Town of Hermon, Maine

Just under 6,000 people live in Hermon, Maine. Hermon is not flashy, but it has many attractions that make it stand out from nearby towns and make it worth visiting. When you’re in Hermon, you’ll find it to be homey and relaxing. It’ll make you want to stay for a while and to come back after you leave.

A Brief History

Hermon has had no exciting wars or battles fought in it like its neighboring towns Hampden and Bangor did. Life here was calm. Hermon was first settled by Europeans in 1784, then was incorporated in 1814. Over time, the town began to come to life; businesses, factories, and schoolhouses were built. There was a barrel factory, sawmills, a brickyard, creameries and cheese factories, a library, and a railroad. There were also thirteen total schoolhouses at one point.

The population of Hermon stayed small for a while but increased at a quick rate during the first few decades. There were 266 people living there in 1820, and that number more than doubled to 535 by 1830. By 1840 it nearly doubled again to 1,042. It began to slow significantly and even started to dip into the negative numbers—Hermon was losing population. Come 1950 and its population increased sharply from the count on the 1940’s census. Ever since then, Hermon has been steadily gaining residents every ten years.

Exploring Hermon Maine

Hermon’s businesses are based mostly on residential and everyday needs. Along Route 2 is Camden National Bank, C&K Variety, Country Market Inc., Hermon Baptist Church, Dunkin’, Ace Hardware, Refinement Day Spa, and more. In the middle of town are also the three schools that makeup Hermon’s school system, and the town hall further down the street. There’s an optometrist, dentistry, and a pharmacy for your health needs.

Hermon doesn’t have an abundance of places to eat at, but it does have a few options to pick from. Dysart’s Restaurant and Truck Stop is popular, especially among truckers, given its name. Dysart’s is a fuel stop for trucks and a place for them and anyone else to get a hot meal at all hours. The restaurant does close, but the truck stop is open 24/7 for late-night truckers. Then there’s Hero’s Take Out & Dairy Bar, where you can get pizza, burgers, sandwiches, wings, and the like. They have a variety of ice cream treats too, hence the Dairy Bar.

Hermon seems to be a car haven. It has several car dealerships: Payne’s Auto Sales, Hermon Motor Company Used Cars, Hildreth Street Automotive, Adam’s Automotive, and more. There are also more than a couple of auto repair shops: The Shop Inc., Kontio’s Automotive Repair, Tucker Auto Repair, Hartfords Auto Service, and Butler’s Collision Center are only some from the extensive list. If you live in Hermon, you should have no trouble getting your car fixed!

Lots of Outdoor Fun

Hermon’s main entertainment options are outdoor activities, some of which are exceptionally unique to the area. There are a few indoor activity options too.

If you like skiing, go to New Hermon Mountain. It’s perfect for those living in the Penobscot County area who don’t want to travel all the way down to Shawnee Peak or Sugarloaf to go skiing. Plus it doesn’t get nearly as crowded as those bigger resorts do. New Hermon Mountain has separate lanes for skiing, snowboarding, and tubing. They offer private and group lessons for beginners, plus equipment rentals. Buying a tubing pass comes with a free tube to use on the slope, so you don’t need to worry about that either.

There’s the Hermon Skeet Club, which is all about the sport of clay pigeon shooting. This includes three subsects: skeet shooting, trap shooting, and sporting clays. All have the same premise: you shoot and try to break clay discs after they’ve been thrown in the air. The Hermon Skeet Club lot is 220 acres, and there are fields for each type of shooting plus a clubhouse.

Interested in seeing some beautiful flowers, gardens, and greenery? Visit the unique Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum, the only arboretum in the nearby area. You’ll walk down dirt trails alongside 280 types of trees, as well as over 1,500 different herbaceous species and 130 woody species. The Arboretum is a nonprofit organization, reliant on volunteer work to keep it pruned and running. If you live in the area, consider volunteering on Wednesdays from 5 p.m. until sundown—or contact them directly to set up a different time—to help maintain the gardens.

If camping out is your jam, or if you’re visiting and looking to have a more rugged stay in Hermon, you can pitch a tent or park an RV at Pleasant Hill Campground. There’s also an RV exclusive campground, Pumpkin Patch RV Resort.

Tired of the outdoors yet? The Sports Arena in Hermon has bowling, pool tables, a mini-golf course, an arcade, and a sports bar. They have a small menu of typical bar food, including wings and pizza. Have dinner here and entertain yourself with one of the several activities.

Hermon, Maine may not have extravagant attractions, but it is a special town in its own way. There are plenty of things to do for outdoor lovers, and residents have all the services they need. If anything else is needed, Bangor is just a hop and a skip away.

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