HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton Rotary Club met for its luncheon meeting on April 29, at Watson Hall. Guests present were Chuck Moody and Tim DeLuca, guests of Rotarian Meg York; Mark Lunn, guest of Rotarian Craig Bean; and Devon Cote, guest of Rotarian Rob Faulkner.
A seven-day reading was done for Mark Lunn as his application for membership was received. A reminder was made for the board of directors meeting on May 9 at the Higher Education Center at noon.
The program of the day was presented by Rotarians Leigh Cummings and Henry Gartley, representing the Aroostook Historical and Art Museum of Houlton.
Recently, the organization received 183 old photos that were found in a garage sale in New Hampshire. The photographer, Andy Andrews, had worked for a year at the Houlton Pioneer Times around 1957. Photos showed the old barracks at the airport and the surrounding area. Some photos showed a gathering of people at Hanger 1 at the airport. And another photo showed an island in the old Military Road near the airport with flowers planted by the Garden Club members.
Northeast Airlines flew in and out of Houlton at that time and there were photos of various planes and pilots. There must have been a special event at the border crossing as photos showed important people gathered at the custom house. Ed Muskie was photographed with the Maine Potato Blossom Queen of that year. Andrews took a lot of photos of the elegant homes and churches in Houlton that were shaded by Elm trees. He also went around and photographed various businesses during the year he worked for the Pioneer Times.
One such photo was a free lunch offered to increase business at the Bob Anderson (of Western Auto) store on Weeks and High Street. Arnold Peabody was featured in one photo. The Court House was undergoing renovations that year and Andrews photographed the ladder going from the front steps up to the clock tower with one man at the top and one at the bottom of the ladder. Peggy Gordon was shown in a photo with her January 1, 1954, baby son as the first birth of that year.
At a ground breaking ceremony of an addition to the Madigan Hospital Mrs. Ebbitt, wife of Dr. Ebbitt, was photographed as she stepped on the shovel. The photos shown by Gartley and Cummings continued to be of such human interest stories that one would find in the newspaper. To see more such photos they can be found on Facebook under the Aroostook Historical and Art Museum of Houlton or on the website: http://acham.mainememory.net/page/105/display.html
