The History of Rockcraft

1916 (or 17) the Fitch brothers of East Sebago sold a New Yorker 100 acres for $100.  the New Yorker, Leon Spaulding, and his wife soon started building on their land by the lake.  Thirteen local carpenters and about twenty-five Italian stonemasons worked on the buildings.

A crew of gardeners worked on the grounds, transforming the wooded area into lawns and gardens. A lawn was where the parking lot is now, and it was surrounded with flowering shrubs.  A lawn was put in below the front porch and stone steps were set into the slope.  A rock garden was placed east of the house and an old fashioned garden with a sun dial sloped toward the shore.  Baskets of flowers were hung from the porch.

Leon and Dorothy Spaulding were not born rich, but Leon and his brothers established the Spaulding Fiber company in Rochester, New Hampshire and it was very successful.  The Spauldings traveled extensively in the United States and Europe.  Some of their extra income was spent to support a number of activities in East Sebago, such as giving a present to each child at Christmas.  They were both buried by 1963 in the mausoleum on the grounds near the Carriage House.

Rockcraft was left to Beatrice Gane who wanted to give it to her local church.  They referred her to the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC).  They decided it was too far away and contacted the Maine Conference of the UCC which agreed to buy it for one dollar.  since then the property has been run as a conference center for members and other non-profit groups. Civic groups in East Sebago are allowed to use it free of charge.

Many changes have been made to the house and grounds as maintenance and improvements were made.  The house now sleeps forty and has several new bathrooms.  However, the comfort and beauty of Rockcraft remains the same.

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