Charles B. Plummer of Lisbon Falls can call to mind one hundred and sixty ministers whom he has heard preach at different times, and sixty-one of these he heard in the old brick meeting house which is situated in the Plummer district, Durham, where he passed his boyhood. This interesting old church was built in 1845 and was within twenty feet of the old brick schoolhouse from which many men, who have since won fame, have gone out, and Mr. Plummer can tell, as if it happened but yesterday, the story of its inception, its building, its growth and its decline.

50 Years Ago, 1954

The first annual Oxford County 4-H Dairy Show was held at Oxford County Fair Grounds with 37 animals exhibited. Five breeds, Holsteins, Jerseys, Guernseys, Milking Shorthorns and Ayrshires were shown. Leigh Plaisted, herdsman at the University of Maine, judged and placed the animals and place them in various classes. He offered comments on each animal at the showing.

A violent freak hailstorm leveled a swath over an area about three-fourths of a mile, when it struck near Bear Pond. The Beedy farm was reported to have suffered extreme damage in the storm with a 10 acre corn field leveled, glass broken in windows in the house, uncut hay driven into the ground, and trees stripped of their leaves.

25 Years Ago, 1979

Milton Simon, director for the Auburn Youth Band, goes over a few last minute arrangements while waiting for the remainder of the band to arrive at Kennedy Park. The group will launch its first concert of the season at the Franco-American Festival at Kennedy Park. Simon will announce the band’s decision to dedicate the summer series to the late Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler. Its repertoire includes much of Fiedler’s music, ranging from classical to pop, and it will conclude with Fiedler’s favorite, “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”