Residents of Deerfield, Massachusetts, debated the trolley for months before it was put into place. This article summarizes the arguments for and against it. The main objections were aesthetic: that a trolley would violate the peace and serenity of “The Street,” the main thoroughfare through town. Others argued that the trolley was important for the town’s future prosperity. Alternate routes were proposed, but in the end the railroad commissioners approved the route through the center of town and the trolley line was built. It ran until 1924, when the rapid proliferation of automobiles contributed to the end of the company.
Greenfield Gazette and Courier. “Deerfield Electric Road.” February 24, 1900. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l02-168/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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