Caribou area From our Files – Week of December 7, 2020

New Playground Equipment - - Caribou Parks and Recreation staff members pieced together a newly constructed castle for the Hilltop playground project that was displayed in front of the new Katahdin Trust Company building during the bank’s Dec. 7-9 grand opening at its new facility on Bennett Drive in Caribou. The bank donated $500 to the school’s playground project and in addition will give $5 for each account opened during the grand opening. (File photo 1995)

115 Years Ago – Dec. 13, 1905

New building — Hines & Smith are now situated in their new headquarters in the Grange building.

New store owner – – John Thursty sold his store on Vaughan Street Tuesday to Thomas Brown.

100 Years Ago – Dec. 16, 1920

In the shoe business — F.J. Dionne has taken over the Haley Shoe Store which he formerly owned.

Potato donation — A car of potatoes was recently shipped from Caribou by F.H. Leavitt to Boston to be given to the poor in that city.

75 Years Ago -Dec. 13, 1945

Potato cocktail — Alcohol — 150 proof — will be manufactured from Maine potatoes at the rate of 10,000 gallons daily in Caribou, Maine, starting in January. The distillery will cost $500,000 and is expected to be the largest of its kind in the western hemisphere, handling 11,000 bushel of potatoes a day and approximately 3,300,000 yearly. The plant will be operated by E.H. Clark Inc.

Watson resigns as hotel manager — Robie S. Watson has resigned from Caribou Vaughn House, he left his position as manager and departed for his own hotel in Bethel, Maine. He was manager for about a year

50 Years Ago – Dec. 16, 1970

Santa is coming Monday — “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town!” is the byword of Limestone. He will appear Monday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. He will arrive via fire truck and give candy to children on the corner of Main and Bridge streets. This project is sponsored by the local merchants, Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club.

Bands present Christmas concert — The Annual Washburn District High School Christmas Concert was held in the high school gym. The junior and senior bands under the direction of Waldron Babbidge presented a wonderful concert.

25 Years Ago – Dec. 13, 1995

MSSM seeks funding for dormitory — Magnet school officials in Limestone are racing to put the finishing touches on a plan to allow work on the school’s $1.77 dormitory conversion to begin early next year. School Superintendent James Morse explained that the school currently has 1.4 million in funding commitments for the project from the town of Limestone and a state grant.