Sept. 25, 1991

An emaciated husky mix and her 13 puppies were picked up Friday on an undeveloped stretch of Middle Jam Road and the Gorham-Standish line. Concerned neighbors had contacted police of both towns when it became apparent that the dogs had been abandoned and were in danger of starvation. The mother dog, more wary than her offspring, was among the last to be captured and taken to the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook. Carol Monroe, executive director, said homes have been found for the puppies but not as yet for the mother dog.

Mayor Fred C. Wescott won nomination for a second two-year term over rival Martin Pizzo at a well-attended Westbrook Democratic caucus Sunday.

After a year of trying to expand his 5-acre Gorham gravel pit to 57 acres, Jack Gordon is ready to settle for a smaller expansion. He has withdrawn a lawsuit he brought in April after Gorham’s Planning Board recommended against 57 acres and the Zoning Board of Appeals denied the special exception permit needed in the rural residential zone. Gordon, the president of Gordon Sand & Gravel, is working with Sebago Technics on revised plans.

Renee Keniston, daughter of Ronald and Susan Keniston, Teran Street, Gorham, has been named to Who’s Who in American High School Students. Gorham High School teachers nominated her. The publication has her biography along with other high school students chosen throughout the United States. Five percent of students nominated are chosen.

Sept. 25-28 will see a host of events at Gorham High School in celebration of Homecoming 1991. A bonfire featuring Aces Wild will kick off events and a dance featuring a disc jockey and Aces Wild will conclude the activities.

Several members of the Westbrook Historical Society motored to Wilton recently for a visit to the Wilton Farm and Home Museum, known as the “Bass Boarding House.” The museum is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its historic connection to the famous shoemaker, G.H. Bass and Co.

Color photos by Westbrook resident Dennis Marotte of his visits to Greater Portland’s sister city, Archangel, in Russia, will be on display at the Portland Public Library during October.

Sept. 26, 2001

A parent rented the Warren Memorial Library hall in Westbrook for a rehearsal for four rock ‘n’ roll bands Friday, but if the bands really planned only to rehearse (together), it looks as if things got a little out of hand. Word somehow spread and teens began gathering at the library with no adults present other than some of the band members. Windows were opened, objects might have been thrown out windows, the noise level was high and some kids were outside milling around. A neighbor complained, police called library director Anastasia Weigle in Old Orchard Beach and library maintenance man David McCarthy showed up saw what was going on and “wrapped it right up,” said Weigle. Six or seven policemen stood by to make sure everyone left peacefully, which they did by 9 p.m. “I’m so disappointed,” said Weigle. “We support the youth. Somebody dropped the ball, somebody didn’t take responsibility.”

Toni O’Donnell, Duck Pond Road, Westbrook, shares with AJ readers a personal story about Sept. 11. Her son, Ian, a 1996 Westbrook High School and Northeastern grad, had just been hired by a firm on Wall Street. It was his second week of work and his office was right near the World Trade Center. “Watching the building collapse, I started praying like I’d never prayed before,” she wrote. “I sat and waited to hear from our son. Finally at 12:15 his voice was on the line. He talked quickly and with grief. Yes, he was OK. ‘I just ran and walked 12 miles from the WTC. Mom, I saw the second plane hit. I saw people jumping from the buildings. It was horrible. The heat was so intense I could feel it down where I stood. I ran from where I was standing five minutes before the buildings collapsed.’”

The Westbrook Historical Society’s museum in the old high school is no longer open to the public, as it has been most Saturdays for years. Everything in the society’s collection is being packed for a move to the top floor of the Stephen Manchester American Legion post on Dunn Street, with moving day now set for Oct. 25. The society expects to reopen to the public in the new quarters in early November.

Joan Lebrecque, 66, of Westbrook, grandmother of six, won seven gold medals in her age bracket, 66-69, in the 15th annual Maine Senior Games. After winning 10-pin bowling Sept. 6, she won four events Sept. 8, softball throwing, football throwing, basketball hot shot and foul shooting. Then on Sept. 9, she won the race walk and the long jump.

This stately old mansion once stood at 730 Main St., at the corner of Stroudwater Street. Dr. Jacob L. Horr occupied this building from 1873 until the time of his death in December 1916. Horr served as an alderman in 1899 and as mayor 1900-1901. In later years, Mayor William B. Bragdon (1919) occupied this house. It was demolished in the 1950s to make way for an Esso gasoline and service station. It’s now a Cumberland Farms store. To see more historical photos and artifacts, visit the Westbrook Historical Society at the Fred C. Wescott Building, 426 Bridge St. It is open Tuesdays and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon, and the first Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m., September-June. Inquiries can be emailed to [email protected]. The website is www.westbrookhistoricalsociety.org. Photo and research courtesy of Mike Sanphy