Presque Isle area From our Files – Week of November 1, 2023

Compiled by Yvonne Tardie, Special to The County
1 year ago

100 Years Ago -Nov. 1, 1923

Island Falls man honored by Roosevelt Memorial Association — Mr. Wm. Sewall of Island Falls was honored by receiving an invitation from the trustees of the Roosevelt Memorial Association to be present and take part in the memorial exercises at the dedication of the Roosevelt Memorial Building which took place October 27th. This building was the birthplace of Theodore Roosevelt, and had been fitted up as a memorial to him. Mr. Sewall had in his possession a large frying pan, which he and Mr. Roosevelt used to use cooking over an open fire while on their hunting trips, and this pan, Mr. Sewall presented it to the Memorial Association and was placed in the Memorial Building.

75 Years Ago – Oct. 28, 1948

Rotary District Governor in town — Laurie Ells of Kentville, Nova Scotia, governor of District 192, Rotary International, paid his official visit to the Presque Isle Rotary club at its regular meeting. The district governor, who was introduced by William D. Halloran, club president, was the principal speaker at the luncheon session. The Rev. Thomas J. W. Cornish, a past district governor, offered an invocation at the opening of the meeting, and the session closed with reading of the four objects of Rotary by Clifford O. T. Wieden, vice president of the club.

Bridgewater girl won Sears trip — Betty Jamison of Bridgewater was the winner of the Boston trip awarded by the Presque Isle Sears store at the close of its first anniversary sale. The award provided a trip to Boston by plane, a three-day stay at the Statler hotel, and special entertainment in Boston, with all expenses paid, for the winner and her parents.

50 Years Ago – Oct. 31, 1973

Humane Society sale netted $1,000 — The Central Aroostook Humane Society netted over $1,000 in proceeds from their Harvest Flea Sale held Oct. 27. About $910 was collected during the sale, and $50 in memberships were sold. Contributions made after the sale pushed the total over $1,000. Donation tickets were sold on two cakes, an antique lamp, a handmade quilt and a ceramic Christmas tree with lights. The winners of the cakes were Anita Currier of Mapleton and Peter Hilton, John Logan won the lamp, Alma Hemphill the tree, and Philip Guerrette the quilt. Proceeds from the sale were used to renovate the building the Central Aroostook Humane Society had leased from the city of Presque Isle.

Briggs among award winners — Six Aroostook County citizens received Maine Community Betterment Leadership Awards from Governor Kenneth M. Curtis at the fourth annual MCB awards banquet Oct. 30 in Augusta. The six Aroostook recipients were Aubrey Briggs of Presque Isle, Sheldon Richardson of Washburn, Phillip Craig of Ashland, Bill Johnson of Caribou, Gary Sirois of Fort Fairfield and Dalmar Doody of Madawaska. Local MCB committees select the citizen who, in their opinion, had done the most for their community during the previous year to receive a leadership award. Nominations were also sent from August, Union, Old Town, Westbrook, Belfast, Winter, Harbor, Oakland, Searsport, Howland, Pittsfield and Searsmont. 

25 Years Ago – Nov. 4, 1998

Oldest citizen — Mike Corey, Chairman of  Easton’s board of selectmen presented the Boston Post Gold Headed Cane to Easton’s oldest citizen, Mrs. Stella Dinsmore. Mrs. Dinsmore, 97, was born April 26, 1901, in Kilburn, New Brunswick. She married Fred Dinsmore and came to Easton where she spent the rest of her life up until 1996 when she moved into Leisure Village in Presque Isle. She had three sons, Robert, George and Carroll, and two daughters, Marion Sikkema of Concord, Mass. and Margery Forem of Burke, VA.

Donation — SAD 1 Superintendent of Schools, Gehrig Johnson accepted a $1,000 check from Peter Briggs of Aroostook Beverage in Presque Isle toward the purchase of a district message board, to display notices and messages for the entire school district. Briggs to donate an additional $4,000 over the next four years.