communities.

TR Trips to Maine

1872 - August - Moosehead Lake (Dexter, Greenville, Moosehead Lake Region)
1878 - August/September - Island Falls (Mattawamkeag, Mattawamkeag Lake/River, Bible Point)
1879 - February/March - Island Falls (Mattawamkeag, Lumber Camps/Oxbow area)
1879 - August/September - Mattawamkeag, Mattawamkeag Lake/River, East Branch of the Penobscot River, Wassataquoik River, Katahdin Lake, Mount Katahdin, Sandy Brook, Moose Pond, Oxbow, Aroostook River, Little Munsungan Stream/Lake, Munsungan Lake, Upper Munsungan (Chase) Lake, Wytopitlock, Kingman
1880 - August - Mount Desert Island - Bar Harbor, Schooner Head, Newport Mountain, Otter Creek
1902 - August 26 - Biddeford - Addressed the crowd
         - August 26 - Old Orchard Beach - speech - visit
         - August 26 - Portland - Speech - visit
         - August 26 - Lewiston - Speech - visit
         - August 26 - Augusta - Speech- visit 
         - August 27 - Bangor - Speech - visit
         - August 27 - Waterville - Speech - visit
         - August 27 - Ellsworth - Speech - visit
1912 - March 23 - Portland - visit
1916 - August 31 - Portland (PLI Interurban), Gray, Lewiston
1918 - March 28 - Portland
1918 - July 25-August 10 - Islesboro, Dark Harbor

Communities/Organizations that have a TR Connection(s) - Maine
     Being listed in the National Register of Historic Places carries its own merits as a nationally significant piece of electric railway history that is being restored. The Narcissus has numerous chapters of captivating stories to share. One example is the story of TR being a passenger on the Narcissus. But this electric railway beauty has a depth of character. And through storytelling, it will facilitate intriguing and diverse storylines that, through direct or indirect relationships, will provide Maine residents and visitors alike with a renewed perspective on many communities throughout the state.  I hope this post provides some context and perspective to generate interest in developing collaboration among stakeholders in the State. To work together to create a visitor-friendly statewide tour guide that connects Maine communities with connections to Theodore Roosevelt in Maine.
A Theodore Roosevelt Maine Trail through Maine, if you will. Here goes...


    The original mirror,  buffalo horns, from Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch reflects the image of the three men who used it daily on the North Dakota ranch during the mid-1880s. (l-r) Theodore Roosevelt, Wilmot Dow, and William Sewall. The mirror was a gift made by Wilmot Dow's grandson,
John A. Dow (son of Badlands Baby, Wilmot E Dow), to the Presque Isle Historical Society (ME). The image of the three men is from February 1879 in Maine. TRC 520.12.015 PWM

     My interest in Theodore Roosevelt began in 2010, while I was searching for details relating to his August 18, 1914, visit to Maine. I was going to ask the executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association to write a letter of support for a grant application to benefit the Narcissus. As the project manager for the Narcissus restoration, I felt that having Theodore Roosevelt be Narcissus's passenger would be a very important talking point in developing support for the project. As my research progressed, I became fascinated with Theodore Roosevelt and his profound attachment to Maine. Clearly, to me,  his three trips to Island Falls (August 1878, February 1879, & August 1879), spending weeks tramping, canoeing, snowshoeing, riding in sleighs and buckboards through the woods, lakes, rivers, and up the mountains of Maine with William Sewall and Wilmot Dow, cemented TR's attachment to Maine and its people. Those three trips to Maine followed an earlier visit (1872), followed by several more over the years, until his final trip in August of 1918, when he, his wife, and other family members stayed in a cottage in Dark Harbor, on Islesboro, to grieve the loss of the youngest of TR's sons, Quentin.

     Theodore Roosevelt is omnipresent in Maine. From Kittery to Presque Isle, TR has left his mark throughout Maine. If not TR himself, admirers have, on his behalf. Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most recognized Presidents of the United States. We can enhance the general population's understanding of TR's relationship with Maine by making his trips/travels in Maine more well-known. By presenting a statewide picture and then articulating the individual communities he spent time in or has some indirect relationship with, visitors will develop an innate interest. Many of the TR stories are very compelling. This leads people to want to visit those communities for a look-see.

     This post will begin to explain my efforts to create a map that encompasses Theodore Roosevelt's connections to several communities throughout the State of Maine. With some help, this map activity could become the first step in developing a more comprehensive statewide project.  The outcome of that might become, say, the:
 "Theodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail"  TR4ME - Heritage Trail

Face page of folded Map & Guide for the Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail.

     These thoughts connect various communities in Maine as I visited and conducted research in some communities that TR and the Narcissus had visited. The thoughts became much more concrete when I attended my first Maine Woods Forever (MWF) Roundtable meeting at Unity College in Unity, Maine (October 15, 2015). One board member, MWF, Mimi McConnell, shared some of the MWF print materials with me. One of those was a map and guide of the Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail. MWF worked with Michael Hermann and The University of Maine Press, in Orono, ME, to produce this beautiful guide to Thoreau's Travels in the Maine Woods, of his trips to northern Maine in 1846, 1853, and 1857. As I examined the map/guide, I began developing a similar quality product for what may become the TR4ME-Heritage Trail. During that Roundtable meeting, I also met MWF board member Bart DeWolf. Bart, having learned of my TR connection, told me he wanted to research the vintage print/media materials available on the various trails and camps leading to Mount Katahdin from the early 1880s through the early 1900s. His interest was to develop a plan to conduct an expedition, probably several over time, in hopes of determining the most likely route/trail that TR had used in his approach and ultimately, his ascent, to the summit of Mount Katahdin, in what is now Baxter State Park.  A significant portion of the probable trail that TR used to approach Katahdin is through the land of the new Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument

Map side of the unfolded Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Map and Guide

Guide side of the unfolded Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Map & Guide.

     Here is an example of one of TR's trips to Maine, which connects communities and provides opportunities for residents and visitors to visit those communities today. And experience the natural surroundings of the area's history, and meet locals, while casually following the trail TR took.

     TR's own biography and any number of historians have spoken about TR's first trip to Maine. He was 13 years old. Basically, he traveled by train to Maine in August 1872. Then, stagecoach to stay at a camp at Moosehead Lake. The stagecoach ride became a life-changing event for TR. During the ride, he was bullied by a couple of young boys. TR was physically unable to defend himself. Following that incident, he pledged to himself to work diligently to become physically fit so he could defend himself in the future. The steps he took to do just that are well documented. This stagecoach ride in Maine in 1872 clearly had a direct impact on the boy who would become the man that we now know.

     So, in a very brief explanation of TR's visit, I see an opportunity.
I want to know more details about TR's time in Maine in 1872. I searched published books for more details. I didn't find many answers locally. Even some info I found had conflicting dates. And conflicting stories about his visit. Nothing on which railroad company he used to travel to Maine. What town/city did he arrive in? What stagecoach line did he take to Moosehead? What town did he arrive in? What camp did he travel to? Did he take a steamer? What was the steamer's name? Was it a boys' summer camp? Did someone meet him and spend time with him in the area? What did he do during his stay? To name a few.

     I sent an email request for information to Heather Cole at Harvard University. Heather is the Curator of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection in the Houghton Library at Harvard in Cambridge, MA. Heather has been a great help to me over the past two or three years as I've called on her with research questions. Heather replied with a note and a link to TR's diary entries of his Moosehead trip from August 1872. Awesome!
Theodore Roosevelt's journal page with entries of his time spent in Maine during his
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

     A few answers and now, a few new questions have emerged. There is no mention of bullying during the stagecoach ride in either direction with Dexter.
I took this information and shared it with Candy Russell, Executive Director at the Moosehead Historical Society & Museums in Greenville, and with Carol Feurtado, Acquisitions staff member at Dexter Historical Society in Dexter.

Carol Feurtado (Dexter HS) was able to uncover some interesting details; however, since that research, we have found out details on the stage line and on the Lake House...and we are making progress on the steamships :)
  • The railroad that stopped in Dexter in 1872 was built in 1868 by the Dexter and Newport Railroad. It was leased by the Maine Central Railroad in 1869. Initially, the railroad station was located in the southern part of town, on what is now Railroad Avenue. The station relocated to the in-town area in 1889. No timetables on hand.
  • There were many stage lines in Dexter over the years to places like Bangor, Skowhegan, and Greenville. Currently, there are no specifications for them or any schedules/timetables. The stage traveled from Dexter to Greenville on what was then Valley Avenue Road. The road was built in 1836 and connected Bangor and Greenville while passing through Dexter. The road no longer exists as a whole. There are a few sections here and there that are used locally.
  • Merchants' Exchange was built in 1866 and was enlarged in 1890. If the building looks white in an image, it's probably the earlier version. If the image shows a tower on a darker building, it's probably the more recent version. Torn down in the 1930s to make way for the Post Office.
  • The Lake House mentioned in TR's diary is dated Moosehead, August 27, and was located in the Greenville area.
Jerry MacDonald of Dexter was a stage driver in a listing dated September 1870.

We are still seeking information on Mr. Peter Strong, the guide for TR during his fly-fishing trip at Echo Lake near Dexter on August 26th.

We are still searching for details on the name of the steamer TR took from Greenville to Kineo House (2nd one). The location of Echo Lake brings up a question of logistics and timing based on TR's entries - more research is necessary.

We are also looking for additional materials (photos, etc.) to add more context.


    Thirteen-year-old Theodore Roosevelt's diary entries speak to spending the night of Wednesday, August 21, 1872, in a room at the Merchants' Exchange in Dexter, Maine. He traveled by stagecoach all the next day and arrived in Greenville. He would return to the Merchants' Exchange and stay there in a room on the evening of Wednesday, August 28, 1872, before leaving on the train for NY on the 29th and arriving in NY on the 30th. This image was scanned from a black and white negative labeled "Merchant's Exchange, Dexter, Maine L. D. Hayes, Proprietor." This photograph of a rather ragged poster. It depicts tall buildings, perhaps a hotel, surrounded by a vast crowd, which includes carriages and horses. Written at the bottom of the poster are the words, "Merchants' Exchange, Dexter, ME., L. D. Hayes, Proprietor." From the Bert Call Collection at the University of Maine

The Androscoggin Historical Society has a copy of the 1872
Auburn Directory. The above advertisement is from that directory.
It shows that the Frye Stagecoach line had a schedule to leave
Dexter at 11 a.m. for Greenville during the summer of 1872 :)

Thirteen-year-old TR took the steamer Twilight from Greenville
to the Kineo House. On two occasions, he paddled from Kineo House
across the Lake to climb Mount Kineo, seen here. Steamer arriving
at Mount Kineo in 1906, Unknown photographer - 
Reproduced from an original postcard published by G. W. Morris,
Portland, Maine, Public Domain,


This image is of the "2nd" Kineo House. You get a sense of why
thirteen-year-old TR would have made the notation "Good" in his
journal, after he wrote Kineo House :) The first Mount Kineo House
was built in 1848 and burned again in 1868. The second
Mount Kineo House was built in1870 and opened in 1871.
This second house would burn in 1882. The third Mount Kineo House
opened in 1884. This third house burned shortly after 1938. PWM Collection

Back of the photo above

Postcard with the water TR rowed the boats over to get to Mt. Kineo.

The Lake House in Greenville, Maine

The image above and text from 1880 Farrar's Illustrated
Guide Book to Moosehead Lake and Vicinity.

     From this one trip to Maine, in August of 1872, TR opened the door to local history in the communities of Dexter, Greenville, and the Moosehead Lake Region. These communities present themselves to those folks who are aware. How many new visitors might these communities draw into the area to experience their spectacular landscapes and storied local history?

Online Theodore Roosevelt Trail - North Dakota

     When I sent an email off to Heather at Harvard, I also sent an email inquiry about TR's visit to Moosehead Lake to Sharon Kilzer, project manager at the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University. Sharon is doing amazing work at the TRC in North Dakota. Thousands of TR items are being scanned and cataloged for availability online through the TRC. In my online search through the TRC materials, before hearing back from Sharon, I found this page, Theodore Roosevelt Trail. The page has a map of the United States, and North Dakota is highlighted in red. There is a live link on the left of the page, under the text explaining the Trail - Theodore Roosevelt in North Dakota. A key describes the color code. Hover your pointer over a triangle, and a short description appears. - Elkhorn Ranch - I was so happy to find this page! It's very similar to what I was envisioning for the TR4ME-Heritage Trail online presence in Maine.

     Sharon responded to my email inquiry, and I expressed my excitement about finding the online TR Trail with the North Dakota connections. Sharon is eager to assist in planning and adding a highlighted "Maine" on the TR Trail map of the United States and integrating a "Theodore Roosevelt in Maine" live link that would lead to a map of Maine with colored triangles and links.

     I am not a marketing professional. I am not a professional writer (grammar and other writing errors so noted). And next, you'll learn I am not a professional sketch artist :)

     Early in this post, you read the list. That list included the various trips Theodore Roosevelt made to Maine. I may have even missed one? The point is that TR has left us a gift here in Maine. A gift that keeps on giving. His Maine legacy is here, in his writings, news stories, and books written of the time he spent here, the friends he made here, and what those friends have also left for us. Each Maine community and organization in that area touched by TR has a TR story to tell. We have an opportunity to uncover, collect, organize, review, research gaps/questions, refine an overall plan, and create something incredibly special with those stories that will attract people to these special Maine places

Connecting people and places is something that TR and the Narcissus both did very well :)

Interested in becoming involved, taking a role, or helping to make it happen?
Contact Phil Morse - Narcissus project sponsor
Email - p.morse31@gmail.com

     We will need to add Bowdoin College in Brunswick to this map. Theodore Roosevelt was a supporter of Robert Peary and his expedition to the North Pole via the SS Roosevelt :)

Theodore Roosevelt traveled all over Maine. By foot, snowshoe,
buckboard, train, interurban, carriage, sleigh, canoe, boat,
steamer, and rowboat. TR got it done! Now it's our turn :)
Let's spread the word about TR's travels in Maine.
Working together, we can create an inspiring, educational,
professionalTheodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail map
TR4ME-Heritage Trail Interurban
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

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 captivate, fascinate, then generate 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 donating 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 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
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Friday, September 30, 2016

Scrapbook Celebrates the People of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban

Cover page of the large scrapbook created by Charles D. Heseltine,
with the help of Oscar Adkins, a former PLI employee, and the PLI
Reunion Committee.  They used 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 O. R. Cummings,
who in turn, passed it on to the New England Electric
Seashore Trolley Museum is owned and operated by
the NEERHS in Kennebunkport, ME.

Please consider making a donation to the Narcissus Project. Funds are still needed to complete the restoration of the National Register of Historic Places member, Narcissus.  Click here to make an online donation or scroll to the end of this post to find all donation options. All donations are currently matched, dollar-for-dollar, as part of a $40,000 matching grant challenge, thanks to the generous offer from the 20th Century Electric Railway Foundation! 
Thank You :)

The scrapbook has several pages dedicated to reunions of former PLI
employees and their families. There are four reunions specifically
cataloged on several pages: June 29, 1938, June 29, 1939, June 30, 1940,
and June 28, 1941. All four of the reunions were held in Gray, ME.
All four reunions were held at the Newbegin Hall. The Newbegin Hall
was the Pennell Institute Gymnasium.
It is noted in the newspaper articles that, combined, the total of
former PLI employees and their family members who attended each
of the reunions in 1939 and 1940 exceeded well over 100 in attendance.
The image above is from the final annual reunion in 1941. 


This scrapbook is made up of mementos from these employees
or their family members. Each item was hand-delivered,
usually when attending a reunion. Each came with an emotional
"piece" of that employee or that employee's relationship with
other PLI employees. This scrapbook holds some precious
moments for these folks. We are so very fortunate.

    If you recognize a person, home, or other structure in any of these images and have additional information on the person or a current image of a home/structure that can be used to show the approximate area in recent years, please consider sending me an email with the information or a new image and a caption/explanation: p.morse31@gmail.com


W. S. Libbey was beloved by his family. He was a well-respected
businessman, not only in the greater Auburn-Lewiston area,
around the state and throughout New England.
For more on the life of W. S. Libbey: Click Here
For more on the community's reaction to his life: Click Here


LeRoy Libby - I learned in 2015 that W. S. Libbey is
a descendant of John Libby. John Libby arrived in the
Blackpoint area of Scarborough, Maine, in the very early 1630s.
I also learned that W. S. Libbey and I have a common ancestor.
We are both descended from the second child of the eleventh child,
born to John Libby. So, now, every time I see a "Libby", I
wonder if we are related? I'll need to research LeRoy (above) :)
To see more about my connections to W.S. Libbey: Click Here


The first page of images taken during the construction of the line


For more information leading up to the opening of the
Portland, Gray, & Lewiston Railroad and circumstances that
lead to it becoming the PLI: Click Here


Mrs. Harold S. Libbey shared several photos of the construction
of what would become the Portland-Lewiston Interurban.
Helen V. Channell married W. S. Libbey's son,
Harold Shaw Libbey in 1907. During the construction,
Mr. & Mrs. Libbey would camp out along the right-of-way.
Harold would send his father letters with updates on
the progress of the construction of the line.

Click Here: to see Harold Shaw Libbey 1881-1919 - including the biographical section - History of Maine


Webster's had a siding (a short section of a second track that could be
accessed from the mainline) and was about fifteen miles from the
Lewiston Terminal. If you recognize a person, a home, or another
structure in any of these images and have additional information
on the person or a current image of a home/structure that
can be used to show the approximate area in recent years


I wonder if that is Mrs. Harold S. Libbey sitting on the edge of the
cut on the upper right? 


This original reinforced concrete bridge was replaced by a steel girder
span in late 1927 and early 1928.


Our hope is to have each of the photos in the scrapbook scanned
digitally. 


Harry W. Ferguson, in the above image, went on to become
the Line Foreman. See the 1932 list of employees in one of
the above images.







For more details on the opening of the line: Click Here


Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914.
 He also rode on one of the PLI interurbans, the Clemetis, during his
August 31, 1916 visit. During both trips, he stopped in Gray and
spoke to the assembled townspeople from the car. 
Theodore Roosevelt loved Maine and traveled to Maine on several
occasions starting when he was thirteen years old in 1872.
For more information on TR's trips to Maine: Click Here


The average newspaper reader at the time, probably
would not have clipped this article out and saved it :)


How many personal photos do you have at home that have no
names identifying any of the people in the photos? Time passes, and
in later years, it becomes very challenging to identify time, place,
and individuals. Thankfully, many of the folks in the images in
the scrapbook are noted. Not all. Some names have
question marks, and some images have no names at all. 


Does anyone recognize any of these fellas? :)
If so, send me an email with the image
and a caption/explanation to: p.morse31@gmail.com


Morrison's Hill had a milk platform, a gravel pit, and a spur for
work trains only. Morrison Hill was about 12 miles north of
the Portland Street Terminal in Portland.
The Seashore Trolley Museum has restored the original
1915 Morrison Hill Way Station from the PLI on display.






Sadler's had a siding (a short section of a second track that
could be accessed from the mainline) and was about two miles
from the Lewiston Terminal. 


Like washouts, there are several images of PLI employees
who probably contracted help, digging out after large snowstorms.
The "Exciter" is the employee newsletter of Central Maine
Power Company (CMP). The PLI became part of the CMP family
in 1920. 


The "Silo" was also known as Blake's. It was about a mile south
of Sadler's Siding and just north of the Milk platform and cattle
run at Merrow's. When first built, there were 50 cattle passes along
the line, each with reinforced concrete with an 8-foot clearance.
For more on the early details of the line: Click Here


The interurbans were large cars and took up a lot of space on the streets
in Portland and Lewiston. Each was 46 feet long and weighed 
about 36 tons. This image is dated the 29th of June. Passenger service 
ended on the 28th. I'll need to do a little more research :)
Here is a little-known Theodore Roosevelt-Portland, Maine-related fact:
The Theodore Roosevelt International Highway is 4,060 miles long
and goes from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon.
For More on the TRIH: Click Here


1920 was the year Maine celebrated its centennial birthday. The
large crowds mentioned above were traveling to and from visiting
the Centennial Exposition at Deering Oaks in Portland. 1920 was
also the high-water mark for the number of total passengers
carried in a single year. 519,488. Over the years of passenger
service, the line carried more than 7.3 million passengers.


Freight and Express service generated significant revenues for the PLI
for several years. From 10% of total gross revenues to nearly 19% as
passenger revenues were dropping off in the mid-20s.


With about 35 miles of track and overhead wire, there was always
maintenance throughout the line.

Pictures of the substations in West Falmouth, Gray, and Danville.




Pictures of the Section Crew members.

Mileage and Fare Tables. O.R. Cummings used many of these original
documents as resources for his first two books on the PLI.
May 1956 - Portland-Lewiston Interurban,  NRHS, Connecticut Valley
Chapter Pub. September 1967, Maine's Fast Electric Railroad -
Portland-Lewiston Interurban through New England Electric Railway
Historical Society. O. R. Cummings passed away early in 2013. He left
a significant portion of his railway-related collection to the Library at
the New England Electric Railway Historical Society. Included in
that collection is his 50-page manuscript for
volume three, in the series of books on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban.
If you have an interest in learning more about the process of publishing
this manuscript, please contact the Narcissus project
sponsor, Phil Morse email at p.morse31@gmail.com


The telephone directory includes retired and laid-off employees.


The last car page. Followed by a 1933 page.


The Arbutus is pictured above: The Last "Interurban"


Mrs. Gertrude Libbey Anthony purchased the Arbutus, complete, as a fully
operating interurban, and had it relocated on a set of tracks at her home in
Saco, Maine. The "body" of the Narcissus traveled to Sabattus, Maine,
near the Sabattus Pond/Lake, and became the summer camp for the
Vallee's family for nearly 35 years. The body of the Narcissus would
become the property of the Seashore Trolley Museum in 1969.
To read more on "Camp" Narcissus: Click Here

To watch a short video interview of Daniel Vallee talking about living in the Narcissus: Click Here


Newspaper article in the Lewiston Magazine section
August 19, 1939.


Another image of the complete Arbutus in Saco, Maine, in 1940.
In 1945, the Arbutus was scrapped. Some of the beautiful
interior Santo Domingo mahogany with inlay would go to the
St. Francis Monastery Chapel. Some of the clerestory
ornate leaded stained glass windows, in their mahogany sash,
would end up in the Shoreline Trolley Museum in Connecticut.
These clerestory windows and sash would be donated to
the Seashore Trolley Museum in 2002.


The first of four "annual" reunions took place five years after the PLI
service came to an end, on June 29, 1928. Held at the Newbegin Hall
in Gray, Maine. A baked bean supper was served by the Gray Grange,
with entertainment and dance following.


All four reunions were held at the Newbegin Hall. It
was also known as the Pennell Institute Gymnasium in Gray, Maine


The reunion pages include many cards, letters, and photos
explaining happy times and tough times since the years of
working together on the PLI. This card explains how the "29"
The crash impacted one of the reunion members.

Reunion Invitation

There are many cards, obituaries, letters, and poems that
pay homage to those former PLI employees, and/or
family members who died.

This poem by former PLI patron Margaret Turner was first read at the
1939 reunion. It is a touching tribute to the PLI and the community that
was served so well for 20 years by dedicated employees.
To see and hear the poem put to music: Click Here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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

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 captivate, fascinate, and then generate 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 donating today!

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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 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
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