Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 10 : Fall 2011 | Page 43

High Street with Caribou’s old Municipal Building on
the right. Route 161 used to turn left onto a vibrant
downtown area on Sweden Street, but the traffic pattern
was altered dramatically in the early 1970’s by a federal
program called Urban Renewal. Sweden Street was the
core of the downtown area for a good part of the 50’s
and 60’s. Stores such as J.C. Penneys, J.J. Newberry’s,
F.W. Woolworth, Briggs Hardware, Day’s Jewelry,
Powers Theater, Aroostook Trust Company, Havey’s
Drug Store, Cyr’s Barber Shop, Victory Restaurant,
Habeeb’s Smoke Shop, Lupo’s, L.S. Halls, the U.S.
Post Office and others lined this part of the downtown.
Businesses located to other parts of town and numerous
buildings were demolished. The lower half of Sweden
Street was replaced by the Downtown Mall that has an
outdoor covered canopy between the newly constructed
buildings. Adjacent to the Downtown Mall, the city of
Caribou has erected a life-size bronze woodland caribou
statue. Across the street from the statue, Caribou’s
Public Library has been standing since 1912, which
was built from a $10,000 grant provided by Andrew
Carnegie. As one climbs the North Main Street hill,
the Route 161 signs direct the traveler around the
Downtown Mall area onto Herschel Street and then
onto Prospect Street, which leads back to Sweden Street
bypassing the downtown area. At this intersection the
Gray Memorial Methodist Church with its iconic clock
tower rises. It was built in 1912 and was placed on
the National Historic Register in 1995. Opposite this
historic church there used to be a Graves’ Supermarket
and a Gulf Filling Station.
Leaving the downtown area, a town gathering
spot is approached. Reno’s Family Restaurant has been
serving American and Italian food since 1965. Reno’s
has a great breakfast and is noted for its pizza. I was
once snowmobiling in New Brunswick, and I stopped
to speak with some other sledders. They spoke French
making it difficult to have a conversation. I told them
I was from Caribou. Once I said that, they mentioned
Reno’s. This section of Sweden Street has sidewalks on
both sides of the street making for an enjoyable walk for
residents. As I recall the days of my youth, I remember
the town sounded a horn signaling to the town at dusk
that younger residents were to get off the streets. The
Aroostook County Courthouse with its classic brick
façade is visible with its cupola rising from Sweden Street.
The court house was built in 1895 to ensure that the
legal business for a very large county was more equally
divided between the northern and southern frontiers of
Aroostook. With the county seat in Houlton, a resident
in Northern Aroostook would have had to travel a great
distance to appear in court. At one time there had been
talk of making two counties out of one. With Caribou’s
Court House, this idea never became popular. Another
culinary establishment is now approached. Burger Boy
has been on Sweden Street since ѡ