BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 9, 2025
Going back to the 1800s, there was always a public boat launch and right-of-way to Great Pond. That changed when the U.S. government was gifted part of the lakeshore. The government later developed an elaborate recreational facility known as the Great Pond Adventure Center for active and retired military. In 1946, Rick Musson’s father built and ran a sporting camp on the lake’s Loon Island until 2000. Called Great Pond Lodge, hunters and fishermen reached the island from a boat that launched at the now-disputed access point beside the military facility. Musson, who lives on Great Pond and inherited the now-closed lodge, alleges that in 2018 the government confiscated his $25,000 aluminum dock at gunpoint. He says he has not been compensated. Tom Stott, a Great Pond selectman, warns that “there is a cloud hanging over this entire issue — not only regarding the public road ownership, but the public right-of-way to the boat launch.”