Monadnock Moment No. 190

Era 7: Emergence of Modern America - 1890 to 1930

The Keene, Marlow and Newport Electric Railroad

In the late 1800s, before the widespread use of automobiles in our region, almost every town of any size in New Hampshire developed plans for a street railway. Many of these lines never got beyond the planning stages as the automobile soon became more practical and reliable for passenger travel. Keene did indeed have an electric railway for more than twenty-five years at the beginning of the 20th century. This line connected Central Square with West Keene, North Swanzey, and Marlborough.

One of the most ambitious plans for an electric railway in Cheshire County was that of the Keene, Marlow and Newport Electric Railroad. In the late 1800s several residents of Marlow, Surry, and Gilsum planned the construction of a line from Central Square in Keene. The proposed line would have run up Court Street, into Surry, along the Ashuelot River into Gilsum, and then on to Marlow. The plan apparently called for eventual connection over the hills to Newport.

The men involved procured a charter in Maine under the name Ashuelot Valley Improvement Company and went about surveying the route. No construction was undertaken in the late 19th century, but as late as 1907 business directories were still listing Elgin Jones of Marlow as president of the Keene, Marlow and Newport Electric Railroad. The construction of the Dartmouth College Highway soon ended the need for this rail line and the Keene to Marlow trolley was never built.