Seal Rock Spring Farm

Seal Rock Spring Farm "The Water With A Reputation" in Southern Maine from the pre-Colonial era to the 1980s, Seal Rock Spring and it's 1825 farm house share a fascinating history.

Have photos or stories about Seal Rock Springs Farm or the bottling company? Follow and share! Seal Rock Spring (and the associated farm/bottling property) has a long history in S**o, Maine, evolving from a natural landmark into a prominent regional beverage business. The spring itself is one of S**o's historic natural features, protected by the City of S**o. Before the industrial era, the area ar

ound the spring was known to indigenous peoples and early settlers for its pure water. In the late 1800s it's water graced the tables of fine hotels in Boston and New York. In the early 20th century, the water was officially recognized for its purity. From 1919 until 1977 it was used by the Seal Rock Spring Bottling Company to mix Orange-Crush, Moxie, Rootbeer, Ginger Ale, and other popular flavors with it's Maine state-certified spring water .

Picked the right apples at MOFGA's Annual Seed Swap and Scion Exchange! Black Oxford, Chenango Strawberry, Ashmead's Ker...
03/30/2026

Picked the right apples at MOFGA's Annual Seed Swap and Scion Exchange! Black Oxford, Chenango Strawberry, Ashmead's Kernal, Northern Spy, Chestnut Crab, and Cranberry Pippin...all to be grafted to the existing crabapples in "the back 40" when the sap starts running. Seal Rock Spring Farm is turning over a new leaf.

The Ring Finders of Maine visited us at the farm this week! Dennis couldn't swing his detector *anywhere* without a sym...
03/28/2026

The Ring Finders of Maine visited us at the farm this week! Dennis couldn't swing his detector *anywhere* without a symphony of bleeps, blips, and "grunts." We uncovered a lot of square headed nails and spikes, an old iron shovel head, a pick axe head, and a motor coil, along with broken glass and chunks of old bricks - most buried 4-8 inches below the surface. We also learned about the conductivity of different metals, and what to listen for. Thanks, Dennis! We know there's a lot still out there waiting to be discovered!

Anyone familiar with old tools? What is the iron shaped thing with the hole in the middle? It weighs a ton!

First day of spring and the land is getting ready to give up some of its secrets with a little help from the metal detec...
03/20/2026

First day of spring and the land is getting ready to give up some of its secrets with a little help from the metal detector.

1. Ubiquitous old nails and iron bits and bobs, but also this sweet little cow (goat? sheep?) bell, an old bent penny, and a piece of pottery found away from the house on the back acre.

2. The detector gave a low pitched growl at this spot beside the old bottling building and...

3. & 4...led me to a piece of old, iron pipe, a small piece of white pottery, a chunk of brick, and more bricks. Could these be part of the foundation from the original 19th century Seal Rock Spring spring house?

5. Not from today, but found last spring when when digging a hole to the west of the house for an apple tree.

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1930: Family and employees pose in front of the Seal Rock Spring Bev. Co. bottling plant at (then) 368 Beach Street on ...
02/26/2026

1930: Family and employees pose in front of the Seal Rock Spring Bev. Co. bottling plant at (then) 368 Beach Street on July 29, before the fire in 1935 destroyed it along with the ell connecting it to the house.

The farm had been freshly painted the previous summer, supervised by master painter Remi Cote of Biddeford, after hosting a 2-day lawn party fundraiser for Notre Dame de Lourdes parish. That summer over 5,000 people attended, and the lucky raffle winner, Miss Barbara Dugan who had traveled all the way from Portland to attend, drove away with a brand new automobile. Painchaud's band performed both nights, with Mrs. Bella D. Hotte (pictured here) joining the band to sing the Star Spangled Banner, which did not become the national anthem until 1931. Seal Rock Spring Farm hosted this major community event annually from 1929 until at least 1931. In 1929, it took a committee of 100 to pull this off.

L-R: unknown man; ? Grenier; Bella D. Hotte & Althea Provencher (sisters to Frank); Frank X. C. Cote (proprietor); Reni Beaupre; Conrad O. E. Cote (son and future business partner)

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Seal Rock merch out in the wild! Thanks for the tip! (and it's right twice a day!)If anyone else sees any Seal Rock st...
02/20/2026

Seal Rock merch out in the wild! Thanks for the tip! (and it's right twice a day!)

If anyone else sees any Seal Rock stuff when you're out and about, please let us know!

**o

Thank you for the lovely visit, Frank and . We loved hearing your stories about growing up at Seal Rock Spring and for ...
02/16/2026

Thank you for the lovely visit, Frank and . We loved hearing your stories about growing up at Seal Rock Spring and for bringing the bottles and Seal Rock bottle crate back to where they began! They will be cherished!

**o

In the 1880s, when Seal Rock Spring became a major business venture, 6.5 million of Maine’s 20 million acres was cleared...
02/14/2026

In the 1880s, when Seal Rock Spring became a major business venture, 6.5 million of Maine’s 20 million acres was cleared land used for farming (mostly in York, Waldo, and Kennebec Counties).

Today, Maine's farmland only accounts for 1.2 million acres, which is still more than any other New England state.

These photos from the early 1960s and today show how quickly unworked farmland is reclaimed by nature and/or lost to development.

**o

Then and Now: In the early 60s, the former Seal Rock Spring bottling facility still extended back with 2 additions, the...
02/14/2026

Then and Now: In the early 60s, the former Seal Rock Spring bottling facility still extended back with 2 additions, the last one built in 1940 to accommodate new bottle washing and filling machines. These two back buildings (one on stilts due to the slope of the land) were removed sometime after the 1970s, possibly to reduce the property tax.

In the 2026 photo you can see where the open field that once stood behind the facility has grown in with pioneer plants such as staghorn sumac, birch and poplar; crabapple; and invasive oriental bittersweet and multiflora rose.

**o **ohistory

In 1969 the Seal Rock Bottling Company celebrated its 50th Anniversary by taking out an 8-page supplemental in the April...
02/08/2026

In 1969 the Seal Rock Bottling Company celebrated its 50th Anniversary by taking out an 8-page supplemental in the April 29th Biddeford-S**o Journal.

Sponsored by 35 local and national companies, it detailed the evolution of the company, celebrated its employees, and invited readers to enter to win free groceries at 8 participating stores in S**o, Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach, and Kennebunk.

**o

In 1949, the Seal Rock Vending Company was established, managed by Charles Cote while his brother Fernand continued to m...
02/08/2026

In 1949, the Seal Rock Vending Company was established, managed by Charles Cote while his brother Fernand continued to manage the Seal Rock Orange-Crush Bottling Co. At the new Old Orchard Road facility, a kitchen was built where fresh foods like sandwiches, puddings and jellos, and hard boiled eggs were prepared for stocking the machines.

In 1969 Seal Rock machines also vended hot coffee (10¢), tea, hot chocolate, and chicken soup in addition to cold mixed beverages, flavored milks, snacks and candy, and sandwiches. These machines were installed and regularly serviced at businesses including Allied Hampshire Footwear, Bruce Shoe, Delorge Baking Co., Keuffel and Essler, Lund Manufacturing Co., LynFlex Industries, Maremont Corporation, St. Francis College, and West Point Pepperell.

**o **ohistory

Then and Now: This black & white Seal Rock Spring Farm photo was published in a Seal Rock Spring Beverage Co. ad on Apri...
02/05/2026

Then and Now: This black & white Seal Rock Spring Farm photo was published in a Seal Rock Spring Beverage Co. ad on April 11, 1921, in the Biddeford Daily Journal showing how the house extended back and then elled over to the bottling building. A fire burned this facility and six rooms of the attached house prior to the company's move to its new bottling facility on Old Orchard Road in 1948. Scorched wood evidence of that fire remains on the attic ceiling of the first back house extension. The original cape was built in 1825.

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32 Ferry Road
S**o, ME
04072

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