100 years ago, 1914
A cob-web party in honor of Miss Harriette B. Young who is soon to be married to Freeman Nutter was given at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Webster of 8 Union street, Auburn, by the Jolly Ten Club last night. Miss Young arrived about fifteen minutes after the other members of the party and was met at the door with a shower of paper balls. She next was led to a table where eleven ribbons were fastened but before being allowed to touch them she was made to read aloud a verse describing the method of finding certain presents. Miss Young then unwound the eleven ribbons, following them up the stairs and through the different rooms, finally discovering presents of dishes and silverware at the ends.

50 years ago, 1964
(PHOTO CAPTION) The more than 300 pounds of beans which will be served at the Democratic field day, Saturday, at No Name Pond, Lewiston, went into the ground, Friday night. The fires had been going since Thursday night heating the stone-lined pits white hot. Charles Hall, the bake master, is shown lowering the huge kettles into the hole. These then were covered over and the cooking process continued.

25 years ago, 1989
St. Mary’s Hospital in Lewiston will break ground in October on a $7.8 million expansion and renovation project designed to better accommodate the facility’s emergency treatment and operating areas. The proposal, which was scaled down within the past year, has been in the works since the mid-1970s, Director of Planning Diane Potvin said last week. Only lately has the project gained momentum, culminating with the hiring of Hospital Building and Equipment Corp. of St. Louis, Mo., the firm also constructing a renovation and expansion at Central Maine Medical Center. The project includes a two-story addition on the hospital’s northern face to accommodate the expanded operating and laboratory areas, and a single-story addition on the western wing to enlarge the emergency area. Redesigning the emergency area also will allow the facility to separate the ambulance entrance from walk-in areas.

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be edited.