2017 Theodore Roosevelt Maine Conservation Award Ceremony - Maine Woods Forever 4-7-2017

Fiona Ammerman, a fourth-grader from Katahdin Elementary School

in Stacyville, accepts the first 2017 Teddy Roosevelt Conservation

Award from John Rust (R) of Maine Woods Forever. Fiona was

nominated for the award by her school principal, Marie Robinson (L).

PWM image

Maine Woods Forever presents the 2017

"Teddy Roosevelt Maine Conservation Award"

The 2017 awards were presented on April 7, 2017, at Maine Woods Forever's 36th Roundtable event, hosted at Unity College's Center for the Performing Arts.

"The Teddy Roosevelt Maine Conservation Award honors today's young people and the legacy of America's most celebrated conservationist, President Theodore Roosevelt," notes John Rust, chair of the award committee. "Many folks credit his rugged sojourns in Maine during the 1800s with shaping his determination to conserve our natural world. This year's award recipients have clearly lived up to this ethic."

Maine Woods Forever

Maine Woods Forever is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and protecting the legacy of Maine's forests and woodlands. Maine Woods Forever was founded in 2004 to foster collaboration between the many people and organizations devoted to conserving our forests and woodlands for today and future generations. For more information, please visit:

Lee Academy Juniors Lauren Dodge and Cole Harriman with

Science teacher Susan Linscott accepts the second 2017 Teddy

Roosevelt Conservation Award from John Rust (R) of Maine

Woods Forever, on behalf of Lee Academy Service Learning Team.

Joanna Tarrazi, Executive Director of the Piscataquis County Soil
& Water Conservation District (L) looks on as Piscataquis County
Secondary School sophomores Alivia Hunt and Alison Quimby

(Center), is next to science teacher, Heather Doherty (Center R),

accepts the third 2017 Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Award from

John Rust (R) of Maine Woods Forever, on behalf of their

Environmental Science class. PWM image

Additional Background About the "Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Award"

Award Criteria

The Teddy Roosevelt Maine Conservation Award is given to youths or youth organizations who demonstrate a commitment to Maine's forests and woodlands, and those accomplishments may include:

* Effectively working alone or with others in educating others on the importance of conserving Maine's forests and woodlands, large and small

* Outstanding contributions toward conserving Maine's forests and woodlands

* Leadership in a local, regional, or statewide project that increases awareness by the public at large of a significant issue relating to Maine's forests and woodlands

* Educating and increasing public awareness of the heritage of the Maine Woods.

* Improving the quality of life in the Maine Woods dependent communities

* Fostering an increased appreciation of Maine woods resources

* Fostering stewardship of private forestland

* Fostering or supporting a conservation organization or foundation seeking to conserve large tracts of land and its wildlife

* Forming or fostering alliances between conservation organizations

* Making improvements in the quality of conservation and/or conservation education

Special attention is paid to unsung nominees who have achieved success not otherwise recognized. Weight is given to leadership qualities demonstrated by inspiring others to participate in or influence conservation and education practices.

Qualifications for the Award:

* Must involve activities within Maine

* Must be age 10 through High School (applicants older than 18 are acceptable if still attending High School) or youth organizations whose conservation projects primarily involve youths of these ages.

###

From the Narcissus 1912 Renovation Project Blogger - Phil Morse

I have attended each of the past five Maine Woods Forever Roundtable gatherings at Unity College in Unity, Maine. I have thoroughly enjoyed the meetings, the guest speakers,  the opportunity to meet representatives of the various organizations in attendance, and the opportunity to make new friends. As a member of two nonprofit organizations that have direct connections to Theodore Roosevelt; the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine with its historic 1912 Portland-Lewiston Interurban No. 14, Narcissus, the luxurious high-speed interurban in which, Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger between Lewiston, ME, and Portland, ME on August 18, 1914,  and also the New England Chapter of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (Oyster Bay, NY), I'm delighted with the Maine Woods Forever's annual presentation of their Theodore Roosevelt Maine Conservation Award.

The Narcissus 1912 Renovation Blog was started two years ago with the intent to share information relating to Theodore Roosevelt and his connections in Maine, his connection to the Narcissus, the restoration of the National Register of Historic Places, Narcissus, and its relationship to Maine's railway history.

Here are links you may find of interest:

Click Here - A Previously Unknown Image of Theodore Roosevelt in Maine - Resolved

Click Here - Theodore Roosevelt First Visited Maine as a Young Teenager

Click Here - Theodore Roosevelt International Highway - Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon

Click Here - Theodore Roosevelt's Bible Point in Island Falls, Maine

Click Here - Theodore Roosevelt Grieved in Dark Harbor, Maine

Click Here - Seashore's Trolleys Relative to Theodore Roosevelt Timeline - 1858-1900  

Click Here - Seashore's Trolleys Relative to Theodore Roosevelt Timeline - 1901-1909

Click Here - Theodore Roosevelt Association and the Narcissus

Click Here - Theodore Roosevelt Artifacts in Maine - at Trolley Museum 8-5 through 8-7, 2016

Click Here - Theodore Roosevelt - Conservation - National Parks & Monuments

Click Here - Great, great, great-granddaughter of Narcissus owner visits Trolley Museum

Click Here - Troy R. Bennett's Musical adaptation: Ode to The GrandOld Interurban

Click Here - Oral History - Clyde Walker Pierce, Jr reminisces about his days during the trolleys of Maine

Click Here - Ninety Communities in Maine had Electric Railway Service - 57 Million Riders 1915

If you have any questions concerning the Narcissus Project and the Theodore Roosevelt connections in Maine, please contact me, Phil Morse, at p.morse31@gmail.com

Click Here - for the Narcissus Project Blog

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

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!

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

O. R. Cummings - 1923-2013 - Author of More than Fifty Books on Electric Railways

O. R. Cummings on the cover of May-June 2013 "Dispatch"

Newsletter of the New England Electric Railway

Historical Society (the NEERHS). The NEERHS is

 501c3 organization that owns and operates the Seashore Trolley

Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, and the

National Streetcar Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts.

       In the past two years, nearly one hundred posts were released by the Narcissus blog to the public. Many posts have information or materials from publications or photos from O. R. Cummings. O. R. passed away early in 2013. Over nearly twenty years, he was always willing to respond to my many requests for details on a particular electric vehicle or railway. He wrote letters of support for grant applications and was very happy to ride on the 1906 electric locomotive, Atlantic Shore Line No. 100, during its ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of its restoration in September 2009. O. R. so wanted to see the Narcissus completely restored to operating condition. I am very grateful to O. R. for his gifts of published works and the vast collection of electric railway materials he donated to the NEERHS Library. Thank you, O. R.

The May-June 2013 issue of the Dispatch included the obituary for O. R. Cummings:

       Seashore's Historian Emeritus, Osmund Richard Cummings, passed away on Tuesday, January 15, 2013, in Manchester, NH. The son of Orrin E. and Mary (Audley) J. Cummings, was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on May 15, 1923, and lived there and in nearby Manchester, NH, the greater part of his life.

       Known to almost no one as Osmund, too few as "Dick", and to most as simply "O.R.," O.R. Cummings was THE historian of electric railways in New England. O. R. was a longtime Seashore member, serving as Trustee, Chairman of the Board, Historian, and Historian Emeritus.

       Seashore published several of O.R.'s books, including Trolleys to York Beach and Atlantic Shore Trolleys, and others from Maine and other parts of northern New England. Like Ira Swett on the West Coast, O. R. was OUR High Priest of Electric Traction and justly proud of the more than 100 books and articles to which he attached his name. These remain his remarkable legacy. O. R.'s best-known works were his five-volume series on the Massachusetts Northeastern Street Railway and a six-volume compendium, Streetcars of Boston.

       O. R. was a 1940 graduate of Amesbury High School, attended Bates College for two years, and graduated from the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance, now Bentley College, in 1948.

       Cummings served in the U. S. Coast Guard for three years during World War II and in the U. S. Navy for nearly a year during the Korean Conflict.

       He worked in the newspaper business for many years, starting with the Newburyport Daily News as a reporter from 1948 to 1956. At this, he joined the newsroom staff of the Manchester Union Leader. He was a copy editor when he retired in January 1987.

       O. R. also belonged to the 470 Railroad Club of Portland, Maine, Mass. Bay Division, Railroad Enthusiasts; the Boston & Maine Historical Society, Central Electric Railfans Association; the Shore Line Interurban Historical Society; the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum; the Manchester Historic Association; and the Boston Street Railway Association, for which he authored two books and several articles.

       Cummings was one of the last of the real "old-timers,"  who remembered and rode some of the iconic New England trolley systems, including Eastern Mass., Boston Elevated, Portland-Lewiston Interurban, and Androscoggin & Kennebec. As such, he could write as an eyewitness, something very few can now claim. His recollection of traction history was legendary, and talking with him about his many adventures was an extraordinary experience and a real treat.

       A high point of his life came near the end, in November 2012, when he went on an Honor Flight New England-sponsored trip with 24 other veterans to tour the World War II Memorial, the Iwo Jima Monument, the Air Force and Navy monuments, and other Washington, D. C. sites.

       The Society was privileged to have had O. R. as an active member for so many years, and we will sorely miss him. His nearest relatives are three first cousins, and to them, we offer our most sincere and deepest condolences.

________________________

Two stalwarts of the Seashore Trolley Museum for decades, Lester H.

Stephenson, Jr. (L) and O. R. Cummings (seated) enjoying a moment in the

Connecticut Car Company No. 1160 in 2009.

PWM photo

Patricia Pierce Erikson (L) with O.R. Cummings during the ribbon-cutting

ceremony of the newly restored, 1906 Atlantic Shore Line electric

locomotive No. 100, at Seashore Trolley Museum in September 2009.

PPE photo

O.R. Cummings being assisted into the cab of ASL-100 before its inaugural

mainline trip during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the newly restored, 

1906 Atlantic Shore Line electric locomotive No. 100.

PPE photo at Seashore Trolley Museum in September 2009

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

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 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 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 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

May 1956 - Portland-Lewiston Interurban by O. R. Cummings - A History of the Finest Electric Interurban Railway to run in the state of Maine

To see the full book online, the Bangor Public Library has it here.

       This post is of photos taken of each page (29 pages including the drawing of the Arbutus) from my personal copy of O. R. Cummings's original, May 1956 book, "Portland-Lewiston Interurban" - A History of the Finest Electric Interurban Railway to run in the state of Maine. It was originally published as Transportation Volume 10 by the Connecticut Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, Inc., in conjunction with The Connecticut Electric Railway.

       Donald Curry, lead restoration technician, and Phil Morse, Narcissus project manager, will conduct a presentation on the History of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban 1910-1933 at the Portland (Maine) Public Library on April 19, 2017. Click here for all the details on the presentation. The presentation will also be broadcast live via Facebook Live starting at noon on the 19th.

       This May 1956 book on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban is the first of a trilogy, written by O. R. Cummings. The 1956 book seen here and the September 1967 book (92 pages) were obviously both published (the 1967 book will be available in a Narcissus project blog post, following the Portland Public Library presentation on April 19).  Sadly, O. R. Cummings passed away in 2013. He left a significant portion of his electric railway collection to the Library of the New England Electric Railway Historical Society (NEERHS) in Kennebunkport, Maine. NEERHS is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that owns and operates the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, and the National Streetcar Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts. One of the files that O. R. left with the NEERHS Library is a manuscript with about fifty pages of text that includes materials on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban. The manuscript is not officially titled, but Chapter One has these labels and starts off with "MAINE'S FAST ELECTRIC RAILROAD"- 1905-1933 - RAILROADS AND RAILWAYS - Rail travel between Portland and the Twin Cities became possible as early as December 4, 1848, when the Atlantic & St. Lawrence Railroad, organized in 1845 to build from Forest City through Maine and northern New Hampshire and Vermont to the Canadian border, commenced operation between Portland and Danville Junction on the outskirts of Auburn, 27 1/2 miles." This third book, yet to be published, digs much deeper into the relationships between railroads and electric railways. What would be nice is if we could publish and then release this third book at about the same time Narcissus is released as a fully restored and operating interurban of the PLI :)

       The Narcissus Project Blog was created in April 2015 to reach out to a large number of folks through the power of social media to introduce them to Narcissus. The Narcissus is a luxury, high-speed, wooden electric interurban. The Narcissus was built in 1912 in Laconia, NH, and operated on the Portland-Lewiston Interurban in Maine, between Portland and Lewiston, from 1914 to 1933. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914. 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. Hopefully, these posts will endear readers to support the Narcissus financially, as it undergoes a complete restoration over the next few years at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. 

This drawing is a folded page within the binding that unfolds to show

the Arbutus. Some of the clerestory stained glass windows and mahogany

sash were made available for use in the Narcissus restoration.

Click Here: to see the post on the leaded stained glass used in the

Narcissus restoration.

This stretch of New Gloucester-Danville road parallels the PLI and is

where many a race between autos and interurbans took place.

Click Here: Clyde Walker Pierce, post, of racing the interurbans in the early 30s.

The image at the top of the page talks about the Railroad Commissioners doing the

initial inspection run in 1914. Click Here - to read the post that has the detailed

newspaper story of that inspection trip.

On this page is a section titled "Important Events." The opening paragraph speaks to

August 18, 1914, the day that Theodore Roosevelt, after a hunting trip up in Maine,

was a passenger on one of the interurbans, believed to have been the Arbutus.

In O. R. Cummings' September 1967 book, Maine's Fast Electric Interurban -

Portland-Lewiston Interurban, an updated story on page 37, with a

photo of a postcard on page 38, includes text that states TR actually was

a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914.

This writer did additional research in 2010 and found two newspaper articles

about TR's visit to Maine in 1914. A local story mentions that TR specifically

boarded the Narcissus for his trip to Portland. It also mentions the Gray stop.

The New York Times story mentions that TR took the train from Boston

to Lewiston that day. There was no mention of a hunting trip in Maine

before TR rode the Narcissus from Lewiston to Portland. So, I'm not

sure where the hunting trip part of the initial story came from. Click Here to

read the post about TR's visits to Maine and see the two newspaper accounts from

his August 18, 1914, visit.

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

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 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 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 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

Narcissus Restoration Update - March 27, 2017

A different perspective view of the interior of the Narcissus as seen from

the center of its passenger compartment using a 360-degree lens. A still from a

new 360-degree camera, Insta360-air that easily attaches to my Samsung 5.

The camera will also record up to 15 minutes of 360 video. I experimented

with the camera, with various light conditions in the Town House

Restoration Shop...inside and outside of several cars. One plan is to use it to

catalog the interiors and perhaps the undercarriages of the railway

collection?

A different perspective of the Narcissus from the smoking compartment.

    Donald Curry is the lead restoration technician for the Narcissus restoration. Donald released an update today describing some of the smaller interior components of the Narcissus project:

27 March 2017

Narcissus roof and clerestory components.

To use our time effectively and relatively warmly, we have been working on projects that can be done in heated areas as well as less warm ones.

Part of this has been to collect smaller parts of those areas, inventorying how many there are as well as their condition.

       Roof ribs

·       Two of these have had their ends restored, and the other three are the pattern for that. We have milled out several pieces of ‘green’ ash to use as stock for missing or damaged ribs. These will be steam-bent when time and staff are available. The number needed is ____ TBD (Ernie has the ones needed for the No. 1 end at home and all are reusable.

·       One steel (“Norway Iron”) rib was straightened by DGC & Ernie by the use of the larger pipe bender and painted with POR, black topcoat. It bent surprisingly easily, so Ernie also did a minor bending of the other. All the compound carlines (wood-iron-wood) can now be carriage-bolted together.

Ernie Eaton straightened one of the bent iron roof ribs. This rib was

supporting the weight of the heavy trolley pole base assembly.

·       Clerestory joint rib covers (“curved triangles”). These are solid mahogany and are used as anchors for the laminated curved joint strips at each light socket and corner. According to what we found, there should be 24 pieces (12 each left and right. Overall dimensions: 7/8 in. mahogany, 8 ¼ in. long, and 4 ¼ in. at the top. The headlining is nailed into the edge with 5 or 6 brads. (In the middle of some of the boxes, nails with heads were used in the arches. They were extremely difficult to get out, causing damage to the strips.)

The photos show how many pieces could be found: 4 lefts and 6 rights. The remaining 14 pcs. were not found in the ‘steel’ container, where the rest were found. Possibly, they are still nailed to some pieces that are still together.

All need some small ‘grafts’.

·       Roof rib upper headlining (clerestory corner curved spacers

Soft pine, 1 ¼ in. thick, 1 ½ inches high, and 4 3/8 inches long. The corner, at the bottom, is held on by 1 ¼ in. box nails. Only 5 pieces have been found out of 24 needed.

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

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 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 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 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