August 26, 1902, the caption states: "President Theodore Roosevelt Delivering a
Speech at Biddeford, Maine."However, research shows this location is not the
train station in Biddeford. It is Old Orchard Beach.
Photo: Harvard University - This image is from the
Doris A. and Lawrence H. Budner Theodore Roosevelt
Collection, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University
Update 7-11-2026
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
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Here is a photo of President Theodore Roosevelt delivering an
unplanned speech to a crowd at the Biddeford train station on
August 26, 1902. He is on the back platform of the "Mayflower."
However, the description of this photo, taken by a photographer with
Underwood & Underwood.
The Harvard University Theodore Roosevelt Houghton Collection states that TR is on a caboose delivering a speech in Old Orchard Beach. Evidence was found to support the fact that this is at the Biddeford Station. The key to verifying the fact is the turntable in the background, in front of the engine house. The evidence is later in this post.
I first started researching Theodore Roosevelt in 2010. As a volunteer at Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine, I oversaw the Narcissus project (Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914). This initial research piqued my curious nature. I wanted to learn more about Theodore Roosevelt and his various visits to Maine.
Twelve years later, that seed of curiosity has taken root and blossomed. Here is the development of what is: the Theodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail: Connecting Maine Communities. Insight throughout the State of Maine is what this trail provides by tracing and describing Theodore Roosevelt's connections with each of these communities.
Each community is identified with a star with a number or
a moose with a letter. The key to the logo landmarks is below.
Each moose represents a community that has an indirect
connection with Roosevelt, meaning he may not have paid the
community a visit, and there is a meaningful connection to Roosevelt
in that community. The stars indicate a community
that Roosevelt visited and probably engaged with the people.
And/or the local geography. As research continues, other
communities will be added to the logo.
Logo: "Designs by Reece" - Reece Saunders
Over the ensuing weeks, each of these
communities/landmarks with its Roosevelt
connections will have a separate page describing
details of TR's connections. Each will also
have a link or links to local resources/venues.
Key by "Designs by Reece" - Reece Saunders
Today, we start with "Star 2" shown on the list (key) above - Biddeford
The metaphor of "going down the rabbit hole" pretty well captures many of my experiences over the years, including this one. As I attempt to clarify what may initially seem a fairly simple piece of information to confirm or refute, I frequently find myself presented with a variety of unexpected twists and turns related to the research subject matter. More rabbit holes to consider investigating.
While researching President Roosevelt's schedule for his two-day Maine visit during his 1902 tour of New England states, up popped the photo at the top of this page. The caption caught my interest as Biddeford was not listed in the itinerary of Maine stops in the presidential schedule for August 26 and 27, 1902. Scroll down the page for the short piece on his March 23, 1912, and August 18, 1914, stops at the Biddeford Railroad Station.
of President Roosevelt's train tour that included communities
in Maine. A stop in Biddeford was not listed. August 26, 1902,
issue of the Lewiston Evening Journal EXTRA 8:30 p.m.
So, I visited Biddeford's McArthur Public Library to search through their extensive microfilm collection of vintage local newspapers. I located the story of the president's train. The unplanned stop and brief speech (excerpt below), and in addition, read a feature story about a local Biddeford resident, Fred C. Watson, who was a cowboy working for Roosevelt in the Dakotas during 1884 and 1885! For me, this was like uncovering a valuable nugget of gold while prospecting in a new rabbit hole :) With much help from Renée L. Burkett, Archivist/Special Collections Librarian, more intriguing information about Fred. C. Watson was learned. But first, before we move on to Fred's rabbit hole, below is the excerpt from the local newspaper describing the unplanned stop at the Biddeford train station (no edits have been made to the text):
Although no stop by the president had been anticipated in this city (Biddeford), there was a crowd of three or four hundred people at the Western Division station awaiting the arrival of the train, and when it was seen to slow down, there was a tremendous straining of necks to ascertain what the cause was.
It soon developed that the engine had a hot box. As soon as the train came to a standstill, there was a rush for the rear car, and to the delight of the crowd, the president appeared on the platform. He was cheered lustily as he emerged through the doorway, bowing to the right and the left.
The president made a short speech in which he referred to the state of Maine as a place where men who are a credit to the nation are brought up.
Somebody in the crowd presented the president with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, then the train began to pull out (to travel to the first scheduled stop in Maine at Old Orchard Beach). The crowd gave three rousing cheers, to which the president responded by bowing and waving his hat.
Biddeford Weekly Journal, Friday Morning, August 29, 1902
Initially, I was happy to find evidence to verify that TR's train did indeed stop at the Biddeford Station. However, a new rabbit hole presented itself. Renée and I spent some time viewing the photograph describing TR making a speech to the crowd from the platform of his train while stopped at the Biddeford train station.
I'm familiar with the train station and the neighborhood surrounding it. The buildings in the image did not look anything like any of the buildings of the time (1902) near the Biddeford train station. Renée and I separately looked into period photos, postcards, maps, etc., of the 1902 neighborhood, related to the Biddeford Station. We both agreed that the photo was not taken at the Biddeford station. We each continued searching for evidence to support our belief that the station in the photo was the Biddeford Station.
Tah Dah ✌ Success!
In June of 2024, I gathered evidence from a couple of railroad history friends to help me clarify the location as the Biddeford station, where President Theodore Roosevelt and his New England Tour Presidential train were in the photo, in the Houghton Collection at Harvard.
These are my two friends who helped me...
Matthew (Matt) Cosgro - Nashua City Station Railroad History https://www.nashuacitystation.org/
Conrad Ekstrom - New England Engine Houses, TT Transfer Tables - RR-Traction Facilities -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2822725141285337
I was viewing the background in the photo and saw what looked to be a railroad engine house with a turntable in place, with vertical wood timbers visible. I thought the train station in OOB never had an engine house or turntable in that location. Based on the direction TR's train was headed, the next stop being Portland, Maine, there should be hotels and the beach in the background.
I reached out to the two individuals listed above, Matt and Conrad. I explained my thoughts on the photos and asked for their input/evidence to help clarify the location of TR's train.
Matt sent me a screenshot of an 1899 Sanborn Insurance map, showing the OOB train station location. There was no engine house or turntable on the map near the train station.
Sanborn map of OOB with train station
Matt also sent an 1899 list from the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M RR) stations with an engine house and wood turntable (see attached). Only stations with these items are listed. No OOB on the list. The Biddeford, Maine, station is listed (see red dot). And it lists an engine house and a wood turntable.
1899 B & M RR list - red dot - shows Biddeford has an engine
house and a wood turntable - the OOB does not list an engine
house or a turntable.
Conrad sent me a screenshot of an 1899 Sanborn map. It shows the Biddeford train station. It shows the engine house and the turntable being close to the station (see attached). Based on the direction TR's train was headed, the platform he was standing on was facing the engine house and the wood turntable.
1899 Sanborn map with the Biddeford Railroad Train Station
Conrad also sent a screenshot photograph of the Biddeford engine house with the turntable and its vertical wood timbers. The point of view is very close to where the TR photo was taken (see attached).
Engine house and wood turntable at the Biddeford B & M RR station
Clearly, the engine house and wood turntable in the background
Biddeford B & M RR station.
Now for the Fred C. Watson story...
Renée at McArthur Public Library in Biddeford has been great to work with on this research. When I mentioned the "nugget" of Fred C. Watson in the newspaper feature, she started looking through the Library's resources and found more information on Fred! Thank you so much, Renée. :)
Here we go...
Below is the Biddeford Weekly Journal. Friday Morning, August 29, 1902, story about Fred C. Watson that I saw while looking for the Biddeford train station info. I split the screenshot into three sections so that the text could be read without me retyping it all :)
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Biddeford Weekly Journal - Friday, August 29, 1902
Below is an excerpt from the Biddeford Daily Journal, August 27, 1902. The story of Fred meeting up with President Roosevelt at the train while it was stopped in Old Orchard Beach on August 26, 1902.
Biddeford Daily Journal - August 27, 1902
Renée found that Fred C. Watson was a native of North Saco, Maine, and later lived in Biddeford after returning from the Dakotas. Fred was a blacksmith and was active in the Townsend Family Reunion Association. Fred's mother was Georgianna (Townsend) Watson. And she found that Fred had donated his pair of spurs (Item 31597) and a branding iron (Item 31634) from the Dakotas while he was there in 1884 and 1885, to the McArthur Public Library.
The description of the spurs: Item 31597 - the spurs belonged to Fred C. Watson of Biddeford. He was a blacksmith, and as a young man, he traveled to the western frontier to work at the Elkhorn Ranch, which was owned by Theodore Roosevelt. The ranch was run by two men from Maine, Bill Sewall and Bill's nephew, Wilmot Dow. That may be how Watson ended up working there. The blacksmith's workshop was completed in the spring of 1885, when Watson was 20 years old. Upon returning to Maine, Watson worked at Townsend Brothers carriage makers in Biddeford. And later was the foreman at the blacksmith shop at Saco-Lowell. He retired from Saco-Lowell in 1937.
The description of the branding iron: Item 31634 - iron with the letters "S" and "E", forged by Biddeford blacksmith Fred C. Watson around 1885. Watson worked as a cowboy and blacksmith at the Elkhorn Ranch, which was owned by Theodore Roosevelt. The ranch was run by two men from Maine, Bill Sewall and Wilmot Dow. Upon returning to Maine, Watson worked as a blacksmith at Townsend Brothers carriage factory and later at Saco-Lowell shops.
I returned home and did some online research that also turned up a photo of the McArthur Library on the Maine Memory Network.
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Photo from the McArthur Library Collection posted on the
Maine Memory Network Item #35261 - c 1900
The Townsend Brothers manufactured carriages at 9 Jefferson Street in Biddeford from about 1890 until 1910. The crew is the Townsend Brothers Carriage Shop (left to right): David Berry, Fred Watson, Charles H. Townsend, Jesse Charles Townsend, John Alden Hanson Townsend, George E. Townsend, and Alonzo Kimbal.
Having seen Watson's description of his spurs and branding iron from Elkhorn Ranch, I looked through William "Bill" Sewall's book on Theodore Roosevelt. I happen to have a first edition copy and did find a couple of pages that did not include Fred Watson's name, but perhaps a reference to him.
On page 31, Sewall mentions..."There were six of us; three were natives of Maine..." He went on to describe that four of the six were old, experienced cattlemen, "...except myself and one other." The six of them went on a 500-mile trek through the Dakotas. On page 32, Sewall mentions, "Myself and the boy went with me..." I wondered if "the boy" might be the 20-year-old Fred C. Watson.
Page 32
I found a newspaper clipping where Sewall did visit Fred C Watson in Biddeford - Fred was a ranch hand in the Badlands and worked with Bill Sewall, Wilmot Dow, and Theodore Roosevelt
Biddeford-Saco Journal - December 23, 1925
I looked through a few other books and found the same story that Sewall recounted on page 182, in Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands by Roger L. Di Silvestro.
I emailed the Biddeford Historical Society asking about the train station (Paul McDonough did reply and stated his research also clarifies that the train station in the TR photo is not the Biddeford train station) seen in the TR photo, and reached out to a couple of my TR historian friends asking if they were aware of Fred C. Watson at Elkhorn Ranch...nope. I then emailed Erik Johnson at the Theodore Roosevelt Center at Dickinson State University. Erik replied that he had found Fred Watson in the 1885 Census. He attached the complete census. And included the names of all the "Mainers" listed in the census. Sure enough, there is Fred. Erik did not connect the "S" and "E" branding iron's mark to any ranch in the area. He emailed the Stockmen's Association to see if they have a record of the brand. They did not.
1885 Census of Billings County, Dakota Territory:
I forwarded the materials from Erik to Renée. Renée then used the info to do some additional research on the "Townsend" side of Fred Watson's family tree. She found that Fred's mother, Georgianna, had died very young, at age 29. This may have led Fred to the Townsend clan (his mother's family) that went to the Dakotas, as seen in the 1885 census. Renée sent a list of the 1880 Census...seen below.
Samuel Townsend
in the 1880 United States Federal Census -
Name: Samuel Townsend
Age: 29
Birth Date: Abt 1851
Birthplace: Maine
Home in 1880: Bismarck, Burleigh, Dakota Territory, USA
Street: Meigs Street
Dwelling Number: 153
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Married
Spouse's Name: Frances Townsend
Father's Birthplace: Maine
Mother's Birthplace: Maine
Occupation: Laborer
Neighbors: View others on "page"
Household Members - Age - Relationship
Samuel Townsend - 29 - Self (Head)
Frances Townsend - 24 - Wife
Ernest Townsend - 6 - Son
George Townsend - 4 - Son
Townsend - 2 - Daughter
Renée also sent me some other newspaper clippings related to Fred Watson. The story below, Fred with Boy Scouts while camping at Kennebunk Pond in 1932, has some cool personal TR-related stories.
Biddeford Daily Journal, Monday Evening, August 8, 1932
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Biddeford Daily Journal - August 8, 1932
When any additional information relating to the Roosevelt train stop (that is not Biddeford :) and perhaps Fred Watson is located, I'll update this page.
March 23, 1912
Lewiston Saturday Journal, March 23, 1912
- page 18
August 18, 1914 - Also included a stop at the Saco train station, where the former POTUS engaged with people from the steps of his car.
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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!
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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
