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Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad Company Records

 Collection
Identifier: SpC MS 0019

Scope and Contents

The collection consists primarily of records of the treasurer's office of the railroad. Especially represented are records of Isaac Redington, treasurer in the early 1850's, and S. Stark, treasurer in 1854 and 1855.

The collection contains legal documents, 1850-1858, mostly writs of attachment and a few deeds. A small group of Maine Central Railroad writs, 1866-1870, is also included. These are followed by folders with information about company stocks, notes, and other financial dealings, 1849-1856. The largest section of the collection is made up of bills and receipts, 1849-1856, paid by the company's treasurer. These include payment for time spent working on railroad stations, clearing the roadway, surveying, etc.; for supplies needed to operate and maintain the line; and for wood cut for use of the railroad.

Dates

  • 1847-1870
  • Majority of material found within 1850-1856

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Kept at Fogler Library's offsite storage facility. One week's notice required for retrieval.

Restrictions on Use

Information on literary rights available in the Library.

Historical Note

The collection contains records from the treasurer's office of the Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad Company of Waterville, Maine.

The company was chartered in 1845 and organized in 1847. It had 13 directors, with Timothy Boutelle serving as the first president and Edwin Noyes as treasurer. The stock in the company was owned almost entirely by people from Maine; earnings were always disappointing and the stock never paid a dividend. The line was planned to run from near Lewiston, Maine to Waterville, and was to be built in three section, all to be completed by July 1849. It was to intersect with the Atlantic and St. Lawrence, running from Portland to Montreal, at Danville Junction. The estimated cost of the line was set at $1,000,000 but final costs were close to $2,000,000. The section from Danville Junction to Lewiston opened in December, 1848; that to Winthrop in July, 1849; and the final section to Waterville in December 1849, for a total of 55 miles of track.

The company chose to install a broad gauge track, which led to difficulties in connecting to other narrow gauge railroads being built at the same time, especially the Penobscot and Kennebec Railroad running to Bangor. This railroad, planned to run from the Kennebec River to Bangor, had been chartered in the same year as the Androscoggin and Kennebec. The railroad opened to Bangor in 1855 and in 1856 was leased to the Androscoggin and Kennebec, which operated it until 1862.

In 1862, the directors of the Androscoggin and Kennebec and the Penobscot and Kennebec agreed to consolidate under the name of Maine Central Railroad Company.

Extent

1 cubic foot (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Primarily records of the treasurer's office of the Waterville, Maine, railroad company.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These records came to the Special Collections Department, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University of Maine as a gift in 1974.

Processing Information

The collection has been re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes. Documents have been surface cleaned as needed.

Title
Guide to the Androscoggin and Kennebec Railroad Company Records
Status
Box And Folder List Available
Date
August 2004
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for uncoded script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections Repository

Contact:
5729 Raymond H. Fogler Library
University of Maine
Orono ME 04469-5729 United States
207-581-1686