Have You Seen the Famous Shoe Tree in Hodgdon, Maine?

That's right...shoe tree. A tree with shoes in it.

Don't ask. But if you do ask about the shoe tree, it's about 7 miles south of Houlton, Maine. EVERYONE in that neck of the woods knows about the 'shoe tree'.

Pretty unremarkable and easy to pass by. In fact, if you don't know to look for it, in the summertime with the tree full of leaves, you can't even see shoes hanging...oh, but they are there. Hundreds of them!

If you Google 'shoe tree Hodgdon, Maine' - a roadside attraction entry comes up and an old 2003 article from CBS called, 'Odd Truths'. Here's what it says about the shoe tree...

Virgil Farrar, 65, adds new shoes to the 150 pairs already adorning a rock maple at his farm on Rte. 1, May 6 in Hodgdon, Maine. The tree has been a local landmark since Farrar started hanging shoes on a whim while playing with his grandchildren four years ago. "I'd like to fill the whole tree with shoes, " he said, "and then start a bottle tree."

Seems like something an old guy would do with his grandkids. Haven't seen the bottle tree anywhere, but I'm keeping my eyes open! There is no sign for the shoe tree, so you have to be on the lookout for it. If you need help finding it and you are on Route One on the way to Houlton, it's on the left side directly across from Crown of Maine Taxidermy.

Of course it is.

Maine is filled with interesting little tid bits like this. What odd little roadside attraction have you seen in Maine?