100 Years Ago: 1924

Misa Elva M. Parker, Supervisor of Physical Education in the New Bedford, Mass. Schools, has purchased the Harry J. Hilton farm in St. Albans, Me. The farm of about 125 acres includes lake property, field and woods.

Miss Parker, who is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. L. Parker, 585 Main St., Lewiston, intends to turn the estate into a summer camp for business and professional women.

50 Years Ago: 1974

Mrs. William Hathorn of the Salvation Army of Lewiston, just returned from the National Women’s Christian Temperance Union Centennial Conference at Cleveland, Ohio. The WCTU has been involved in work supporting total abstinence from alcohol and other drugs, as well as cigarettes.

25 Years Ago: 1999

L.L. Bean assigned a team of five workers to redesign its famous boot, which is almost a symbol of Maine. Now, it’s here. But if you want to see any changes, look closely.

“The customer who looks at the old boot and the new is not going to notice much of a difference other than the leather is softer and more pliable,” said Tom Armstrong, vice president of the outdoor goods outfitter’s footwear division.

“We didn’t feel like we were changing the core values of the boot,” said Armstrong.

The Bean boot has kept the same basic design for 87 years, a leather top and rubber bottom. Eleanor Roosevelt bought a pair for her husband. Babe Ruth had a pair. Ernest Hemingway advised a hunting companion to pack a pair, along with limes and liquor.

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