Society to celebrate Stevens family, first settlers of Stratton on Aug. 20

Caleb Stevens and his wife, Lisa, of Dryden. Caleb is a direct descendant of the Stevens Family that founded Stratton. Submitted photo

STRATTON — Each year members of the Dead River Area Historical Society celebrate the founders of Stratton.

On Sunday, Aug. 20, members will honor the founders of Stratton, “The Stevens Family,” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the society building at 171 Main St. The event is hosted by direct descendant Caleb Stevens and his wife, Lisa, of Dryden. Caleb Stevens grew up in Stratton.

Caleb Stevens of Dryden is a direct descendant of the founders of Stratton. Route 27, between Kingfield and Stratton, is now “The Caleb Dalton Stevens Memorial Highway.” Submitted photo

Two hundred and five years ago, Caleb Stevens (1776-1855) journeyed, with his wife, Sally Thomas Stevens, and nine children, from Kingfield to the intersection of Stratton Brook and the Dead River in the fall of 1818. They walked as far as Carrabassett the first day and arrived at their destination on the second day. Previously, in August 1818, he scoped out the new enterprise and built a cabin and barn before returning in the fall to get his family.

The history of this family’s life in the early wilderness of Maine was written by a family member in the Franklin Chronicle in the late 1800s and can be read in the genealogy section at the society, according to a news release from the society’s Mary Henderson.

Route 27, between Kingfield and Stratton, is now “The Caleb Dalton Stevens Memorial Highway.”

The society is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every weekend throughout July and August at 171 Main St. in Stratton. Displays include a collection of old carpentry and logging tools, china, glass, church organ, furniture from native families, a complete schoolroom, a memorial room to the “lost” towns of Flagstaff and Dead River, the lineage of several native families, and a host of memorabilia from native homesteads.

There is a River Drive exhibit of the old days of taking logs and pulp down the rivers and streams to the mills. A Sporting Camps exhibit includes some taxidermy, including deer and caribou heads, a full-size black bear and a huge, well-preserved togue caught more than 100 years ago in the area. Additionally, there is the beginning of a Military Room with photos and memorabilia of the townspeople who served the country.

For more information, call Henderson at 207-246-2271.