[2] Set among rolling hills and numerous lakes, the town is home to Range Ponds State Park, which includes hiking trails and a pristine freshwater beach.

Land was granted by the Massachusetts General Court in 1765 to officers and soldiers who served with Sir William Phips in the 1690 Battle of Quebec.

The new plantation was also called Bakerstown (after Captain Thomas Baker), and included present-day Poland, Minot, Mechanic Falls and the greater part of Auburn.

[3] Settled in 1767 by Nathaniel Bailey and Daniel Lane, Bakerstown Plantation would be incorporated as Poland on February 17, 1795.

The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad passed through the northeastern corner of the town, spurring development and bringing tourists drawn to its scenic ponds and gentle hills.

Then a grandson, Hiram Ricker, began proclaiming that the mineral spring on his family's property had cured his dyspepsia.

[7] On July 4, 1876, the Poland Spring House opened atop Ricker's Hill, an elevation of 800 feet (244 m) above sea level with magnificent views to the White Mountains.

The hotel would be augmented over the years by architects John Calvin Stevens, Albert Winslow Cobb and Harry Wilkerson.

Patrons included Gen. Benjamin Butler, Sen. James G. Blaine, Joan Crawford, Jimmy Durante, Jack Paar and Robert Goulet.

When the Rickers sold the Poland Spring House, its new owners allowed the sprawling facilities to deteriorate.

Apollo Industries purchased the hotel in 1963 and converted it to the largest Women's Job Corps facility in the United States.

Poland was the site of one of the last major accidents involving aircraft from Maine's Cold War air bases.

An over-pressurized fuel tank caused the port wing of the Lockheed P-3 Orion to separate at the outboard engine.

It is bordered by the towns of Mechanic Falls to the north, Minot to the northeast, Auburn to the east, New Gloucester to the southeast, Casco and Raymond to the southwest, and Otisfield and Oxford to the northwest.

Summer water temperatures are too high for trout, but the pond provides good habitat for white perch and largemouth bass.