100 Years Ago: 1918

Men who have reached their 21st birthday by June 6 or before Aug. 24 are to register at the Lewiston exemption headquarters in City Hall. Registration in Lewiston will be from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. The number of men available for this contingent is not large, in fact. It is not expected to exceed 50 in Lewiston. Registration in Auburn will take place on the same day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

On Aug. 29, the next quota of men will leave these cities, some for Camp Deven; and some for Camp Upton, Yaphank, N. Y. These men will report at exemption headquarters Aug. 28; men will be called to Camp Devens at 10 a.m., The Camp Upton men at 4 p.m. Camp Upton men go for limited service.

50 Years Ago: 1968

Lewiston police were called to the scene this morning to rescue a pigeon that was being bothered by dogs. Mrs. Edmond Buschman of the Dyer Road, Lewiston, reported to police that there was an all-white pigeon with a leg band on that was marked. Mrs. Buschman told police that a pack of dogs was trying to get at the bird and that it acted as though it was not able to fly. Officer Anthony Cimatot investigated and reported that the band on the bird’s leg was marked with the serial number AU-CMB-68-277. It was reported that there was a blue band on the other leg. Police believe that the pigeon might be a racing bird.

25 Years Ago: 1993

As the buildings destroyed in Sunday’s fire on Bates and Birch streets come down, nearby residents are banding together to make sure the issue of vacant buildings in the city gets some attention. Charles Soule of 275 Bates St. said he and other neighbors have started gathering signatures for a petition that requests the City Council and Code Enforcement Office take some action on vacant buildings. Sunday’s fire, which is believed to have started behind a vacant building, served as a catalyst for people to organize and get serious about the plight of other buildings in the city. Eighteen families were left homeless by the fire, which destroyed or damaged seven apartment buildings. The petition “requests that all vacant buildings in Lewiston be either restored or demolished to prevent vandalism/arson from occurring in the future. We also request that the office of Lewiston Code Enforcement inspect all vacant buildings to ensure the integrity and security of those properties.” Attached to the petition, which will be presented to the City Council at its Sept. 7 meeting, will be a list of 88 vacant buildings, Soule said. He compiled the list “by word of mouth.”

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