Poland Springs Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Poland Springs Historic District
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 543 Maine St., Poland, Maine |
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| Area | 236 acres (96 ha) |
| Built | 1865 |
| Architect | Wilkinson, Harry C. |
| Architectural style | Renaissance |
| NRHP reference No. | 13000595 |
| Added to NRHP | August 13, 2013 |
The Poland Springs Historic District is a special area in Poland, Maine. It was once a very popular summer resort. People came here because they believed the spring water had healing powers.
This district is on the north side of Maine Street in South Poland. It includes old resort buildings and a golf course. You can also see the first places where the famous Poland Spring water was bottled. This historic area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Today, most of it is part of the Poland Springs Resort complex.
Contents
Discovering the Poland Springs Resort
The historic Poland Springs resort is located east of Maine Street in South Poland. A big part of the resort is its golf course, which was built in the 1890s. Most of the buildings you see were built between 1890 and 1915.
Exploring the Resort Buildings
The Executive Inn is the largest building, built in 1963. Near it, you'll find the All Souls Chapel. This chapel was built in 1912 for guests and workers to attend religious services.
Another interesting building is the Maine State Building. It was built in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After the exposition, it was moved here and now holds a museum. There was also a beach house built in 1919. It is now a private home across the street.
The Famous Poland Spring Water
East of the resort, you can find the old bottling plant and spring house. The bottling plant is a large building with a unique design. It has a tall square tower at one corner. The tower has open sections with columns and a pyramid-shaped roof.
The building's entrance has arched openings. Its windows are also round-arched. The bottling plant is shaped like a cross and has a copper dome in the middle. The spring house is a smaller building nearby. It has columns at its entrance. This is where the famous Poland Spring water was collected and prepared.
How Poland Spring Became Famous
The Poland Spring resort became very well known in the mid-1800s. People believed its water could help them feel better. In 1876, the big Poland Spring House was built to welcome visitors. Sadly, this main building was destroyed by fire about a century later.
The Ricker family ran the resort for many years. In 1903, Edward P. Ricker had a great idea: to bottle the spring water. He worked with Harry Wilkerson, an architect from Poland, Maine. Together, they designed the bottling plant and spring house. These important buildings were finished in 1907.
