The city of Portland, in coordination with a nonprofit, has started a nearly $500,000 project to rehabilitate the 19-acre park, which was once a premier destination in Maine.
On the day that Riverton Trolley Park opened to the public 125 years ago, 10,000 eager visitors boarded trolley cars for the 20-cent round trip to a slice of paradise on the banks of the Presumpscot River.
Visitors enjoyed extravagant performances in a natural amphitheater, a fancy casino building, canoeing, fishing, and vast open green space. The park, built by the Portland Railroad Co., quickly became Maine’s premier destination.
Today, though, with an average of only 9,000 visitors per year, the 19-acre park is considered the most underutilized in all of Portland. But that may soon change.
The city of Portland, in coordination with the Portland Parks Conservancy, a nonprofit committed to supporting the city’s parks, has started a nearly $500,000 project to rehabilitate Riverton Trolley Park.