DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have lived on the Maple Hill Road for 65 years. Part of my house was built, where it still stands, in the 1860s in Minot. Subsequently, Auburn annexed this part of Minot.

The house was built on a now-discontinued road which led from approximately where Callahan’s Construction is on the Turner Road to where Taber’s golf stand is today. Stone walls still stand in the woods where this road was located.

Now my question: When was Lake Shore Drive built through the Townsend Brook marshes? It certainly made a tremendous change to the Maple-Dillingham Hill area of the city. Any information you can give me will be very much appreciated. — Bud Lewis, [email protected]

ANSWER: Sun Spots had no idea how to get started with this question, so she turned to Bates Professor Emeritus Doug Hodgkin of the Androscoggin Historical Society, who wrote: 

“This probably would require an intensive research project. A first step might be to consult various maps in library collections such as the Auburn Public Library and the Androscoggin Historical Society. Another extensive library is the Osher Map Library in Portland.

“The purpose of this is to see whether one can narrow down the timeframe between a map where Lake Shore Drive does not appear and a map where it does. The 1873 Sanford-Evarts Atlas of Androscoggin County does show Lake Shore Drive, so one would need to look for earlier maps. You may not get an exact date, but one might be satisfied with a rough time frame.

“A second approach is to look in annual reports of the city (or town) of Auburn before 1873 to the extent that they exist. There might be mention of the construction in a road commissioner’s report or elsewhere. These reports may be in libraries.

“A third approach is to examine the City Council minutes or the minutes of town meetings. I would look for them in the City Clerk’s office.

“A fourth approach is to find old houses along Lake Shore Drive. One could do research in the Androscoggin County Register of Deeds office tracing back to when a phrase such as ‘and buildings’ first appears. The next previous deed might be another approximation of when the drive was open to development.”

This kind of research is way beyond Sun Spots’ scope. Doug agreed, saying “at the Androscoggin Historical Society we do not try to answer questions that require such extensive research; we try to point people in the direction where they might find answers. We’ll welcome him to come to see what we have.”

You can find the society in the County Building on Turner Street, 207-784-0586. The society is open from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Fridays. Call first to make sure a volunteer is available.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I was told that letters to the editor have to be signed in order to be published. Why then was the letter “Disastrous waste of time, life” signed as “Anonymous” from the Maine State Prison, Warren (Aug. 22). Do incarcerated people have special rights that paid Sun Journal subscribers do not? — Anonymous, Lewiston

ANSWER: Diane is correct that letters to the editor require a full name and city/town of residence to be included as part of the letter being published. Letter guidelines are specific about that. However, as letters editor Cam Churchill noted, the rules make allowances made for certain instances:

“Anonymous letters will not be printed, except under extraordinary circumstances, such as when the writer’s life may be endangered if his or her name is known.”

Being a prison inmate, the letter writer was concerned about possible violence in reaction to the letter and the editor agreed to let the letter be published anonymously.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to [email protected].