100 years ago, 1918
The Lewiston Chamber of Commerce has received the following letter from Director General of Railroads W. G. McAdoo, asking its help to relieve the freight car congestion, which is a serious question in the country today. In it Director McAdoo asks that the merchants break themselves of the habit of using freight cars as warehouses. He would set aside the week beginning January 14th, in which to unload freight cars now made useless for transportation. In Lewiston there is no transportation bureau, which in other cities has control of such matters, so the matter lies entirely in the hands of the merchants and the railroad officials. The Chamber of Commerce, in presenting it before the public and asking its serious cooperation, does all that is within its power.

50 years ago, 1968
Frigid temperatures created a number of problems earlier this week at the Women’s Job Corps Training Center at Poland Spring, it was reported Friday by Robert G. Lake, director. Water pipes and drain systems in a section of the Poland Spring House froze. Lake said minor damage resulted, but although some sections had to be replaced, there was no major flooding of the premises. The Job Corps official reported that a “chill-level chart” indicated that the cold, late Monday afternoon, was equivalent to 70 degrees below zero. That’s when most of the problems occurred, he said.

25 years ago, 1993
The Lewiston Planning Board will take a look at Lewiston Raceways Inc.’s commercial subdivision proposal when it meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Spare-Time Recreation Subdivision would establish 49 lots for multi-use development on the 63-acre property at 729 Main St. Most of the land, 56 acres, lies in the Community Business District. Another six acres is currently zoned Suburban Residential; one other acre falls within the Neighborhood Conservation A District.

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