A tradition that saw residents scouring the Bethel-area countryside for hidden treasure was resurrected this year by the Bethel Area Business Association and the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society.

Twenty years ago, a Medallion Hunt took place each summer leading up to Molly Ockett Day. Clues were published weekly in the Bethel Citizen until someone found the medallion, hidden somewhere in the Bethel area, and claimed a monetary reward.

Danny Whitney, of the Bethel Area Business Association, said he remembers the event from when he was in high school, and how people would eagerly anticipate the publication of a clue each Thursday in the newspaper. That nostalgia, coupled with this year’s 250th birthday of the country, prompted his organization and the historical society to team up to bring the hunt back. The business association offered the prize of $599.99, donated by Western Maine Supply & Clean Cut Painting Co. 

Historical society Executive Director Will Chapman proposed the 250th theme, wrote the clues and hid the medallion. The first clue was announced at the July 4 historical society concert, announced on WOXO radio the following Monday, and then published online on the two organizations’ Facebook pages the following Wednesday. The radio and Facebook announcements were to be repeated until the medallion was found. If not found by Molly Ockett Day, on Aug. 8 this year, the hunt would end.

Whitney said the business association hopes to make the medallion hunt an annual event.
As of Monday, July 20, the medallion had not been found. 

The first two clues: 
Clue #1: Everyone loves a good story; we know one that could hold your attention.

Clue #2: We’ll begin with the end: A great separation, made official, at last. (Six decades later, another — This one a much less bloody affair!)

Seneca Corriveau, of Gilead, found the medallion in a past hunt.

“Nothing is more exhilarating for me than an honest-to-goodness treasure hunt,” she said. “Decoding the clues, then jumping in the car. Often it was a social event, spending time with my sister Amber and our toddlers because no one wants to look like a lunatic, frantically searching rest stops and cemeteries all alone. We were exposed to so many new locations that we hadn’t ever been to before, so I truly enjoyed exploring an area, even if I didn’t find the medallion there.”

The object of the hunt is to decipher a series of clues and locate the medallion hidden on public land within the town lines of Albany, Andover, Bethel, Gilead, Greenwood, Grafton, Hanover, Mason, Newry, Riley Plantation (Sunday River area), and Woodstock. The finder of the medallion may claim the cash prize on Molly Ockett Day.

To claim the prize money, you must be 18 years or older or accompanied by a parent/guardian. The finder of the Molly Ockett Treasure Hunt medallion must immediately return the medallion to Bethel Area Business Association by calling 207-890-3617. 

For more information and contest rules, visit the historical society website.

Alison Aloisio is a freelance writer.