Lovell is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,104 at the 2020 census. Lovell is the site of Kezar Lake, a resort area.
History
thumb|left|Main Street in 1907
In 1774, the Massachusetts General Court granted New Suncook Plantation to the officers and soldiers (or their heirs) who fought on May 8, 1725, during Father Rale's War against the Sokokis Abenaki Indians at Pequawket (now Fryeburg). First settled in 1777, the community had 85 inhabitants by 1790. New Suncook Plantation would be incorporated as a town on November 15, 1800, renamed after Captain John Lovewell, the fallen expedition leader.
The Kezar River provided water power for industry. In the 19th century, mills produced spools, long lumber, shooks, axe handles, ox goads, carriages, sleighs, harness, cabinet work and coffins, and boots and shoes. Good soil helped farms prosper. Following the Civil War, the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad connected to Fryeburg, and tourists discovered the beauty of Kezar Lake. Inns and hotels opened, and the town remains a summer resort.
In 2015 an estimated 100-year-old wild American chestnut tree was found in a reserved forest in Lovell, on land bequeathed to the University of Maine Foundation. The tree stood tall and a skinny in diameter. It is thought to be the largest American chestnut in the United States.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Lovell is drained by the Kezar River, a tributary of the Saco River. Kezar Lake is a significant lake within the town.
Lovell is crossed by State Route 5. It borders the towns of Stoneham to the north, Waterford to the east, Sweden to the southeast, Fryeburg to the southwest, and Stow to the west.