Page 114 - John Anderson

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In 1894, Stickney bought out his partners, becoming the sole owner
of the hotel. He planned a major renovation that would turn the hotel
into one of the finest in the region. His plans called for utilizing land
across the road from his hotel, and in 1894, he purchased about 175
acres from J.E. Henry for $5,000. Negotiations were difficult as Henry
was reluctant to sell. The first deal did not include the land or the
buildings with the saw mill. The mill, operated by V.R. Holmes,
supplied some of the lumber for the expansion.
Stickney was finally able to purchase the mill site and four hundred
acres of land from J.E. Henry in Sept. of 1895 for an additional
$5,000. Part of the land in this transaction was on the south side of
the Maine Central Railroad tracks, extended to the summit of Mt.
Stickney, and included the site of a defunct charcoal kiln.
Apparently, Stickney considered the price to be too high, but A.M.
Allen, who was negotiating for Stickney, in a letter dated Aug. 12,
1895, told him that "Henry's sons said they are not particular about
selling because they could lease the mill for a five year period." They
could charge 75 cents per thousand board feet of lumber cut and
they said there was enough lumber that in the five year period they
would receive about $9,000 and still own the land. Stickney paid
their price and an additional $800 to V.R. Holmes, who may have still
had some time on his lease.
Stickney hired one of Portland's leading architects, Francis H. Fasset,
to design the additions and supervise the project. The main
contractor, John Burrowes, was also from Portland. Burrowes
estimate for the job was slightly over $24,000. Much of Stickney's
correspondence survives, as do many of the bills for the project.
Stickney added an electric power plant that would provide power for
750 lights. He had Walter Trask, a "sinker" of Artesian wells, drill a
400 foot well to assure a steady water supply, thereby eliminating a
recurring water shortage. Trask’s standard charge for drilling was
$4.00 a foot. Another well supplied the water power for the elevator,
another for the laundry, and a water tank, also built by Trask at a cost
of $800. The water tank was constructed on the hill behind the hotel.
(Remnants of the water system can still be found.) A bowling alley
was added and many of the guest rooms had private baths; not a
common feature at that time. A blacksmith shop was built, the barn

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