Dartmouth and Westport Electric Railroad

Dartmouth and Westport Electric Railroad, a passenger line that connected the commercial cities of Fall River and New Bedford, with an important stop at Westport Factory and Lincoln Park.

Etta Allen Palmer:

“I could drive my horse up to Route 6, and then get on the trolley and take it to Fall River, and then I’d walk up the hill to Locust Street, that’s where we lived, right by the park there, ‘Ruggles Park.’ We lived right up through there, and I’d go up and collect rent for my mother, and I’d go up and pick up a few things in town ‘cause she’d done an awful lot of sewing and knitting, and then I’d come all the way back to the park and he’d hitch up my horse for me and then I’d come all the way back to the farm.”

New Bedford – Fall River trolley, heading for Westport. c. 1905

David Rozinha:

“I lived at the Point, and before we had a car, I never did see the other end of town. I used to go to Fall River once in a while with my father, and that’s about all. He used to start off about 7 o’clock in the morning, and after his shopping, get back about 5 o’clock. Most of the time, we went over the Gifford Road to the Head of Westport, then the old New Bedford Road (Route 177). I worked on that road. Route 6 was just a streetcar line; there was no road there. Old County Road through the Head was the East-West road through Newport to Cape Cod. A lot of people here who wanted to go into Fall River or New Bedford would take the stage. The mailman had a stage – started with horse and wagon, and then changed to cars. At Lincoln Park, they’d take the trolley. On the trolley, you could go to Newport, Bristol, Rhode Island, and Providence. The trolley line was at the bottom, and the cars would go up overhead.”

New Bedford – Fall River trolley, heading for Westport. c. 1905