100 years ago, 1915
Martin I. Keith, the Auburn lapidary, has received an order from a Portland jeweler to cut 700 carats of Maine tourmaline. It will keep him busy for some time. Mr. Keith says that Maine gems will yet put the State on the map. All that is needed to develop the industry is capital and faith. One of the most valuable of the gems is blue beryl, better known as aquamarine. It cuts an exceedingly lustrous stone and is even more valuable than tourmaline. In the judgment of Mr. Keith, it is only a question of time when many new mines will be opened. It is known that Hebron, and several other towns in Oxford county are exceedingly rich in aquamarine but the mines are not worked by the owners.
50 years ago, 1965
Painting of the clock tower high above the Androscoggin County Building is not going unnoticed. Auburn Ward Three Councilman Franklin H. Prescott today remarked that the project has done much in improving the appearance of the buildings. “That tower can now be seen from almost any point in the two cities and is something that both Auburn and Androscoggin County can be proud of. The Councilman referred to a program under which the octagonal clock tower is being painted white, in contrast to its brick surroundings. Once the painting project is completed, the tower will be illuminated by spotlights.
25 years ago, 1990
The Lisbon Planning Board on Thursday night granted a conditional use permit, paving the way for a nationally known firm to move its Brunswick paintbrush manufacturing plant into a building being vacated by L.L. Bean. The move will not create new jobs for the area, as Grumbacher, like L.L. Bean did when it moved here, will keep the same workforce it had before. The plant has been located in the Fort Andross Building in Brunswick for 30 years and employs 116 people, 20 of whom are Lisbon residents. By keeping the move within a 10 mile radius of Brunswick, the firm does not expect to lose any employees. Grumbacher manufactures specialized paintbrushes used by artists.
The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be edited.
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