After years of neglect, Riverton Trolley Park may rise again
The city of Portland, in coordination with a nonprofit, has started a nearly $500,000 project to rehabilitate the 19-acre park, which was once a premier destination in Maine.
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People walk along a line of waiting trolley cars at Riverton Park. Photo courtesy of the Collections of Maine Historical Society, MaineMemory.net #12164
On the day that Riverton Trolley Park opened to the public 125 years ago, 10,000 eager visitors boarded trolley cars for the 20-cent round trip to a slice of paradise on the banks of the Presumpscot River.
Visitors enjoyed extravagant performances in a natural amphitheater, a fancy casino building, canoeing, fishing, and vast open green space. The park, built by the Portland Railroad Co., quickly became Maine’s premier destination.