100 years ago, 1913
The Portland-bound train rolled into the Upper Maine Central Station, Thursday morning, and among those alighting was a thirsty looking gentleman. He seemed aggravated that he was in Androscoggin County and the Portsmouth, the nearest oasis, was nearly 100 miles away. As he dragged his tired and travel-weary feet across the platform, he was approached by an individual carrying a suitcase. A few whispered words, a warning to watch out for the sheriff, and the salesman opened his satchel and pulled out a small bundle the shape of a pint bottle. Soon the traveler was on his way, but ten minutes later he was back at the station looking for the man with the satchel. He told a fellow traveler the bottle of what he thought was whiskey contained a pint of tea … weak tea at that.

50 years ago, 1963
Two Lewiston-Auburn firms, one of them relatively new, have been granted Small Business Administration loans. The SBA said a $200,000 loan was approved for Maurice M. Stein and Israel Stein, top executives of the Maine Milling and Manufacturing Co., which is about to start construction of a new, modern grain mill in Auburn off Poland Road. The other approved loan to a Twin Cities concern was for $75,000 and it went to De-Lar Inc. of Lewiston, a firm which manufactures aluminum windows among other things.

25 years ago, 1988
A shopping plaza almost as large as the Auburn Mall has been announced for a Turner Street site and will create between 300 and 400 new jobs, two Hartford, Conn., developers said Friday. Whiteholm Plaza, a 280,000 square-foot shopping center, will be built on a former 36-acre dairy farm at the corner of Mt. Auburn Avenue and Turner Street. The $15 to $20 million plaza, with an open walkway, will occupy the former Whiteholm Farm, a now-closed dairy operation owned by John White.