The Stanley Museum in Kingfield, Maine, is creating a virtual museum, thanks to a $5,000 matching grant from the Maine Humanities Council. The online exhibits, using material drawn from the museum’s collections and archives, will be featured on the Maine Memory Network, a project of the Maine Historical Society. The first of the museum’s exhibits is the wonderful Auto Racing in Maine: 1911, featuring a collection of 17 vintage photographs that once belonged to William S. Stanley, nephew to the Stanley twins, F. E. and F. O. The exhibit was compiled by Forrest Collins, a museum docent and volunteer, and Jim Merrick the museum’s archivist.
The photo above shows a circa-1911 Locomobile, a product of Bridgeport, Connecticut, on the hard-packed sands of Old Orchard Beach. Though the first official races at Old Orchard began in 1911, the museum speculates that the owner of this car is making his own speed run on the closed course. In the background is the famous Pier, two years after a storm destroyed the White City attraction at the Pier’s end, and shortened its length to 700 feet.
The museum has been a contributor to the Maine Memory Network site; do a search for “Stanley” on the MMN’s homepage, and you’ll find some wonderful stuff.