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PHOTO 11

Rachel Carson trail entrance

During the turn of the century, when grand hotels were a draw, many tourists came to the coast to escape the city heat. Local transportation to these hotels and the shore was greatly improved when the York Harbor and Beach Railway opened in 1887.  It’s steam locomotives followed the shoreline, near Route 103.  It delivered visitors from Portsmouth ferries to hotels in Kittery Point and York.  An electric trolley, the Portsmouth, Kittery and York affectionately known as “push, kick and yank” opened in 1897.  Its power plant was beside the river in Kittery Point.  Both summer visitors and residents relied on this service.  The trestle pilings of these railways can still be seen in our creeks today.  The New Call’s trestle track remains can be seen in Chauncey Creek, across the street.

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