Chesterville

Sitting between Farmington and Livermore Falls, Chesterville is becoming a growing bedroom community. Its population peaked at 1,112 in 1850 and now is nearing that number again.

Settled in 1782, Chesterville was undoubtedly named by Jonathan Sewall, a prominent and intensely religious man in the community's early history, after an 18th century hymn called �Chester.�

In the early days, grist, bark and sawmills were numerous. A cannery and quarry also operated here. Now, the town is mostly residential and agricultural, with many vacation homes around such picturesque ponds as Horseshoe, Norcross, Fellows, Round, North and Sand.

There is a public beach at Sand Pond with swimming lessons in the summer, a baseball field, a 4-H Club, Chesterville Grange 20, which holds summer suppers on the third Saturday of each month, and community Halloween and Christmas parties.

Chesterville also has a unique natural area, the Chesterville Esker, which is a sharp crested ridge up to 30 yards high. Take the Ridge Road and you are on the Esker.

The Chesterville Wildlife Management Area on the Little Norridgewock Stream has multiple environments, including ponds, bogs and uplands. It is gentle, flat water with a lazy current, but twists and turns enough to provide hours of enjoyment for the canoeist. The scenery has been compared to the Everglades, but without the alligators. It does have many birds, waterfowl, beaver, great blue herons, deer and an occasional moose. Picnic spots along the shoreline are among the attractions.

Town profile: Incorporated in 1802; 1,028 residents in 36 square miles.
It sits 370 feet above sea level.
Town offices: Dutch Gap Rd., Phone/fax 778-2433. Open 9am-5pm, Mon. through Fri.
Meetings
Selectmen: Thurs., from 7-9pm, town office.
Planning Board: second Tues. at 7pm, town office.
Elections: First Mon. in March, town office.
Taxes: $18.10 on $1,000 of valuation.
Snow removal: Town
Animal Shelter: Franklin County, 778-2638
Ambulance: 911 (emergency only)
Fire: 911 (emergency only)
Fire Chief: David Archer, 778-4252
Police: 911 (emergency only)
Sheriff's Office: 778-9891
Town Clerk: Patricia Gordon, 778-2433

Kent Wiles, President | Laurie Blake, Executive Director
407 Wilton Road | Farmington, Maine 04938
Tel. (207) 778-4215 | Fax: (207) 778-2438 | Email: info@fwcoc.org