100 years ago, 1916
Papers were passed, Tuesday, concluding the transfer of the two story wooden building at 52 Court street, Auburn, together with the lot on which it stands. The purchaser is L. O. Mercier of Auburn, and the grantors are Virgie L. Merrill of Minneapolis, Minn., and Emma J. Sargent of Bangor. No price is stated. The lot is 24 ft. 6 in. x 60 ft., the rear touching the alley running from Mechanics Row to Main street. The building is a wooden structure with basement and is in the heart of the business section of the city. The Upper floor is occupied as a tenement, while the ground floor is occupied by the E.F. Wells Sporting Goods Co.

50 years ago, 1966
Auburn firemen had some anxious moments Friday morning when Aerial Ladder Truck No. 1 tilted at a dangerous angle when a hose on the ladder became entangled in its hydraulic controls. Firemen had the truck back on an even keel within moments. The ladder was against the house at 331 Main St., Auburn, when the hose hit the control panel, Deputy Chief Vincent Giberti said, however, there is a safety by-pass on the hydraulic system which would have prevented the system from operating long enough to tip over the truck. Firemen used the ladder to rescue occupants of the third-floor apartment.

25 years ago, 1991
Dorothy Levesque is really looking forward to her birthday party on Friday. For one thing, she’s the sweetheart of the Valentine’s Day bash at Saint Marguerite d’Youville Pavilion, and for another, it means she’s likely to get a lobster roll for lunch. And of course, at 107, who’s going to cross her? Born Feb. 17, 1884, in St. Francois, New Brunswick, she was the second of nine children born to Jean and Claudia Berube Albert. Two sisters still survive, she said. Wed at 16, widowed at 30, the diminutive woman raised two sons and, for 11 years, earned a living as a cook in the lumberjack camp where her husband, Eugene Levesque, also worked. She sometimes cooked for as many as 60, she recalled.

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