There has been an art gallery in the Maine State Building since it was re-assembled on the grounds of the historic Poland Spring Resort. Even in Chicago the building had some spectacular art pieces by some well-known artists of the day including Scott Leighton and Harriston Bird Brown. Beginning in 1895, the Poland Spring Art Gallery housed some of the finest artists and for a mere hotel art gallery commanded a great deal of respect and was a sought after venue for many artists. Some of the artists included Walter Dean, D.D. Coombs. JAS Monks, Abbott Graves, Leon Dabo, Charles H. Woodbury and Nettie Ricker. The director of the gallery…

The story of the chapel begins in the 1880s, almost three decades before the first trowel of dirt was turned by toddler Garret A. Hobart III. The head waiter, Julius Gassauser, was a priest in training and he and members of the staff were desirous of a proper place to hold religious services. Although they had use of the music hall in the Poland Spring House or other places, they wanted something was dedicated to holding religious services for both Protestants and Catholics. The Ricker family agreed to the request and the staff began to fundraise. In 1896, Sadie Ricker, the fifth child of Hiram and Janette Bolster Ricker, began to…

The Maine State Building is a reminder of Maine’s industrial and economic past but is also representative of one of the great milestones in our country’s history. Constructed for the World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893, the building was designed by Lewiston Maine native, Charles Sumner Frost to serve as the state’s entry to the fairgrounds. The design is categorized as Queen Anne’s style and is an amalgamation of several different architectural designs of the period. Constructed of granite from 11 different quarries throughout the state, slate from Monson and wood harvested and milled in the state, the building represented several of Maine’s most important natural resources. In…

The story of Poland Spring begins in the late eighteenth century when Jabez Ricker moved his family from Alfred Maine to Bakerstown, present day Poland. Jabez had owned land adjacent to the Shaker community in Alfred and when they pressed him to acquire his land, he relented and made the land swap. Shortly after the Ricker’s arrival in Bakerstown, some travelers knocked on the door looking for a place to stay. In 1794 the family began operating an inn on the property and by 1797 opened a brand new building – the Wentworth Ricker Inn. Thus the beginning of a tradition of operating an inn on the grounds that continues…