DEAR SUN SPOTS: I was just reading the Sun Journal and saw the words, “Wasson’s Grove” in the headline for your July 9 Sun Spots column. Boy, that got my attention.

When I was a child and into my teens, I ate those burgers at Wasson’s a lot. They had the most incredible flavor because they were cooked in butter. They were also advertised as being “all-steak.” I ate hamburgers a lot back then (in the 1960s) and never tasted a burger anywhere else that was as good.

The place was indeed in a grove of trees, set back off Route 100. The men who worked there were always dressed spotlessly in all-white, with white Garrison-style caps, like the kind Boy Scouts wear.

Each burger was cooked to order. The finished sandwich was broader and wider than a typical hamburger, and the meat patty was thinner. The bun was toasted and had real butter on it. There was a nice salty flavor to everything.

This was a place that took hamburgers very seriously and the men behind the counter always seemed quite serious as well. There were no frills, and I don’t recall too much else on the menu.

If you wished to eat there instead of taking your burgers to go, the entrance area had some stand-up tables (no chairs), which was also a distinctive feature.

There was nothing else like it. It was a burger connoisseur’s destination.

The person who wrote in is incorrect about the place being in New Gloucester. Wasson’s was indeed on Route 100 (Portland Road) on the way to Portland from Auburn but was well past Gray as you got closer to Falmouth, perhaps not exactly within the Falmouth city limits. However, I found that the address is 333 Gray Road, Falmouth. The place was situated atop a very high hill, the highest of any on that road. Wasson’s was on the left going south toward Portland. — No name, no town

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Regarding Wasson’s Grove, I, too, had wondered about that great place where we stopped on school trips. I knew it was on Routes 26/100 in the Gray or Cumberland area and found it one day when delivering propane! It’s now a dog-related business. I even asked the owners and they confirmed it was Wasson’s, and some of the structure is still there. It’s off Exit 53, going north on Routes 26/100 about 3 miles, on the crest of a big hill. I hope this helps! — Mike, Auburn

DEAR SUN SPOTS: This is in answer to the gentleman’s recent mention of Wasson’s Grove. I remember going there with my parents and siblings in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I believe it was in Cumberland on Route 100. I don’t recall that there was another location in New Gloucester. I remember the hamburgers were great and we had fun playing on the swings and seesaws. — Claire, no town

ANSWER: What awesome responses from everyone! I’m very pleased. It does seem like there is some confusion about the actual town where Wasson’s Grove was located. However, it sounds like “No name, no town” is quite sure of where this hamburger heaven was once located.

If anyone has more they want to say about Wasson’s, please write in!

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