Territory Reached by Eastern Steamship Company and its Connections [and] Map of Eastern Steamship Company Showing Approaches to Mount Desert

Pair of maps highlighting the maritime routes of the short-lived Eastern Steamship Company.

The Eastern Steamship Company was organized in 1901 by the infamous Wall Street financier Charles Morse by consolidating three smaller shipping firms that dated back to the first half of the 19th century. In the years following, Morse continued to acquire control of various transportation firms across New England; including the Hudson River’s People’s Line (1902), Metropolitan Steamship Company (1906), and New York and Porto Rico Steamship Company (1907).

Morse’s attempt to corner the stock of Union Copper contributed significantly to the Financial Panic of 1907, and he was convicted of violating federal banking laws the following year. Though out free on appeal, Morse’s assets suffered, and in 1911 three companies, including the Eastern Steamship Company, were re-organized into the Eastern Steamship Corporation.

The brief lifespan of the Eastern Steamship Company (1901-1911) helps to date this pair of maps to within a decade, though the omission of steamship lines on the Hudson leads me to believe they were published prior to Morse’s acquisition and re-organization of the People’s Line. The title on the front cover gives a more precise explanation of its contents – “Maps Showing the Routes of All Divisions with the rail connections from principal landings. Also Penobscot Bay with the routes of the Mt. Desert and Blue Hill Division.”

The first sheet, Territory Reached by Eastern Steamship Company and its Connections, measures approximately 19.75″ x 15.75″ and shows the routes of the ESC between Boston and St. John. The image extends to show railway connections from Washington, D.C. to Quebec City and Cape Breton Island. Topography is depicted in hachure, highlighting the Catskills, Adirondacks, and White Mountains.

The second sheet, Map of Eastern Steamship Company showing approaches to Mount Desert, measures approximately 21″ x 13.75″, and highlights the ESC routes emanating from Rockland Harbor to points around Mount Desert Island (today’s Acadia National Park). The map’s large scale allows for the presentation of fascinating details like post offices, geographic features, wharves, and the Green Mountain Railway. An inset in the lower right shows railway and steamship connections across the rest of Maine.\

Sources: Eastern Steamship Company History; Visit Acadia;