In the real old days, getting to Portsmouth was no mean feat. Aside from walking (1-2 hours) or by horse, Rye folks did have the stage in the 1800's, but in August, 1899 a transportation revolution (or invasion depending on your view point) occurred when the Portsmouth Electric Railway came to town. For some real old timers who remembered the iron horse invasion of the 1840's this must have been a deja vue nightmare and to now have it coming right through the middle of the peaceful village, well, this would not stand. But of course it did, and most people were happy to have it at the dawn of the new century when getting to town was essential.
The trolley came out from Market Square, along Sagamore Road, onto Wallis, through the center of town, down Central Road to the Farragut Hotel on Ocean Boulevard, and on to Hampton Beach. For the next 28 years Rye and the seacoast and the rest of the country had far superior public transportation than we have today. Cars were a novelty in Rye and most places until the teens and especially after the war.
(If the truth be known, the Railway was a losing financial proposition and if the B and M Railway did not own it, the trolley would have ceased to exist much sooner. Trolleys were a profitable concern in larger urban areas, but aside from the summer demand, there were never enough people in the seacoast to justify it.)
But what did the trolley do in winter? Why it donned a plow and, when necessary, the locals dug it out. The trolley must go on and the fresh memories of our recent snow storm help one to imagine what Rye winters must have been like a century ago.
~Alex Herlihy, Rye Historical Society and Town Museum
~Alex Herlihy, Rye Historical Society and Town Museum
