Woodstock

Woodstock is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,277 at the 2010 census. The village of Bryant Pond, on State Route 26 in the northern part of Woodstock, is the town's urban center and largest settlement. Bryant Pond achieved some national fame and media attention beginning in the mid-1970s when its family-owned Bryant Pond Telephone Company became the last hand-crank telephone exchange in operation in the United States. In 1981, the two-position magneto switchboard in the living room of owners Barbara and Elden Hathaway, was purchased by the Oxford County Telephone & Telegraph Company, a nearby larger independent company. A movement called "Don't Yank The Crank" was organized by David Perham and Brad Hooper in a valiant but futile effort to keep their beloved crank phones. The effort was not ultimately successful, and the last "crank" calls took place on 11 October 1983, when a modern dial exchange (207-665) was placed in service. If you happen to be a fan of American horror author, Stephen King, then you're in luck! Woodstock, Maine is a close approximation of the fictional town, Castle Rock, which is only second to Derry in notoriety. Such works as "The Dead Zone," "Cujo" and "Needful Things" all feature Castle Rock in some capacity.