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Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad Company records

 Collection
Identifier: M006

  • Staff Only
  • Please use the Collection Organization section below to place requests.

Scope and Content

The records, consisting of correspondence, Provisional Committee and Corporators' meeting minutes, committee reports, clippings, documents, and printed pamphlets and broadsides, focus on the establishment, routing, and construction of the railroad. The correspondents include some of Maine's most prominent citizens and interested parties in Montreal and Sherbrooke, Quebec; London, England; and Boston. Although notables such as Charles E. Barrett, James Deering, Neal Dow, Samuel Fessenden, Hannibal Hamlin, John A. Poor, Francis O.J. Smith, and Ashur Ware are represented, the bulk of the correspondence (20 or more letters each) is among E.F. Beal, Sir Alexander T. Galt, Josiah S. Little, John Neal, William Pitt Preble, and Reuel Williams.

Dates

  • Creation: 1844 - 1894
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1844 - 1854

Creator

Biographical/Historical Note

The Atlantic & St. Lawrence Rail Road, the first line built from Portland, Maine, to Montreal, Quebec, was established to carry traffic from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence waterway to an Atlantic port. Chartered in February 1845, ground was broken in July of the following year; the last segment of the line was finally opened in July 1853. Leased by the Grand Trunk Railway, the Atlantic & St. Lawrence became part of the Canadian National system. Its corporate name was dissolved in 1959.

Extent

2 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Records including correspondence, Provisional Committee and Corporators' meeting minutes, committee reports, clippings, documents, and printed pamphlets and broadsides, focus on the establishment, routing, and construction of the railroad.

Title
Guide to the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad Company Records
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine 04011 Repository

Contact:
3000 College Station
Brunswick Maine 04011 USA
(207) 725-3288