100 years ago: 1925

“WISCASSET, April 29 — Mrs. Molly S. Seaman, attractive young widow, formerly a resident of Boston, but at present staying with relatives in this town, is defendant in a $100,000 alienation suit brought by Mrs. Mary W. Eaton of Boston, who alleges that Mrs. Seaman deprived her of the affections of her husband, Paul Eaton.

“Papers in the action were filed at the opening of the Supreme Court term here today, an attachment of Mrs. Seaman’s property having been made previously and having aroused much curiosity in this section as to the probable sequel to the move.

“It is understood that the case will be tried at this term of court, and according to rumors afloat, it promises to be one of the most sensational of the kind ever heard in Lincoln County….

“Mrs. Seaman came to Wiscasset from Boston only a short time ago and is at the home of a cousin, Charles Knight, a prominent merchant. Her mother was a Lincoln County woman.”

50 years ago: 1975

“SAIGON (AP) — U.S. helicopters swooped down on Saigon rooftops and the Tan Son Nhut airport today and began evacuating most of the remaining 800 to 900 Americans. Some of the Americans fought off South Vietnamese desperately trying to flee before Communist-led forces take over.

“America’s 30-year involvement in the Indochina war was ending in wild and tragic scenes, with U.S. Marines and civilians using pistol and rifle butts to smash the fingers of South Vietnamese trying to claw their way over the 10-foot wall of the U.S. Embassy.”

25 years ago: 2000

“It was meant to inspire people, to evoke the hope of a shinier, more prosperous Lewiston. Instead, it just made people laugh.

“The Downtown Renaissance Advisory Board — nicknamed ‘DRAB’ — just sends the wrong message, joked Co-chairwoman Joyce Bilodeau. The group is leading downtown development initiative. She and Mayor Kaileigh Tara came up with the name over dinner.

“‘Neither of us thought about what the abbreviation would be,’ Bilodeau said. ‘We get a chuckle out of it.’

“The group will undergo a name change, she said. That’ll wait, though, until a full-time staffer is hired to help them reshape the name. Until then, board members will just drop the ‘downtown’ from the title. They’re just plain RAB.”

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