Portsmouth historian to lecture on Aquidneck Island trolleys

Free talk set for Jan. 28 at library

Posted 1/21/19

PORTSMOUTH — Learn about the advent of mass transit in Portsmouth when Town Historian Jim Garman presents a lecture about Aquidneck Island trolleys at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28.

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Portsmouth historian to lecture on Aquidneck Island trolleys

Free talk set for Jan. 28 at library

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Learn about the advent of mass transit in Portsmouth when Town Historian Jim Garman presents a lecture about Aquidneck Island trolleys at 6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28.

The Portsmouth Historical Society will host the event, to be held at the Portsmouth Free Public Library. The lecture is free, but reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the library at 401/683-9457.

In the age of the horse and buggy, mass transit was not available on Aquidneck Island except for the Old Colony Railroad (built 1862-1864).

Some cities had horse-cars earlier, but with the development of electric street railways (begun in Richmond, Va. in 1888), mass transit emerged in a new form which proved very popular.

In 1889, the first street railway was authorized in Newport. Eventually Newport had the main line, from Morton Park to One-Mile Corner, and additional lines to First Beach and to the Naval Training Station. 

The first of two “interurban lines” was built in 1898, and a second in 1903. It was then possible to travel along the two major highways from Newport to the Stone Bridge and to Bristol Ferry, respectively.

Trolley ridership was robust in the 1900-1918 era. Eventually, however, the trolleys were replaced by buses, jitneys and, of course, the automobile.

By 1925 the trolley companies were out of business as motorized travel replaced the electric street railways.

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.