100 years ago, 1913
Fire starting from an unknown cause damaged the four story Sands block at 124 Lisbon St. this morning. The alarm was rung in at about three o’clock. The principal damage, it is believed, will be by smoke and water. The blaze was discovered by Willie Harvey, a 10-year-old boy living at No Name Pond. Young Harvey, who has occasioned the Lewiston police no little trouble in finding him on several occasions when he decided to leave home, could only say that he was there because he was there. While sauntering up Lisbon Street he smelled smoke, glanced up and noticed the clouds rolling from the upper stories. With several policemen but a block or two distant, on their way to the three o’clock shift of crews, Harvey ran to the engine house on Ash Street and aroused the men.

50 years ago, 1963
The former Coburn Mill property at Greene has been sold by Charles Levin, Lewiston realtor, to William J. Mendelson of Lewiston, president of Hillcrest Poultry Industries, according to a warranty deed filed yesterday at the Androscoggin County Registry of Deeds. The property was purchased last Sept. 11 by Levin from harvest House Furniture Co. The plant was operated for several years by various owners as a woodwork and furniture manufacturing plant. It is located on the Augusta Highway and Patten Road in Greene.

25 years ago, 1988
The Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority this morning voted to spend $68,850 to temporarily stabilize an earthen dam at its River Road sludge landfill after hearing that an earlier, less expensive plan could not work. The authority was told in December that the spring runoff could jeopardize the dam, which holds back sludge, and cause it to collapse. Plant Manager William Marten said today that testing proved that the initial solution — installing a drainage system along one side of the sludge bed — would not work.