This is a photo of the motormen (drivers), conductors and shop workers of the Jamestown Street Railway. The Railway barns were in the brick building at the eastern end of the Third Street Bridge on the north side of the street.
Bob Johnston is a Jamestown resident who has spent the past several years restoring Jamestown Street Railway trolley car #93. He said this photo was taken by Fenton & Andrus and it was published in the 1900 Illustrated History of Jamestown, Chautauqua County, N.Y by Vernelle A. Hatch. The article identified the men as follows:
Back row: A. Bentley, F. Ferguson, G. Edwards, M. Wilcox, C. Johnson, C. Peterson, E. Hayward, J. Lawson and F. Wortman.
Middle Row: C. Curtis, G. Thompson, T. Cooper, C. Rush, J. Bentley, J. Davidson, C.E. Carlson, A. Peterson, H. Hopson, E. Blanchard, E. Johnson, C. Jones, W. Wells, G. Dawley, S Hawkinson, E. Whitney and C. Kaple.
Front Row: W. Lancaster, L. Harvey, R. Terry, C. Carlson, F. Carlson, B. Goodwin, J. White, A. Harvey, A. Montague, S. Heath, G. Sigerstrom, A. Osberg, C. Hendrickson, C. White, M. Crosby, C. Willard, C. Johnson and J. Loucks.
Mr. Lancaster (front left), is wearing his pole spikes and pole climbing gear.
This photo goes along with a random piece of paper that just happened to appear one day at the Hall House. It is an 8.5 x 11” photocopy of a section of a page of the The Jamestown Journal, date unknown. There are advertisements for The Humphrey (Hotel), Henry Black, Photographer, at 12 E. 3rd Street, Fenner’s Faultless Footwear at 306 Main Street and Work’s Ladies Restaurant at 309 Main Street, featuring “good service, elegant refreshments.”
This article on the page stood out:
OUR STREET CAR
CONDUCTORS
“In no city in the country is the politeness of street car conductors more noticeable than in Jamestown. With scarce an exception they are alert and anxious to help both women and children in boarding and alighting from the cars. It is to be hoped that all patrons are as appreciative as the woman who said ‘I don’t fear to send my child from one end of the town to the other, the car men are so kind and watchful.’”
At the Trolley Restoration website, (www.jamestowntrolley.org), a brief history states the service began June 19, 1884 with horse-drawn cars. The cars were electrified in 1891. Better roads, the automobile and mass transportation decreased ridership, and the Jamestown Street Railway service ended in 1938. Bob Johnston, who has been restoring Trolley Car #93 for over two decades, said the Jamestown Westfield and Northwestern (JW&NW) Railroad continued to provide electric trolley car passenger service to downtown Jamestown up into 1940. After that the JW&NWRR only came into the City as far as the boatlanding, and ended its electric trolley car passenger service in November of 1947.
Trolley #93 is on the Fenton History Center Tour schedule. The tour will meet at Ideal Coatings, 1862 Delaware Avenue in Falconer on Saturday, July 19 at 10:30 a.m. Mr. Johnston will tell about the origins of Trolley #93 and his restoration efforts.
Please visit the website above for more detailed information on Car #93 or to make a donation. Mr. Johnston is also available to speak with groups who would like to know more about the Jamestown Street Railway Trolley. He can be reached at (716) 338-5051.
