STRATTON — The Dead River Area Historical Society will celebrate The Stevens Family from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, hosted by direct descendants Caleb and Philip Stevens. The Stevens Family Reunion is that same day.

These men grew up in Stratton and their many friends are invited to drop in and say hello.

One hundred and ninety nine 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 to their destination on the second day.

This was not Caleb’s first trip. His first trip in August 1818 was to scope out the new enterprise, build a cabin and barn and then return in the fall to get his family.

Read the history of this brave family in the early wilderness of Maine as written by a family member in the Franklin Chronicle in the late 1800s. Phil Stevens re-enacted this walk in 2010.

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

The historical society is open 11 am. to 3 p.m. every weekend through July and August. 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.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.