In 1794, Jabez Ricker traded his land in Alfred to the local Shaker community for property in present-day Poland. Shortly after his arrival, travelers came looking for a place to stay, and the Ricker family began its first inn. In 1844, Hiram Ricker, a grandson of Jabez, discovered the curative powers of the mineral spring on the property and began to share the water with family and friends. Within another half century, sales of the water prompted the building of the Poland Spring House, a summer hotel that eventually had more than 500 rooms and the first golf course at a resort in the country; the purchase of the Maine State Building from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago; and many other ingenious and trend-setting innovations.
About the Author :
The Poland Spring Preservation Society and its executive director, Jason C. Libby, have gone through their extensive archives to present the history of Poland Spring. The society was formed in 1976 to preserve the Maine State Building and All Souls Chapel, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Their mission is to preserve and share the remarkable story of Poland Spring.
Review :
Title: Pictorial history offers glimpse of Poland Spring Author: Staff Writer
Publisher: Sun Journal
Date: 8/8/09
On Wednesday, Aug. 12, the Poland Spring Preservation Society will host a book signing for its newly released book, "Poland Spring: Images of America," at the Maine State Building on the grounds of the Poland Spring Resort.
Featured are more than 200 vintage images detailing different aspects of Poland Spring, including the oldest golf course at a resort in the United States and the Poland Spring House summer hotel opened by the Ricker family, which quickly became a popular attraction for the country's social and political elite, as well as the family's bottling plant.
The Poland Spring Preservation Society and its executive director, Jason C. Libby, worked with Arcadia Publishing to compile the book. They hope it will "show an appreciation of how ordinary events such as travelers passing by looking for a place to stay and one man's belief in the purity of his water could impact thousands of individuals and tell a part of the story of the state."
The signing will be from 3 to 6 p.m. The book will be available for purchase at the gift shop at the Maine State Building, 37 Preservation Way. All Souls Chapel will be open with free admission. Refreshments will be served.
Begun in 1976, the preservation society oversees the preservation and restoration of the Maine State Building and All Souls Chapel, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
"Poland Spring: Images of America," a 128-page soft cover book, is available at area bookstores and through Arcadia Publishing at (888) 313-2665 or www.arcadiapublishing.com. Cost is $21.99. A portion of the book sales will help support the society's preservation efforts.
For more information, visit www.polandspringps.org or call 998-4142.
