Stetson is a residential and recreational haven on the edge of Sebasticook Valley. The small rural community is home to many lifelong residents and offers respite and recreation for commuters working in neighboring communities and for travelers and vacationers returning to the shores of Pleasant Lake.
The community takes great pride in its local history and natural resources whether at the historic Stetson Meetinghouse, the fish population at Pleasant Lake or the varied wildlife in Goodwin Stream Marsh.
The marsh is a popular home for waterfowl including common loons, Canada geese, black ducks, wood ducks, common golden-eyes, green-winged teals and ring-necked ducks. Other birds nesting in or visiting the marsh include eastern and belted kingfisher, red-winged blackbirds, scoter, swamp sparrow, whip-poor-will, great crested flycatcher, common snipe, killdeer, lesser yellowlegs, solitary sandpiper, great blue heron and spotted sandpiper.
The lake is home to warm-water fish such as large- and small-mouthed bass, perch and pickerel. The fish population is aided by a new fishway installed with the help of the Maine Department of Marine Resources. The fishway is part of a long-range effort to restore historic fisheries to the Sebasticook Valley via the Kennebec River.
The 1843 meetinghouse still houses many town and is listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places. The building is rivaled only by the town’s new combined fire station and library, constructed in 1998 with the help of state grant money.
The town also claims fame as the home of the World’s largest oxen, bred and owned by A.S. Rand & Son of Stetson in the late 1800s. Named Mt. Katahdin and Granger, the duo’s combined weight of 9,800 lbs is believed to be a record to this day. A picture of the famed duo is still on display in the community.
|
