100 years ago, 1913
Two women of North Leeds, Mrs. John Burnham and Kate York, did a day’s work, Tuesday, that is worth reporting. Mrs. Burnham’s husband had hauled lumber to North Leeds to load a railroad car. Word came that the car must be loaded. Mr. Burnham was away at work, so Mrs. Burnham secured a team and the services of Kate York, and in one day loaded nearly a carful of lumber.

50 years ago, 1963
The next project for Androscoggin County this year will be the resurfacing of the parking lot on Pleasant St., county commissioners ruled today. At the regular meeting of the Commission, it was decided that the county would go go ahead with the project, which has been talked about since last year. The project got sidetracked last year due to emergency work which had to be done on the county sewer system, a job which cost more than the county had bargained for.

25 years ago, 1988

Marcel Roberge is secretive about his sprouts. He’s not worried about industrial espionage, but as one of three owners of Curran’s Beansprout Company on Mill Road, Auburn, Roberge doesn’t want to give any secrets away. In the darkened and humid growing room sit 116 barrels filled with sprouts in varying growing stages. The process stars with 55-gallon barrels partially filled with mung bean seeds from Australia, Oklahoma or Texas. At the end of the growing cycle five days later, the full barrel is emptied into a washer, shells are removed and the sprouts spun dry in a standard washing machine. The firm supplies Hannaford stores as well as Chinese restaurants. “A bunch of Frenchmen selling to Chinese. It ain’t easy sometimes to understand,” Roberge said.