History

Sebago, Maine 1917

Rockcraft Lodge is located on the shore of Sebago Lake in East Sebago. Leon Spaulding (1868-1924), head of the Spaulding Fiber COmpany in Rochester, New Hampshire, purchased 100 acres with 850 feet of lake frontage for $100 from the Fitch brothers c. 1916 and employed local carpenters and upwards of 30 skilled Italian masons to build this imposing summer home. In later years, the home was lived in year-round by Spaulding’s widow, Dorothy, who died here on October 29, 1963. Their stone mausoleum is on the estate. (Jack Barnes, 2000, "Sebago Lake, West Shore: Standish, Baldwin, Sebago, and Naples")

Dorothy and Leon Spaulding

Dorothy and Leon Spaulding were nouveaux riches and were part of an increasing population from New Hampshire and Massachusetts who built summer homes in Maine in the early 20th century. The Spauldings were somewhat ahead of the trend, and Rockcraft would have been a luxurious place for any visitor when it was completed in 1917.

Rockcraft's Landscape

Leon was known to take automobile tours in Europe, and the couple had also traveled to Asia by steamship. Several of the landscape features at Sebago were inspired by their trips, like a pagoda and Japanese stone lanterns. Although the garden looks different from when they occupied the property, the stones and sundial remain in place.

Dorothy and Friends

After Leon's death in 1924, Dorothy began living at Rockcraft. As a widow with no children and a large fortune, she was very generous towards her community. She sponsored the construction of Sebago's library, donated to various charities and her church, and sent every child in East Sebago a present for Christmas. Although she traveled in style to some of the most exotic places in the world, the place dearest to her heart was her home overlooking Sebago Lake (Diane Barnes, 1996, "The Sebago Lake Area: Windham, Standish, Raymond, Casco, Sebago, and Naples")

Travel

If you're flying in to the wedding, we recommend flying to Portland, Maine, which is about 45 minutes away from Sebago Lake. You can also fly into Boston's Logan Airport, under normal traffic conditions it's a 2 1/2 hour drive from Logan. The wedding is at Rockcraft Lodge, 39 Rockcraft Road, East Sebago, Maine. Rockcraft Lodge is just off of Rte. 114 on the western shore of Sebago Lake.

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