Mount Chase is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Penobscot County, Maine Penobscot County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot people in Wabanakik. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 152,199, making it the third-most-populous count ...

, United States. The population was 187 at the 2020 census.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is heavily forested and includes scenic lakes. It is situated 10 miles from Patten and 15 miles from the north entrance to Baxter State Park. Katahdin is visible from many locations.

Mt. Chase

Mt. Chase is a peak of volcanic origin with a height of 2440 feet.

Upper Shin Pond

Upper Shin Pond is a large lake of 544 acres with a maximum depth of 64 feet.

Lower Shin Pond

Lower Shin Pond is a large lake measuring 560 acres with a maximum depth of 25 feet.

History

The land surrounding Mt. Katahdin is believed to have been utilized by

Penobscot The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic p ...

and

Maliseet The Wolastoqiyik, (, also known as the Maliseet or Malecite () are an Algonquian-speaking First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the Indigenous people of the Wolastoq ( Saint John River) valley and its tributaries. Their terri ...

peoples for thousands of years. Local names for peaks, waterways, and other landmarks reflect this heritage. The town of Mount Chase acquired its name from its prominent mountain peak, described above. Its first permanent residents are dated to 1838, although two families are included in the 1837 Maine Census. In 1860 the population was 250, and in 1862 it was organized and renamed the Mount Chase

Plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

. On March 2, 1864, it became the town of Mount Chase. In 1880 it had 310 residents; in 1900 there were 299. In the aftermath of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the railroad extended its lines along the

Penobscot River The Penobscot River (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's W ...

from Bangor to Mattawamkeag. An 1882 history described Mount Chase as located "on the

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

line from the European & North American Railroad at Mattawamkeag to Fort Kent in the extreme north of the State, on the

St John Saint John or St. John usually refers to either John the Baptist or John the Apostle. Saint John or St. John may also refer to: People Saints * John the Baptist ( – ), preacher, ascetic, and baptizer of Jesus Christ * John the Evangelis ...

." Residents and tourists could now take advantage of the 50-mile stage route from Mattawamkeag to Mount Chase, and supplies could be shipped in and goods or wild game out more readily.

Hotels and sporting camps

Shin Pond House/Shin Pond Village

The Shin Pond House was established in the 1870s by Charles H. Sibley and was initially Mount Chase's only hotel. The next hotel keeper was Ted Crommett. The original Shin Pond House burned and was rebuilt in 1912 by Zenas L. Harvey, who added cabins to the lodging options. After a fire in 1949, Arthur and Edna Augustine purchased the property and built a new Shin Pond House. After their tenure, the building was destroyed by another fire in 1979. In the early 1980s Craig and Terry Hill envisioned a recreational resort on the former Shin Pond House site, called the Shin Pond Village. They built a general store, public laundry and public showers. Campsites and guest suites were added, along with new cabins.

Point-of-Pines Camps

Point-of-Pines Camps was created on Upper Shin Pond and operated by G. F. Root. In 1952 it was included in a survey of Maine wilderness sporting camps, though described as "less wilderness in concept and category."

Mt. Chase Lodge

Mt. Chase Lodge was established in 1960 on Upper Shin Pond as a recreational

sporting lodge In Great Britain and Ireland a sporting lodge – also known as a hunting lodge, hunting box, fishing hut, shooting box, or shooting lodge – is a building designed to provide wikt:lodging, lodging for those practising the sports of Fox hunting, ...

. Since 1976 Rick and Sara Hill have operated the lodge.

Driftwood Lodge and Camps

The Driftwood Lodge and camps is located on the east side of Upper Shin Pond. It is managed by Paul and Tracy Reed and features a guide service for bear hunters. File:Mount Chase02.jpg, Mount Chase Town Office File:Mount Chase05.jpg, View of Mt. Chase File:Mount Chase03.jpg, Shin Pond Village File:Mount Chase17.jpg, Upper Shin Pond File:Mount Chase11.jpg, Lower Shin Pond

Economy and industries

Early workers were attracted to the Mount Chase area for opportunities working for lumber companies. In 1881, ''A Gazetteer of the State of Maine,'' emphasized that the area was "well wooded" and offered a saw mill on Crystal Brook at the eastern side of town. However, another contemporary work pointing out that farming was by then the major occupation of Mount Chase's inhabitants. Maintaining sporting camps and offering wilderness guide services have continued as means of support to the present time. Recent decades have seen the rise of snowmobiling as a major winter sport. According to American Community Survey estimates, the most common industry category for Mount Chase is "agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining," followed by "retail trade."

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 201 people, 94 households, and 57 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 297 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 3.0% Asian, and 0.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.5% of the population. There were 94 households, of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 1.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.4% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.72. The median age in the town was 50.1 years. 18.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17% were from 25 to 44; 41.3% were from 45 to 64; and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 55.2% male and 44.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 247 people, 104 households, and 76 families residing in the town. The

was 6.8 people per square mile (2.6/km). There were 238 housing units at an average density of 6.6 per square mile (2.5/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.38%

, 0.40%

, and 1.21% from two or more races. There were 104 households, out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% were

living together, 1.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.73. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 38.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $26,705, and the median income for a family was $27,031. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $16,458 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $12,930. About 27.3% of families and 27.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 43.6% of those 65 or over.

References

External links

Patten Lumbermen's Museum

Shin Pond Seaplane Base
{{authority control Towns in Penobscot County, Maine Towns in Maine