100 Years Ago: 1921

Miss Harriet Andrews of Oxford, 81 years young, has been attending the Empire Grove camp meetings nearly every year for 69 years. When she first came here there were no cottages on the grounds, just society tents surrounding the auditorium. The auditorium contained many rows of seats-planks spiked to log stringers, having no backs, and the speakers stand — a crude affair, with a lock-up beneath In which widely unduly people were confined. It was thought to keep at least four policemen in service during the Sunday meetings when the crowd often numbered well into the thousands.  In those days lighted pine knots piled upon platforms about four feet high were covered by earth. Those pitch knots gave better lights, according to Andrews than the several oil lamps of today. When It was rainy, as many as possible crowded into the large Park Street tent, the others grouping themselves near the openings of the society tents from which the speaker could readily be heard. From three to five times a day there would be prayer meetings in nearly all the society tents, where the voices of the people in prayer or exhortation could readily be heard at the other tents, the familiar hymns from nearby tents often drowning the voices of the people in one’s own tent.

50 Years Ago: 1971

Mrs. Edward Rabasco of Auburn has been appointed chairman of a style show which is being sponsored by CASH — the Committee to Assist Sacred Heart parish. The show will be held in the parish hall Thursday evening, Sept. 23, and clothes are being provided by Robert Hall. Assisting committees will be announced in the near future.

25 Years Ago: 1996

Travis Ouellette, stumbled about in a stupor, his attention wandering from the big kids in line, to a handicapped child with a walker, to a wall mural. His parents, equipped with a camera, were determined to preserve it all on tape, since it was, after all, Travis’ first day of school. “I like being at school,” said Travis, who started kindergarten Wednesday afternoon at Farwell School in Lewiston. The first day of school marked a day of new beginnings and life-changing transitions, as kids all over the Twin Cities abandoned their sand shovels, video game joysticks and regular hangouts to queue up and hunker down. Some were taking the step up to the next grade, others going to a new school. and still others, like Travis, entering a classroom for the first time.

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

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