Those words in inch-high bold black print shouted the news from the front page of the Lewiston Daily Sun on Monday morning, Nov. 11, 1918. The Great War, which would become known as World War I, was over and the Twin Cities were poised to erupt in jubilation.

A second headline under that report of armistice terms said, “Lewiston-Auburn Fittingly Celebrates Greatest Event in World History.”

The story said Lewiston’s mayor declared a public holiday with “continuous celebration throughout the day.” A monster bonfire was planned for the evening when 200 tar barrels were to be set ablaze. The location was described as “the public square,” which would likely mean the area near Lewiston City Hall.

The news story said an Associated Press telegraph transmission brought the news very soon after the armistice was signed at 2:45 a.m. The Lewiston Daily Sun staff immediately notified the mayors of the two cities, and they passed the wonderful news on to the fire and police departments. In minutes, fire whistles were sounding, to be joined soon by church bells and factory whistles.

The pre-dawn excitement accelerated as hastily-dressed residents drove through town with horns blaring and flags waving. Many people headed straight for the newspaper’s offices on Park Street to be sure the news was true and was actually posted on the public bulletin board. There had been many false rumors of peace in preceding weeks and people tended to be skeptical.

As dawn broke, the cities’ officials began preparations for a massive local celebration and parade. The mayors were said to have called the leaders of local bands and “ordered them and their organizations together as quickly as possible and to be ready for an all-day and all-night celebration,” and that line ended with a big WOW!

The parade began at 7:30 a.m., and just before that, the newspaper story said, “A.E. Smith of 171 Park Street, Lewiston, wearing the regalia of Uncle Sam, appeared at the Mayor’s office and was assigned to a first position in the parade.”

Two Lewiston aldermen were appointed to go to the home of Lew Morrill on Webster Street where they were to “get a cannon and all the cartridges and fireworks Lew had on hand.”

A cannon on the library lawn also was fired repeatedly for the occasion.

“Thousands of people … men, women and children … marched in the parade. There were professional men walking side by side with the mill men clad in their working frocks and carrying dinner pails as they had come prepared to work before they knew that a PUBLIC HOLIDAY had been declared,” the newspaper story said.

Auburn’s celebration was equally boisterous. It was reported that “Forest Potter was out at the first stroke of the bells with his big GMC truck.” He made several runs to deliver fireworks and tar barrels that fueled big bonfires at “Court Square” and at the Engine House.

The report said the fires burned so furiously that “Bill Butterfield (presumably a police or fire department official) had to come over and warn the boys that they were stopping the cars.”

The celebration continued well into the night.

“Shot guns and revolvers were numerous and the young cannons at the Engine House added their vote to the uproar. Autos dragging tin pans and boilers were a feature of the noisy program, all being loaded with shouting girls and streaming flags.”

Although L-A’s citizens didn’t know it at the time, that was the first celebration of what was originally known as Armistice Day, and later Veterans Day.

Dave Sargent is a freelance writer and a native of Auburn. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].