Variety of Transportation

A ferry crossing the Androscoggin River at South Ferry.

     Lewiston has had a variety of transportation. The horse and buggy, the ferry boats that allowed crossing the Androscoggin, horse pulled railway, electric trolleys, the Stanley Steamer, trains, and of course gasoline powered vehicles.

  The horse and buggy were the most popular form of transportation in the early 1800's. In the winter, a horse drawn sleigh was a better way to travel. The local blacksmith took care of your horse. The livery stable on Park Street was owned and operated by David Rowe.
     As Lewiston grew so did the need for public transportation. Horse drawn cars on tracks were the first form of mass transit. This was replaced in 1898 with electric trolleys.
     Did you know that Lewiston once had trolley cars? In 1895 the trolley car replaced the horse railroad and was the primary means of transportation. The trolley made an 11-mile trip in about one hour. It replaced the old horse railways with long stretches of electrified tracks.
     Citizens of the community cheered and waved as the first trolley car passed. They were proud of their new modern means of transportation. One farmer even fired a salute from his shotgun in honor of the trolley.
     The electric trolleys traveled from Waterville through Lewiston-Auburn, all the way to Portland. The trolleys of the Lewiston, Brunswick & Bath St. Railway had a "car barn" (garage) on lower Lisbon Street.
     The trolley was quite successful until the 1930's. The introduction of gasoline vehicles led to a decrease in the trolley's business. In 1941, the trolley made its last run in Lewiston.
     Railroads were also used at this time. At the turn of the century the Maine Central Railroad was used for passenger service as well as to haul freight to and from the mills and factories. It was the only rail service in Lewiston. The railroad charged the local businesses high rates to use the line.
                                                                                                

  In order to force the Maine Central Railroad to lower its railroad charges, Lewiston and Auburn joined together and built a 5-mile connecting line from Lincoln Street station to the main line of the Canadian National Railroad. This line was called the Grand Trunk. The project was finished in 1874 and very was successful. The Maine Central Railroad lowered its freight rates immediately.
The Grand Trunk also brought in many French-Canadians immigrants to Lewiston. Many of these immigrants traveled from Canada to Lewiston in order to work in the mills
     The Grand Trunk railroad no longer uses the Lincoln Street station. The Maine Central Railroad no longer has passenger service to Lewiston. Passenger service ended in 1960. Today the Maine Central Railroad continues to carry freight in Maine, however there are no stops in Lewiston.
               Clarence Rand poses in a 1902 Stanley Steamer

     Next came the horseless carriages. The Stanley Steamer was a steam-powered vehicle that got attention from around the world. The Stanley brothers built their first car in Lewiston. Gasoline powered carriages soon became more popular and replaced the steam powered vehicles.
     Cars became the favored means of transportation in the 1900's. This brought about changes in the roadways. Dirt roads were covered with crushed rocks to make driving easier. Cobble stone roads laced with trolley tracks were not resurfaced with tar until the State Automobile Road was built in 1912. This road connected Lewiston to Portland.
     The increases use of cars, trucks and buses caused many changes in traffic patterns throughout the city. Soon train and trolley lines began to close down various runs until they disappeared. Automobiles and buses took most of their business. People preferred the freedom of traveling in their own automobiles. By 1941 the Lewiston trolley made its last run. A new company for mass transit, The Lewiston-Auburn Transit began offering bus transportation to the public for a nickel fare.
     Hudson Bus Line began providing bus service to the community in 1959. It continues to sever the community today . The Greyhound Bus Lines provides bus transpiration to 48 states and to Canada.
  

Back to Lewiston "Our Home "

Created by D. Letourneau ©1999 Revised 2003
Materials compiled from files of the third grade teachers of Lewiston.
Photos from Hodgkins, Lewiston Memories A Bicentennial Pictorial, 1994