100 years ago, 1916
Nine acres of land, cleared by inmates of the Lewiston House of Correction, last year, will be planted to oats (not wild-oats) this spring. This land is on the city farm property and was formerly overrun with stumps. There is still more land to be cleared and several men have already been committed to the institution brought into being thru the efforts of Mayor Brann last year.

50 years ago, 1966
Some land owners in Auburn may be pricing themselves “out of the market,” Auburn City Manager Woodbury E. Brackett said today, indicating that because some folks have asked unrealistically high prices for their property, some good industrial and commercial firms have bypassed Auburn. Brackett said this may have been true in the case of Valle’s Steak House, which announced it has options on land in Lewiston. The city manager said that Valle’s was very interested in a couple of locations in Auburn but the price was considered way too high. He said that land prices locally have gone up considerably and while that is expected, he said it was obvious some land owners are asking much too much for their property. “In this business,” he said, “there are occasions when things are timed right and priced right. Some people may find this out too late.”

25 years ago, 1991
The Lisbon Comprehensive Planning Committee has completed the final draft of the town’s new comprehensive plan, and residents will have an opportunity to review and discuss it at a public informational meeting Thursday. The proposed plan, if adopted by townspeople, will guide the town’s growth and development for the next 20 years. The committee concluded that Lisbon’s three traditional villages — Lisbon Village, Lisbon Center and Lisbon Falls — remain an important part of the community’s character and economy as evidenced by responses to a townwide survey. The majority of the respondents agreed with the statement “it is critical to the long-term planning of Lisbon to preserve the character and identity of each village center.”

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be edited.