The Hotel at Caratunk, Maine
1816 - Present
Photos from the Sterling Collection
Copyright © Old Canada Road Historical Society

Webster House

Hotel Sterling

1816 – Joseph Spaulding, Sr., who had moved to Caratunk from Embden, built the hotel.

1836 – Joseph Spaulding, Jr. took over the hotel at death of his father

1854 – Joseph Clark, Jr., whose father was a lumberman in the Bingham area, bought the hotel from Joseph Spaulding, Jr, who then moved to Richmond

1858 – Edward Livingstone (Liv) Webster, who had been born in Caratunk, moved back from Moscow and worked in the hotel for Joseph Clark, Jr.; he eventually married Abby Clark, daughter of Joseph Clark, Jr.

1876 – Omar Clark took over the hotel at Caratunk when his father, Joseph Clark, Jr., moved to The Forks to operate The Forks Hotel

1885 – Esther (Moore) Clark, wife of Joseph Clark, Jr., took over the operation of the hotel at Caratunk with her daughter and husband, Abby (Clark) and Edward Livingstone Webster

1896 – Joseph ‘Jose’ Webster, son of E.L. and Abby Webster, took over the hotel at death of his father

1898 – Abby Clark Webster took over the hotel at the death of her son, Joseph.

Circa 1910 – Ralph Sterling and his wife, Leona (Redmond) took over the hotel from his grandmother, Abby Webster, when she moved to Waterville to be near her daughters.

1934 - Ralph and Leona Sterling built the Pierce Pond Stream Sporting Camps, which they ran in conjunction with the hotel business. Sometime while he was president, Roosevelt's daughter, Anna, won a fishing prize at the camps.

Circa 1950 – Mildred Sterling Smith and her husband Harold took over hotel operations with her mother, Leona (Redmond) Sterling, at the death of Ralph Sterling

Circa 1988 – Matt Polstein purchased the hotel and operates it as The Sterling Inn

Fall, 2007 - Nancy Pooler purchased The Sterling Inn and operates it as a bed and breakfast. Visit the Inn's Web site.