100 Years Ago: 1925

L. M. Linnell of Gardiner, Maine lays claim to being the oldest Shriner in the United States. To the Lewiston Journal reporter when seen at his Pray street home Mr. Linnell said “I recently saw by a newspaper that a man in the State of Ohio claimed to be the oldest Shriner in the country but I can go him one better. He was 86 years old and I am 88 on the 22nd of January. I think I am the oldest active Shriner in the United States. If there are any others I would like to know who they are”.

Mr. Linnell is a Maine man although  he has spent the most of his life in the Middle West. He was born at Skowhegan and at the age of 19 enlisted in Company B. of the 13th Maine regiment going to the front in the War of the Rebellion. He was at the first battle of Bull Run and remembers the situation most distinctly. He served through three years and nine months of the war. He was raised a Mason at Dodge Center, Minn., and continued through the several Masonic bodies. He is a member of Maine Commandery No. 1 Knights Templar of Gardiner and of Kora Temple of Lewiston Order of the Mystic Shrine. Mr. Linnell takes great pride in his Masonic relations and delights in a chat with persons interested in fraternal societies and organizations.

Though well advanced in years,  Mr. Linnell is well informed on the current events of the day and goes about the city calling on his friends.

50 Years Ago: 1975

A Topsham resident will receive $50,000 from the estate of nationally-known political columnist Walter Lippmann. She is Helen M. Gamble, a stepdaughter of the longtime newspaperman and lecturer. Lippmann’s alma mater, Harvard College, will receive most of the estimated $500,000-plus estate. His papers will go to Yale University.

25 Years Ago: 2000

A lawsuit against the Lewiston Mill Redevelopment Corp. over a 1997 roof collapse at the Bates Mill Enterprise Complex has been settled.

The collapse forced InsulsafeTextiles Inc. out of the mill.

According to lawyers representing the LMRC and Insulsafe in the insurance claim suit, the terms of the settlement are to remain confidential.

“The case was resolved to the mutual satisfaction of all parties,” said David Herzer, the attorney representing Insulsafe through its insurance company, Acadia Insurance. “Everyone walks away as happy as you can be when there’s a compromise.”

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