A big industrial boom for these cities comes in the purchase of the old Lewiston Machine Company’s property by the Avon Manufacturing Company to be converted into a modern cotton spinning mill, that will give steady employment to several hundred hands. All of the machinery, which is of the latest pattern has been bought, and the work of repairing the buildings and installing the machinery will begin at once. The mill will be ready to start in early February.

50 Years Ago, 1956

•Dwight D. Eisenhower won re-election to the presidency early today by the massive, overwhelming vote of a nation that heard and heeded his pledge of peace and prosperity.

•Snow may look pretty coming down, but it’s a more than five million dollar problem for the State of Maine.

To keep State roads open last year cost a total of $5,582,789.

State Highway Department crews plowed 2,550 miles of road. The towns plowed 12,829 miles on which the State paid a portion of the cost and another 484 miles of road were plowed under contract. However, it wasn’t always this way. A little more than 30 years ago most of the roads in the State weren’t plowed at all.

“I can remember when a group of men would hitch their teams to one of the old triangle plows and help break out some of the roads,” said John B. Church, superintendent of highway maintenance and a veteran member of the State Highway Department.

25 Years Ago, 1981

RUMFORD – Critical results of the first sampling to determine the degree of radon in artesian wells in this area, the study undertaken by Dr. J.E. Martin, Rumford town physician, were released by selectmen at their regular meeting Thursday night.

Dr. Martin stated in his report, “The reports of the first sampling of paired testings, 29 in all, indicate that of 17 artesian well, 13 showed radioactivity of dangerous levels. This, from a percentage point of view, is 76.4 percent.”