115 Years Ago – Dec. 25, 1901
New telephone — A telephone has been placed in the woolen mill, also one in W.B. Hall’s residence, Main Street, and one in Irving & Ricker’s potato house at the B.&A. station during the past week.
Fast horses — Quite a number of fast horses were spotted on Sweden Street, Wednesday afternoon, attracting quite a crowd of people.
100 Years Ago – Dec. 28, 1916
Two-and-a-half cents — By all means, let’s have the two-and-a-half cent coin for which there is so much agitation. With the present trend of prices, the cent will soon be obsolete except in calculation, as the mill is used now.
Different worlds — A Bangor lady, dining at the same table with a lady from this town who was in that city last week, remarked, “Isn’t it dreadful that the price of potatoes is so high?”. She was really surprised at the answer, which was, “No, that is just what we like in our county.” (Potatoes traded at $3.75 to $3.85 this week per barrel).
75 Years Ago – Dec. 25, 1941
Lab established — Breecher Swamm, manager of the Caribou Water, Light and Power Company has announced that complete equipment has arrived to establish a testing laboratory in connection with the treatment of water at the new filter plant recently placed in operation.
New Style — The new form of this issue of the Aroostook Republican may be explained as an experimental gesture to obtain the reactions of its readers and to assist in determining solutions of certain mechanical problems in preparation to publication of the annual tabloid for the Caribou Winter Carnival and Aroostook Sportsmen’s show. The tabloid size (11.5” x 17” versus our typical broadsheet size, 17” x 23.5”) as used this issue, is considered by certain newspaper authorities as being more adaptable to attractive make-up as well as a modern and more convenient size for the reader to handle. No decision to permanently remain in this form has been made by the publishers.
50 Years Ago – Dec. 28, 1966
Christmas Eve gusher — A truck clipped off a Caribou Water Works hydrant near Sleepers grocery on Lyndon Street Saturday afternoon and, while children got a “bang” out of the Christmas Eve “gusher,” the subsequent flooding of the street was a source of discomfort for motorists and pedestrians.
Warming the hearts — The Christmas spirit found its way to the homes of 247 needy families this year thanks to the combined efforts of the Caribou Police Department, the fire department, the welfare office, church groups, business establishments and individuals. A total of 132 families, consisting of 613 persons, received Christmas dinners from various groups, while the fire department distributed 1,065 gifts to 498 children in 115 families.
25 Years Ago – Dec. 25, 1991
New school funding — New Sweden has receive verbal notification that the town has been placed fifth on the state funding list for a new elementary school, according to Diana Adamson, chairman of the New Sweden school board. According to School Union 122 Superintendent David Beal, the state team recently toured the facilities to determine the need of a new school based on space, location, code and the number of multi-purpose rooms.
All systems go — Aroostook Centre Mall developer John Capenos is tight-lipped about his financial backing, but he does insist all systems are go for a mid-to-late October 1992 opening. Construction would begin again the first week of January when crews will arrive to start installing utilities. Concrete will be poured starting around Feb. 20.
