Maine Memory Network

Bangor and Aroostook Railroad Trestle Guard Rails, ca. 1970

Contributed by: Oakfield Historical Society Date: circa 1970 Media: Photographic print

Quarry rails from the quarry dock to the quarry, Swan's Island, ca. 1900

Contributed by: Swan's Island Historical Society Date: circa 1900 Location: Swan's Island Media: Photographic print

207-217 Forest Avenue, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Portland Rail Road Company Use: Power Plant

Assessor's Record, 207-217 Forest Avenue, Portland, 1924

Owner in 1924: Portland Rail Road Company Use: Air Shaft

Guarding Maine Rail Lines

Black soldiers served in Maine during World War II, assigned in small numbers throughout the state to guard Grand Trunk rail lines from a possible German attack. The soldiers, who lived in railroad cars near their posts often interacted with local residents.

J.A. Poor and the Portland-Montreal Connection

John A. Poor's determination in 1845 to bring rail service to Maine and to make Portland the winter port for Montreal, along with the steel foundry he started to build locomotives and many other products, helped boost the economy of Portland the state.

Presque Isle: The Star City - Canadian and Pacific Railroad

"Houlton and Fort Fairfield were the first to get rail service. The residents of Presque Isle, seeing the growth brought by the railroad, were…"

Presque Isle: The Star City - Bangor and Aroostook GP-38, Presque Isle, 1991

"Pictured with engine 94 is young rail enthusiast, Frederick Asam. View additional information about this item on the Maine Memory Network."

An enjoyable conference, Portland 2021
by John C. Decker, Danville, Pennsylvania

Some snippets from a 4-day conference by transportation historians in Portland, September 7-11, 2021

How Mon-Oncle France came to Les-États
by Michael Parent

How Mon-Oncle France came to the United States.

Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride Companion Curriculum

Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8 Content Area: Social Studies
These lesson plans were developed by Maine Historical Society for the Seashore Trolley Museum as a companion curriculum for the historical fiction YA novel "Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride" by Jean. M. Flahive (2019). The novel tells the story of Millie Thayer, a young girl who dreams of leaving the family farm, working in the city, and fighting for women's suffrage. Millie's life begins to change when a "flying carpet" shows up in the form of an electric trolley that cuts across her farm and when a fortune-teller predicts that Millie's path will cross that of someone famous. Suddenly, Millie finds herself caught up in events that shake the nation, Maine, and her family. The lesson plans in this companion curriculum explore a variety of topics including the history of the trolley use in early 20th century Maine, farm and rural life at the turn of the century, the story of Theodore Roosevelt and his relationship with Maine, WWI, and the flu pandemic of 1918-1920.