The Modern Mile: Forest Ave’s Transportation Transformation
with Phil Morse and Myles Smith
Thursday March 26, 2026
5:00-6:00pm
Rines Auditorium, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square
Free, but registration is required
Donations greatly appreciated.

From horsecars to highways, this two-part talk traces how transportation shaped Forest Avenue over more than 150 years. The first part covers the rise and fall of Maine’s electric railway system, from the state’s first horsecar line in 1863 through the final trolley run in 1941, with Forest Avenue playing a central role throughout. The second part examines what came next: the automobile’s arrival transformed Forest Avenue into Portland’s first auto mile, and postwar traffic engineering prioritized driver speed over the neighborhoods it cut through. Today the street is among the state’s most dangerous for pedestrians, though residents and city leaders are working to reclaim it as a true community center.

For more information and to register: https://www.portlandlandmarks.org/the-modern-mile