100 years ago, 1914
Mr. and Mrs. John W. Lufkin of Boston have opened their summer home, Dreamland, in Wayne, motoring to Maine from Boston in their Detroit electric. They are the first to make the trip to Maine, so far as we know, by an electric automobile. They made Lewiston in three days, charging their car at Salem, Portsmouth, Portland and Lewiston. They find no facilities in Maine for electric cars. Apparently there is little or no call for such, as, so far as we know, there is but one electric in Lewiston, and it is understood that none are used in Portland. At Wayne, Mr. Lufkin has his own charging plant, getting his power from Winthrop. Mrs. Lufkin runs the car herself in Boston, but she says she does not venture out alone on the country roads and hills of Maine. Mr. Lufkin has an electric boat at his summer home in Wayne, the only one so far as he knows, in Maine. He got his idea at the world’s fair in Chicago, and then went to work on one for himself, designing all the machinery and installing it himself. His boat skims like a bird over Wayne pond. He runs it himself and is his own machinist.

50 years ago, 1964
The Dane-T-Bits Biscuit Co. of Auburn, which has been having its difficulties in recent months, is bouncing back to a strong position in the baking industry, according to firm president Irving W. Rodman. He said the company will institute a second shift of production workers starting July 13.

25 years ago, 1989
The biggest surprise Russia held for 16-year-old Susan Beckerly was its people. “They were so — I don’t know — so human,” she said. “I’m not sure what I was expecting. Everybody just going to and from work like robots, I guess. That’s not the way they were at all.” Donya Jaynes agreed. “They’re friendly and they like to have fun. The kids dress about the same way we do, we didn’t stand out because of our clothes.” Susan and Donya were among 10 Oxford Hills High School students who accompanied teachers George Jones and Jean Vayszly on a just-concluded trip to the Soviet Union.