Open-bench horsecar, probably built by J. G. Brill Co.,
Philadelphia, PA, on the Congress Street line at Union Station.
Union Station was built at the Crn. of Congress and St. John
Streets by the Maine Central Railroad opened for
business late in June 1886. The Portland Railroad
extended the horsecar line from Longfellow Square
to Railroad Square and St. John Street in 1887.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_004
Photo and research resources used in this blog post are courtesy of Seashore Trolley Museum's Library; specifically from the O. R. Cummings Collection and Phil Morse (PWM), and O. R. Cummings books, "Portland Railroad" Part 1, 1957, and Part 2, 1959.
Monument Square in Portland, Maine was the hub for all the early horse-drawn and electric railway systems running into and out of Portland. This blog features the high-speed, luxury interurban, No. 14, Narcissus of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban (PLI) that is now being restored at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine. The Narcissus and nine other Maine vehicles used on electric railways have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. Though we are deep into the research of information and materials related to the PLI and the Narcissus for use in creating the interpretation portion of the Narcissus project, it's too hard to resist posting other interesting electric railway tidbits from Maine's transportation history. With that in mind, from 1914 until 1933, the Narcissus, as a PLI interurban, operated into and out of Monument Square to pick up and discharge passengers. As we approach Maine's Bicentennial year (2020), this blog will release posts that relate to many electric railway operations throughout the State of Maine. One of the first in the series will be a more comprehensive look at the Portland Railroad. The 470 Railroad Club in Portland will host a public presentation on the history of the Portland Railroad beginning at 7 p.m. on October 17, 2018, at 75 State Street, Portland, Maine; the entrance to the meeting hall is on Gray Street between Gray & Park Street.
This blog post will be a bit of a teaser for that presentation at the 470 Railroad Club next month and will show a few images of the Portland Railroad system along Congress Street from Monument Square to Union Station.
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad - Maine Bicentennial - A History of Public Transportation 1860-1941
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad - Westbrook, Gorham & So. Windham Revisited
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad - Forest Avenue to Riverton Park Revisited
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad - South Portland & Cape Elizabeth Revisited
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad - Munjoy Hill Revisited
Click Here to go to the post: Portland Railroad: Trolleys Through Scarborough, Maine
Horse-drawn trolleys were known as horsecars during the
horsecar transportation era in Portland, Maine 1863-1896.
Here a horsecar travels along Congress Street as
it enters what was City Hall Market before the building being
raised in 1888. What we know as the Victory Monument
in Monument Square was in place by 1891, the same year
the electrification of Portland Railroad trolley lines began.
Electrification of Congress Street for use during the
electric trolley-car era in Portland (1891-1941) was completed
by late October 1895.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_098
At Union Station. Take a little bit longer and look at the train station
canopy in the background. Does it look familiar? In recent
winters have you gone ice skating at the rink at
Thompson's Point? Over this past couple of summers
have you attended outdoor concerts at
Thompson's Point in Portland? Scroll through the images
on the Thompson's Point website and you will see
the metal canopy that was originally connected
to Union Station and protected the trains and
passengers from the elements. Passengers like
Theodore Roosevelt on occasion including
on August 31, 1916, when he traveled to Portland
to then board a Portland-Lewiston Interurban to travel to
Lewiston.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_003
Here is an image of President Theodore Roosevelt's
train at Union Station in August 1902. The
image is on eBay. The canopy seen in the photo is
the same canopy that is at Thompson's Pont!
Open-bench horsecar, probably built by J. G. Brill Co.,
Philadelphia, PA, on the Congress Street line, believed to be
on St. John Street in front of Union Station. The destination
sign on the front of the roof is marked, Fort Allen Park,
which is at Eastern Promenade on Munjoy Hill.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_006
Horsecar on Congress Street as it passes by the turn for
Middle Street (the Middle St. area is now an open public
space for pedestrians) to enter Monument Square on
is on its way to Munjoy Hill.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_092
Here a horsecar enters Congress Street from Middle Street
at Monument Square. Compared to the image above,
note the changes in the number of
trees and in the buildings along Congress Street.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_093
At what is now 585 Congress Street, a horsecar travels
towards Union Station.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_090
A team of eight horses pulling workers in track work cars
in front of what is now the Starbucks at 594 Congress
Street. Free Street passes behind the building
seen in the background.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_052
Horsecar on Congress Street at Longfellow Square.
Here is a Longfellow Square tidbit that kinda, sorta, has
a fun/interesting Narcissus side story. Theodore Roosevelt
was a passenger on the Narcissus from Lewiston to Portland
on August 18, 1914. Not long after Theodore Roosevelt
passed away in January 1919, the Theodore Roosevelt
International Highway came into existence. The 4,060-
mile-long highway starts at Longfellow Square in Portland,
Maine and basically is now what we know as Route 302
(Roosevelt Trail) and has a stretch in Ontario, Canada, and
travels all the way through the states bordering Canada
to Portland, Oregon.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_038
A team of eight horses was needed to pull this horsecar as it
travels up Congress Street past the Victory Monument at
Monument Square is on its way to Munjoy Hill.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_094
By 1890, the year before the start of electrification of the Portland Railroad divisions, there were fifty horsecars, both open and closed, on the roster along with two-hundred and twenty-five horses that were owned.
The transition from horsecar to electric cars did take some
time. The Westbrook line of the Portland Railroad was
electrified before the Munjoy Hill section in Portland.
Most of the early electric cars for Westbrook operations
were kept in the Beckett Street carbarn on Munjoy Hill.
Here is an image of horses towing an electrified
trolley from the Beckett Street carbarn on its way to
Monument Square. Monument was electrified and
the Westbrook-bound car could then be used on the Westbrook
line. This horse transfer lasted until 1895.
Courtesy of O.R. Cummings' book,
"Portland Railroad - Part 1" April 1957.
Folks at the Portland Railroad (PRR) ticket office at
Monument Square awaited their electric trolley bound for
any number of different destinations; Old Orchard Beach,
Saco, Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth, South Portland, Gorham,
Westbrook, South Windham, Yarmouth, Falmouth, and
connections through the greater Portland area in addition to
the PRR connects to other trolley lines for folks to travel to
Lewiston, Augusta, Waterville, and many other communities
connected to those cities.
At its height, the PRR had 100 miles of track owned and 217
passenger trolley cars, employing more than 500 persons,
including 133 motormen and 133 conductors.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_133
Monument Square circa 1910 - Congress Street to the left
heading up to Munjoy Hill, with Middle Street to the
right taking passengers to the Grand Trunk Railroad
station or other trolley destinations served by the PRR.
Image from a print in PWM Collection.
Congress Street was a major attraction for folks who wanted
to go shopping. There were offerings in the city that were
not available anywhere in local outlying
communities. Trolleys were the most reliable and convenient
way to travel to Portland in the late 19th and early 20th
century.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_081
Congress Street intersection for High Street and Free Street.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_054
Longfellow Square - and automobiles.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_047
prevalent over the years. Trolley ridership had been in decline
for many years leading up to the time this photo was taken.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_016
Monument Square with the Federal Street track in the
foreground - center and Middles Street to the far left
corner. Abandonment of various lines of the PRR began
in 1931, though a reduction in equipment had been
steady throughout the twenties. The Congress Street line
of the PRR trolley cars came to an end on Christmas Eve
1940 and the remaining four trolley car lines
of the PRR came to a close in May 1941.
foreground - center and Middles Street to the far left
corner. Abandonment of various lines of the PRR began
in 1931, though a reduction in equipment had been
steady throughout the twenties. The Congress Street line
of the PRR trolley cars came to an end on Christmas Eve
1940 and the remaining four trolley car lines
of the PRR came to a close in May 1941.
Courtesy Seashore Trolley Museum Library:
O. R. Cummings Collection 2009_2_32_187
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
the Gold Book Award Winner plaque for
Middle Reader category for The Eric
Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to
award-winning Maine author,
Jean M. Flahive
