100 Years Ago-May 13, 1914
Aroostook Times
Houlton Grange boasts 1027 members — A membership of 1027 makes Houlton Grange the largest in Maine, the United States, and probably the largest in the world. Skowhegan Grange is second with 489 members.
Of local interest — Wilmot Burnett has rented his house in Monticello to Arnot Archibald for the summer. Mr. Percy London and family of Easton moved here (East Hodgdon) last week and will live in part of the house owned by his brother Herbert London. Astle and Page have been awarded the contract for building a $16,000 school house at Mars Hill. Ether Burtt who has been employed as bookkeeper for Chas. H. Berry, has resigned his position and will assist his father M. A. Burtt in his general store at the Bridgewater Boundary.
75 Years Ago-May 11, 1939
Houlton Pioneer Times
Selling only old potatoes — Word was received today by Maine Potato Growers Inc. that officials of First National Stores have adopted a policy in all their regular line grocery stores throughout New England of confining their potato supplies entirely to old potatoes. They will carry no new potatoes from now until the end of the Maine shipping deal, with efforts of pushing the largest possible volume of Maine potatoes through their stores. This cooperation will undoubtedly have a stabilizing effect on the market.
File photo 1939
HIGH ACHIEVERS — John and Harold Hoskin, sons of Mr. and Mrs. George Hoskin of Houlton, will be the principal figures at the Boy Scout Court of Honor at the Methodist Church when they receive their Eagle Scout badges, the organization’s highest achievement.
Bounty on bears in Sherman — Warren Scofield of this town bagged four bears in one day and because there is a bounty on bears in Sherman, this netted Scofield $80 dollars for the day.
Terrell and Brewer place in speaking contest — Doris Terrell was chosen first among the girls and Calvin Brewer first among the boys in the Bridgewater Grammar School speaking contest held Wednesday evening in the Community Theater.
50 Years Ago-May 7, 1964
Houlton Pioneer Times
Catalog shopping is big business — The days when the “wish book” occupied a place of honor in farmhouse parlors are gone, but mail-order catalogs are far from dead. Sears Roebuck & Co. takes in more than a billion dollars a year from catalog sales; almost a third of Montgomery Ward’s business is catalog orders. The latest Sears catalog, a plump volume of 1,716 pages, is the largest in the firm’s 98-year history, listing everything from a 9-cent box of tacks to a $6,500 diamond ring.
Mother’s Day specials — The following specials are featured in this week’s advertisements: portable hair dryers, $9.88 at Woolworth’s; a wide variety of handbags, $1.00 to $2.98 at Chain Apparel; a complete selection of cut flowers, corsages and plants at Chadwick Florist; Fannie Farmer candies at S. L. White Drug Co., and a free deluxe steam iron $19.95 with purchase of a new Maytag automatic washer, offered by McGillicuddy’s Furniture & Appliances.
25 Years Ago-Apr. May 10, 1989
Houlton Pioneer Times
Houlton HAMS to the rescue — Excerpt from a “Letter to the Editor” from P. M. Hurd: “What does a family do when their auto’s engine quits in the remote sections of Northern Maine…it’s Sunday afternoon and they are more than 300 miles from home? A family from Malden, Mass. found the answer last Sunday while stranded on a remote section of I-95 when they called for advice on the Katahdin Amateur Radio Club’s VHF repeater. Within a few minutes, not only had a replacement part been located, but local HAM radio operator Joe Anderson was underway to the scene with it.”
K of C opens new hall — Houlton’s Knights of Columbus will open a new hall on Military Street this month that will provide room for everything from wedding and banquets to a place to play one of America’s favorite games (Bingo).
