All Soul's Chapel (Poland Spring, Maine)
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All Souls Chapel
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| Location | Preservation Way, South Poland, Maine |
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| Coordinates | 44°1′35″N 70°21′40″W / 44.02639°N 70.36111°WCoordinates: 44°1′35″N 70°21′40″W / 44.02639°N 70.36111°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1912 |
| Architect | G. Henri Desmond |
| Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
| Part of | Poland Springs Historic District (#13000595) |
| NRHP reference # | 77000060 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 17, 1977 |
| Designated CP | August 13, 2013 |
All Souls Chapel is a historic chapel at the Poland Spring Resort in Poland, Maine. It was built in 1912. In 1977, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The chapel was built in 1912 for use by the staff and guests of the Poland Spring Resort. It is now owned by the Poland Spring Preservation Society which also owns the Maine State Building (from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago).
The chapel houses a series of hand-painted windows and an Ernest M. Skinner Opus 564 pipe organ. The chapel is currently used as a venue for weddings, baptisms and other services as well as plays and concerts.
In 1885, Julius Gassauer first started religious services for the employees of the dining room of the Poland Spring House. They were first held out of doors in the open air, but as it became necessary to find some shelter for these meetings in case of rain, the idea of a chapel was proposed. A fund was started by the contributions of the employees.
When meetings were transferred to the dining hall, some of the guests of the Houses began to attend. They were glad to add to the Chapel Fund, which grew to about twenty-five hundred dollars, before the effort was stopped for a season. About this time some of the ladies of Poland Spring organized the first “Children’s Fair,” for the purpose of encouraging the children of the guests help make this possible. The proceeds were at first given to a “Fresh Air Fund” for the benefit of the poor children of the cities. Later $5,000 was donated for what was known as the “Poland Spring Free Bed” at the Central Maine General Hospital in Lewiston.
Meanwhile, Miss Sadie Ricker had organized a Sunday School for the children of the surrounding country, and it was thought; “Why not aid this Sunday School?” Accordingly, this was done from the proceeds of the Children’s Fairs, and after the school had been well established and well equipped, a small fund remained, the interest from which, with outside contributions, was used for several years for Christmas parties and summer outings.
Having worked on this worthy project in a substantial way, the ladies next agreed to work for a fund large enough to secure a chapel. They said; “Let us realize the dream of the earnest man who began the movement for a chapel here at Poland Spring, and the desire of the owners of this estate, who have expressed their readiness to contribute one-half the final cost of the edifice.” Inspired by this purpose, the ladies and families and guests at Poland Spring succeeded in raising approximately $15,000.
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