There’s nothing that brings back the nostalgic mystique of the late 1880s like the image of a Stanley Steamer chuffing along a country road.

Those mechanical forerunners of the automotive age had deep roots in Maine and their inventors also had ties to Lewiston.

As interesting as those steam-powered automobiles may have been, there is an even more fascinating side of the Stanley twins whose claims to fame ranged from artistic endeavor to a ghostly legend that lives to this day.

The Stanley Steamer was the famous invention of twin brothers Francis E. and Freelan O. Stanley who were born in Kingfield on June 1, 1849.

As youngsters in their rural Maine hometown, the boys developed early skills as inventors and businessmen. On one birthday, they were given a knife by their father, a school teacher who believed everything offered learning opportunities. He challenged his sons to see what they could accomplish with the knife.

They began carving out toys that they sold to friends, and they made a fairly good profit at a penny a toy. Their love of music led them to make violins, and about 500 of the fine quality instruments were sold to the public.

Each of the Stanley brothers became teachers, and Freelan was a principal of Mechanic Falls High School.

It was the mid-1880s when the twins decided they could improve upon the business of photography. In those days, wet plates had to be prepared at the time each photo was to be taken. The chemicals were toxic and difficult to manage. Freelan and Francis developed a dry plate that required fewer chemicals and took pictures with much shorter exposure times.

The business flourished in the original building of the Sun Journal on Park Street in Lewiston.

When business success dictated a move to Massachusetts, F.O. and F.E. Stanley sold the building to their friend Nelson Dingley Jr., a Maine governor in the 1870s and a congressman from Maine, who was an early part-owner of the newspaper and a Lewiston Journal editor for many years.

The business became one of the leading photographic manufacturers in North America and it wasn’t long before the advantages of their process caught the attention of the Eastman Kodak Co. The brothers sold the Stanley Dry Plate Co., which was making $100,000 annually, for $1 million.

The steam-powered automobile that will forever be associated with the Stanley name came about when Francis saw a model of a small homemade steam engine car at an 1890s fair. He recognized an opportunity to make a better engine.

The Stanleys’ success was based on an improved steam pressure vessel that minimized explosions and fires. The Stanley Steamers sold very well, but Henry Ford’s vehicles with internal combustion engines took over the market soon after 1908.

These accomplishments certainly earn the Stanleys their place in history, but some later incidents put a very interesting twist on history.

F.E. Stanley died in an auto accident in 1918. It is said his vehicle flipped when he tried to avoid two horse-drawn farm wagons traveling side-by-side ahead of him on a narrow road.

F.O. Stanley contracted tuberculosis and because of his failing health he went to Estes Park, Colo., and built a large hotel which attracted many of the rich and famous. His health improved dramatically, and he lived until 1940.

It’s the Stanley Hotel where the final unusual chapter of the Stanley story took place. Though he died in Massachusetts, employees of the hotel reported seeing the ghosts of Freelan and his wife.

Stephen King stayed for one night in Room 217 of the hotel just before it was to be closed for some extensive renovation. It is said he went to the front desk to ask about a child he heard crying for “nanny.” King was told he was the only guest registered.

The hotel is said to be King’s inspiration for his book “The Shining.” The movie was not shot there, but King directed a TV mini-series version in 1995 and he filmed scenes at the hotel.

Several decades ago, when I was employed as a reporter for the Lewiston Daily Sun, I often had reason to go to the dark and dusty top floor of the newspaper offices to do research in the old newspapers stored there. I can’t help wondering if one of the brothers was looking over my shoulder in that place so close to their early work.

Dave Sargent is a freelance writer and a native of Auburn. He can be reached by sending email to [email protected].