BOSTON – If anything were needed to prove that the Grand Army of the Republic is still in fact a mighty host, it was to be found today, when with half a million civilians looking on, 26,000 survivors of the Union fighters of the Civil War assembling here from all sections of the United States, marching through the streets. Five and one half hours were required for the parade to pass a given point. It was a difficult problem for the old soldiers, one of the hardest battles ever, they entered to stand and walk on the hot crowded streets, but they bore it as true veterans and heroes. Almost three score of them dropped from the ranks from exhaustion or prostration; they were tenderly cared for at the field and civic hospitals.

50 Years Ago, 1954

With 2,200 tickets already sold for the 22nd annual French-Irish baseball game, Promoter Omer Gauvin, said he expects 5,000 persons to jam Pettengill Park when the yearly contest gets under way. Being played in Auburn for the first time, the battle usually attracts a good crowd, but Gauvin said he expects this year’s crowd will be the largest ever.

25 Years Ago, 1979

U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie and Rep. Olympia Snow were just two of the nation’s leaders who paid tribute to small businesses during a brief ceremony at Auburn’s newest mall, the Engine House. The small shopping center, constructed from the humble remnants of a 100-year-old firehouse, was praised by officials as an example of small business ingenuity. In addition to Muskie and Mrs. Snowe, former Maine Gov. Kenneth Curtis and Under Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges turned up to receive honorary awards for their “significant contribution to the greater good of mankind.”

Copy the Story Link