100 years ago, 1915
“We should have a State owned-armory in Lewiston. I have always recommended that,” was the opening statement of Col. James A. Moriarty, Inspector-general of the Maine National Guard, in an interview, Friday. “We need an armory in Lewiston. We needed and came near having an armory 20 years ago. If Mayor Noble had not died we would have had one then. We got the lot and everything in readiness to build but for unavoidable reasons an armory has never been built on it. Lewiston is the next to the largest city in the State and it should have next to the best if not the best armory in the State.”

50 years ago, 1965
The annual free ice skate program sponsored by the Lewiston Fire Department has run into a snag this year — there aren’t any skates to give away. Fire Private Joseph McCarron said today that the department is looking for ice skates to give away to local youngsters, as the department has done for eight to ten years. “Hundreds of children have been in for skates and we just don’t have any.”

25 years ago, 1990
Several hundred Poland residents stopped by to inspect the premises as the two new municipal buildings — the town office and the fire department-rescue squad headquarters — held open house Sunday. Both buildings were completed and occupied in recent weeks. The Town Office is on Route 26 at the town center, and the fire-rescue building on Poland Corner Road. Town Manager Richard Chick said that various new furniture items were on order to replace certain desks, chairs and other articles, which, he said, would be “recycled into other offices.” Commenting on a symbolic ribbon over the Town Office door, Chick handed a pair of scissors to Pat Nash, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, asking her to “cut the government red tape.”

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