A widely-followed Bangor cab driver who has been publicly obsessing about buying a particular abandoned log cabin has lost his dream getaway.
Fredrick Laverdiere, who moderates the Forgotten Maine site on Facebook and Abandoned Maine on YouTube, has been posting for two weeks about a certain log cabin he ran across in the woods and is pining for- in a town he won’t identify.
Laverdiere has intrigued so many people that nearly 1,000 Facebookers are now glued to – and commenting on – the continually unfolding saga.
He first told the followers of the Forgotten Maine page on November 7 about this log cabin he stumbled into one lazy day and can’t stop dreaming about owning.
“A collapsing log cabin out near Bangor,” he posted. “There’s no-trespassing signs so I had to take this (picture) from the road. It looks like the roof might last a couple of winters before it goes. General info from the assessors: condition poor (duh), no basement, kitchen obsolete, asphalt shingles, about 5.16 acres.”
“Update,” he later added. “I got some info on the owner (I think). Like any similar situation, you go talk with the town assessor. There wasn’t a direct address listed of an owner but the name said C/O someone. After doing a general search, a name came up who lives nearby. Since I have a few regular taxi customers in the area, I’ll easily be able to knock on the door and ask.”
Laverdiere has been both scolded and prodded by those following what really has become a virtual soap opera about a lonesome little abandoned log cabin in the North Woods of Maine. Two weeks go by.
Then the “punchline:”
“Good and bad news about that abandoned log cabin I posted about earlier,” Laverdiere told the tens of hundreds of followers who are tuned into his obsession. “This is the photo that is included in the property info the town assessor gives you. It had a landowner listed, so looked him up, they live a short distance from this cabin, and had the chance a half hour ago to go ask about it.
“As soon as I showed him the sheet,” Laverdiere added, “he quickly said they pay the tax on it, it’s got electricity, it’s not for sale and he doesn’t want anyone going near it. Since he looked rather nervous, I said ‘that’s what I want to know’ and left. That has to be one of the more awkward situations I’ve found myself in. Frankly I wonder if some tragedy happened. However, since the owner was explicit, I’ll have to not reveal anything.”
Laverdiere is getting a range of reactions from the Facebook group, mostly like this: “It’s private property. Mind your own damn business!”
Others, however, are urging Laverdiere to follow his dream, as in, “Nothing at all wrong walking up to someone who owns property and asking if you can buy it.”
A man identifying himself on the cabin chat as Chris Page told Laverdiere: “There’s no mystery behind this cabin, no bad stuff, no murders ha ha ha. We built this cabin back in the 70s. It was lived in for quite a few years, and then rented for a number of years. And it actually wasn’t built for any specific reason, other than let’s build a log cabin for something to do. lol.“True story,” Page added.
“The family is actually a very nice family that has been living in that area for decades. Most everyone is spread out now, or passed away. Except for the family that obviously you knocked on their door. Some live in Vermont, one is a mountain man type of guy lived in Kentucky for a while who is the actual owner, and still is to this day actually that’s why it’s a log cabin, another is a mercenary fighting overseas for a different country. A very unique family. I can assure you when he answered the door, he wasn’t nervous. Abrupt, and straight to the point, maybe. But certainly not nervous.👍 I hope this kinda sheds some light on a few things for everybody out there. No Maine legends here.😁🪖🇺🇸🇺🇦”
Laura Burnham, who has been following the log-cabin saga, sounds relieved.
“What an amazing backstory,” she commented. “Thank you for sharing – it makes the cabin even more beautiful than the pictures. ❤️”
