Presque Isle Historical Society’s trolley
makes inaugural run
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
ALL ABOARD — A ride aboard the Presque Isle Historical Society’s new tour vehicle, Molly the Trolley, was enjoyed by nearly 30 passengers who took an inaugural ride around Presque Isle on Thursday.
Pictured waiting for other participants to get onboard are, from left: Judy Hilton, Rick Nadeau, Phil Bosse, two unidentified passengers, Wayne Sweetser and Ward Gerow. The trolley will be used for historical tours and other purposes.
PRESQUE ISLE — The Presque Isle Historical Society has acquired a unique mode of transportation — Molly the Trolley — that will enable the public to take historic tours not only in Presque Isle but throughout Aroostook County, according to Kim Smith, the Society’s secretary/treasurer.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
TOUR TROLLEY UNVEILED — The Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the old firehouse on Church Street, welcoming the Presque Isle Historical Society’s newest acquisition, Molly the Trolley. The vehicle will be used for historical tours and other purposes authorized by the Society. Pictured from left are: Society members Richard Rand and Janet Snow, Society President Craig Green, Society Secretary/Treasurer and tour guide Kim Smith, Chamber member Dawn Poitras, Chamber Administrative Assistant Valerie Lunn, Society Curator Judy Hilton, Chamber Executive Director Theresa Fowler, Chamber member Stacy Shaw and Society Past President Carol Bell.
“We’re excited to have the opportunity to unveil our new toy. Our goal was to have some sort of vehicle to offer a bus tour, both in the city and throughout the County,” said Smith, during the Sept. 22 unveiling. “For a 26-year old lady, she looks darn good.”
Currently the trolley, once used in southern Maine communities such as Old Orchard Beach, is painted red and green. Smith indicated plans were to eventually re-paint the vehicle but a color scheme has yet to be determined. Molly is a 1985-model, with a gas-driven Chevrolet 454 engine. The body is aluminum, contains etched windows, extensive wood paneling and brass rails.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
MOLLY THE TROLLEY recently joined the Presque Isle Historical Society’s other memorable collectibles. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and inaugural ride was held Sept. 22, with the Society planning to use the vehicle for historical tours and other purposes in the future.
“In addition to a new paint scheme, Molly could undergo a name change — perhaps Polly the Trolley, since she’s based in Presque Isle,” said Smith.
Society President Craig Green was confident Molly was the first of her kind to make it this far north.
“No one in Aroostook has ridden such a vehicle locally,” he said.
According to Green, the Presque Isle trolley got her start in Ogunquit.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
RACING TO KEEP UP — Children at ACAP’s Child and Family Services facility on Parsons Street ran and waved as Molly the Trolley passed by loaded with passengers. The trolley will be used by the Presque Isle Historical Society for historical tours and other adventures. Pictured is Judy Hilton, Society curator, waving to the youngsters as the trolley passed them on Parsons Street.
“She was built by the Molly Corporation of Ogunquit. These trolleys are used in southern Maine to reduce congestion along Route 1. Trolleys are now being made, shipped and used all over the world,” said Green.
According to www.mollytrolley.com, the idea for providing Ogunquit with trolley service to ease parking problems originated in 1979. The Molly Corporation was subsequently formed in 1981 and since that time the company has been in constant production. In the summer, the trolleys operate in Ogunquit during tourist season; during winter months, these same trolleys operate in Scottsdale, Ariz. The company once operated trolleys in several cities but that operation is now managed by the respective city or private business.
Green thanked Barry Carmichael and T.A. Service for making the trip south to pick up the vehicle.
The trolley holds 29 people, including the driver and tour guide. Fitted with wooden bench-type seats, the vehicle has removable side windows so that when the weather’s hot, passengers can enjoy an open-air ride.
“It has 13 bench seats that will fit two people each,” said Smith. “We would like to install DVD players to show historic photos during our tours.”
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
TOUR GUIDE KIM SMITH waits for passengers to board Molly the Trolley for the inaugural run of the Presque Isle Historical Society’s newest acquisition on Sept. 22.
Smith said the trolley can be used year-round, providing more opportunities to share historic sites with visitors and residents alike.
“We haven’t established a tour schedule yet but hope to have something in place in the near future. We’re also interested in hearing from officials from other County communities about the possibility of scheduling historic tours in their areas also,” she said.
Smith said the trolley can also serve as a fundraiser, with rentals being considered.
“We’ve already been approached by someone wanting to rent it for a wedding and another interested in renting it for a prom ride,” said Smith.
About 30 people were on hand for Molly’s inaugural ride. To commemorate the event, Green handed out boxes of Rice-A-Roni (a rice-based side dish whose logo includes a San Francisco trolley).
Passengers were treated to a short tour of Presque Isle, with Smith providing many a fact about the community. Departing from the historic firehouse on Church Street, the tour followed Main Street, turning onto State Street, then on to Parsons Street, with a brief detour around ACAP’s Child and Family Services facility — where youngsters anxiously awaited the trolley and its riders, waving as they ran along the fenced yard, trying to keep up with Molly as she passed by. The tour then continued across Park Street, back to Main, then returned to the fire station.
“Molly serves our mission by helping us to promote local history and will be used as part of the Presque Isle Historical Society’s regular programming. With Molly, the Society will be able to offer narrated city-wide historic bus tours – not only in town but to destinations like the Double Eagle II monument, James School, Mantle Lake, Maysville Grange, MicMac Museum and more,” said Smith.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
RICE-A-RONI was handed out by Craig Green, president of the Presque Isle Historical Society, during the Society’s first run of the newly-acquired Molly the Trolley, in recognition of the many years trolleys have been in service.
“We can also do a museum crawl — an all-day trip to include a box lunch to a different area of the County each month during the summer, designed to showcase the museums in that portion of the County. Area trips would include: Patten/Oakfield, Houlton/Monticello, the St. John Valley, Caribou/Fort Fairfield, Ashland/Mapleton/Washburn, and Presque Isle,” she said.
Smith said the uses are numerous.
“We could also use it for fall foliage tours and as part of the transportation for the upcoming Summer History Camp Program for children ages 8-12. It could also be used as a local guide service for visiting tour group companies, as well as for private charters,” said Smith.
For more information, contact the Presque Isle Historical Society, PO Box 285, Presque Isle, ME 04769; call 762-1151; e-mail pihistoricalsociety@hotmail.com; or visit www.pihistory.org.
