Cessna 206 pilot reported a non-normal pitch up during climbout in VFR conditions after maintenance was performed prior to flight. The pilot was able to return to the departure airport.

Narrative

I preflighted the aircraft thoroughly because I knew the Cessna 206 had undergone significant maintenance. Additionally; called the Maintenance department to ask what inspections had occurred so I could be better prepared prior to flight. What I missed was a note in a very long Maintenance sign off sheet that mentioned that 'the elevator trim actuator had been replaced.' I took off the aircraft and immediately after rotation I noticed the was pitching up more than normal. I manually rolled elevator trim to pitch nose down and the aircraft continued to trend towards a high pitch attitude. Knowing that the aircraft had undergone significant maintenance I chose to not change the elevator trim any more because I could manually override the aircrafts pitching up tendency by pushing forward on the yoke. I entered the right hand pattern for runway XX in ZZZ. I requested a full stop with the tower. When the aircraft accelerated to 110 knots the pressure required to maintain level flight forced me to use considerable strength with both hands. I then reduced power and gradually increased flaps to full. With the reduction in airspeed I was able to make a near normal approach to land.After landing I asked a mechanic to tell me what direction the elevator trim was moving when I selected full nose up and down trim. We ascertained that the trim had been installed in reverse.In the future I will use a second person to pre-flight with me to confirm that the trims are moving in the correct direction when performing a maintenance test flight (especially any flight control surface has been removed or replaced.)