From our Files: Headlines from 100 years of local news

Compiled by Karen Donato
Special to the Pioneer Times
100 Years Ago-Dec. 13, 1911
Aroostook Times
    Local — 60 degrees in the shade on Tuesday and a beautiful bouquet of pansies grown out-of-doors presented to the Times by Mrs. Thos. Bell of this town.
    Prize speaking — The prize contest of the sophomore class of R.C.I. was held in the Baptist Church. The speakers all deserve much credit for their work and the judges awarded the prizes as follows: first, Jesse Bates and second, Earl Hand.
    Employed — Joseph H. Donovan has been secured as tonsorial artist at Drake’s new barber shop on Bangor Street.
    Weather — The rain of last week and the continued warm weather of the past few days has taken off the snow so that traffic is being conducted on wheels.
75 Years Ago-Dec. 10, 1936
Houlton Pioneer Times
    Thieves — Seven, silver-gray foxes, their pelts valued at $500 were stolen from the fox farm on the County Road owned by Willard Hovey.
    King abdicates throne — Edward VIII, youthful monarch of the British Empire abdicated his throne today to bring the King-Simpson controversy to a climax. Houlton housewives this morning heard by short-wave radio the abdication article read to the House of Parliament.
    Littleton — Fourteen men from this vicinity shouldered their axes and saws and went into the woods to cut wood for the United Baptist Church. At noon they went to D.F. Adams’ camp where a nice dinner was prepared by Mrs. David Adams, Mrs. Waldo Carmichael, Mrs. K.K. Bruce and Mrs. Robert Carmichael.
50 Years Ago- Dec. 14, 1961
Houlton Pioneer Times
    Wreaths — A flourishing wreath business started 10 years ago by Daniels Florist has grown from the initial shipment of 3,000 to 10,000 wreaths this year. The wreaths are made by Houlton men and women and shipped to major cities on the eastern seaboard.
    Patten — Martina Lyons, Louise Birmingham, Patricia Cunningham, Beth Ordway, Linda Cochran and Ruth Marr were elected to be cheerleaders for Patten Grammar School. The two substitutes are Valerie Willette and Vicki Bates.
    “White gifts for Christmas”— Gifts wrapped in white will be presented by members and friends to the Methodist Church during the morning worship service in Monticello. Suggested gifts might be as follows: canned goods, flour, sugar or warm caps and mittens.
25 Years Ago-Dec. 10, 1986
Houlton Pioneer Times
    Littleton — Fire destroyed a cattle barn at the Dexter Cowperthwaite residence including 50 head of Holstein cattle, most of them due to calf in the next three months.
Houlton Pioneer Times 1986 File Photo
EASTERN MAINE CHAMPS — The Southern Aroostook High School baseball team was honored at an assembly at the school. The team received new jackets in honor of their 1986 Eastern Maine Championship. Recipients are, left to right: kneeling, Scott Perrin, John Byers, Bert Campbell, Mike Hartin, Peter Russell and Eric Douglass; standing, Manager Chris Crandall, Manager Matt Bouchie, Ben Drew, Matt Furrow, Shawn Curry, Jason Tarr, Spencer Bragan, Travis Hersey, Manager Troy Charette and Coach Murray Putnam. Absent were Bert DuBois and Mark Hallett, graduates now attending the University of Maine.
    College players — Amanda Dunphy, Joy Degenhardt and Janet Rooney helped the University of Southern Maine’s women’s soccer team reach an 8-8-1 season.
    Employee of the Month — Francis O’Donnell has been selected as the A.E. Staley Employee of the Month. He has been with the company 32 years.
    Colby College — Arnold “Jim” Peabody was posthumously inducted in the Maine Sports Hall of Fame. Arnold was one of three brothers who attended Colby during the 1930s and all three excelled in sports. Despite being so frequently in the sports limelight they were soft-spoken, unassuming and very popular with their fellow students.