They were a real novelty in Farmington in 1903. The horseless carriages purchased by Drs. Palmer and Bell to aid them in making house calls were the beginning of a new phenomenon in Franklin County.

But the car did not catch on overnight in western Maine. New car owners soon found that their dirt roads better accommodated horse hooves than rubber tires.

Motorists were in the minority and not always popular with their horse-drawn neighbors. Equines were easily spooked by noisy, smoky cars, resulting in accidents.

Traffic laws favored the horse, and autos had to come to a complete stop if signaled to do so in the presence of one.

Furthermore, cars were only suited to warm weather months and weren’t equipped for travel on snow-packed roads.

As time passed, however, more Franklin County residents acquired motor vehicles. In 1905, Frank McLeary converted his stable on Church Street into the Farmington Automobile Station and the next year started selling Fords instead of horses.

More vehicles brought with them issues for state legislators. In 1912 Maine statutes allowed for a speed limit of 25 miles per hour in open country and 10 miles per hour in town. Drinking and driving was already an issue, and the law treated offenders sternly: Drunk drivers were fined up to $50, an immense sum for the day, or thrown into jail for up to three months.

Gradually the car created more opportunities for statewide travel, and in 1913 state legislators decided to get serious about funding a road system that would serve the accelerated needs of Maine motorists. They issued $2 million in bonds for a system of interlocking state roads connecting Maine from east and west and north and south.

Mainers were covering more distance within the state. However, interstate travel by motorized vehicle was not yet common. Vehicles were licensed for travel within Maine only. Car owners who lived near New Hampshire could get a special sticker for their license plates that would allow them to travel 15 miles into the next state. But the idea of hopping into the car and driving to Boston or New York was not yet a part of the Maine lifestyle.

In 1913, just 90 years ago, legislators could not foresee that their constituents would venture far outside the state’s boundaries in their new automobiles.

Luann Yetter has researched and written a history column for the Sun Journal for the past nine years. She teaches writing at the University of Maine at Farmington. Additional research for this column is by University of Farmington student David Farady.

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