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The Council Room
A discussion Forum for Wyanoke Alumni and friends
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DavidAyars
Founder W. H. Bentley
Joined: 01 Mar 2006
Posts: 263
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 Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 3:42 pm Post subject: The Legend of the Sawmill at Johnson Cove |
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In another thread, Mike asked:
| Mike Freeland wrote: |
I was really interested in the origins of the Pine Cone and Pinehurst names. I love that kind of historical information about Wyanoke. I'd like to know more about the sawmill in Johnson Cove - how long it was there, why it was there etc. It was in ruins when I first saw it in '56.
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The story of the sawmill at Johnson Cove is a sad one… and tragically intertwined with camp. Mike, are you sure you’ve never heard this before? Maybe the following will ring the ol’ Dining Hall bell for you, if the rope hasn’t broken yet.
Anyone ever wonder why BMB was so specific and detailed when telling us the first night of camp each year one of two Camp Rules Which Never Must Be Broken? It went something like: “Do not go in, on, under, over, or through the water except at a designated time and designated place and under the supervision of a counselor”? That wording traces back to WHB and took that emphatic form in the wake of the tragedy of the summer of 1940, when a vague rule about not swimming except during organized swims was broken. And even before that, the story really begins with the hurricane.
Wolfeboro is 200 miles from the Connecticut shore on Long Island Sound where the Great Hurricane of 1938 made its final landfall and rampaged north up the Connecticut River. Though it was “only” a Category 3 storm, its enduring strength that far inland is a measure of just how much punch it packed. The forest was devastated.
There was some doubt that Wyanoke would be able to open in 1939. The one saving grace: the storm hit in September, so they had nine months to try and clean up. A key complication was that the camp property was situated on the side of a steeply sloped hill. There was no easy way to get felled lumber in the hundred yards above shoreline back up the hill to level ground to cut the logs up. Leaving it on the hill risked a wildfire.
And so it was that Ephraim Johnson became involved with Wyanoke. A formerly wealthy copper industrialist whose business and stock investments had been devastated by the Great Depression, he had kept a horde of gold (illegally—FDR had outlawed private gold ownership in 1933). He also owned a modest summer home with a plot of land on what was to later be named Johnson Cove. Ephraim sold some gold (again illegally) and used the proceeds to build a sawmill right at the level of the water to capitalize on the natural disaster for numerous property owners on the neck who needed help cleaning up. Men from town, supervised by ILV, were to chainsaw the broken trees and sledge them down to Winter Harbor. A skiff would wrap chains around the trunks and ferry them down to Ephraim’s sawmill where they’d be converted to board lumber. For a price of course.
And that was to prove the sticking point between WHB and EJ. Their actual deal, how much was to be paid and who got the proceeds from harvested lumber, and the blame for breaking the deal, are lost to the mists of time. Walter and Ephraim had differing versions on the deal, and they were far apart. There apparently was no written contract, surprising for two experienced businessmen, but many deals in Wolfeboro those days were only verbal with a handshake.
Camp opened on time in 1939. Though it wasn’t pretty, the hill was cleaner than anyone could have expected after the storm.
But relations between Walter and Ephraim grew stormier through 1939 and the first half of 1940. Ephraim demanded more money and threatened to sue. Walter counterclaimed that with the proceeds from harvested lumber, Ephraim actually owed him some money, and called Johnson’s bluff. Pay me, Walter warned, or it’s sure to come out that illegally owned gold had been sold to build the mill.
Cut to one hot day in the summer of 1940. Two juniors snuck down, unsupervised, to Land’s End. One boy bet the other that he could swim across Johnson Cove and back. He underestimated the distance and overestimated his strength, a common problem with boys and open water. He made it across okay, but began to flounder shortly after starting back. He likely would have drowned that day, except Ephraim was watching, jumped in the water, and pulled the boy to safety at the sawmill.
The other camper watching from Land’s End panicked. He realized they weren’t supposed to be down there let alone in the water. So running back uphill, he concocted a story about his tentmate being “kidnapped” off the camp shore and dragged against his will in a rowboat to the sawmill.
Relations being what they were between camp and Johnson, this story wasn’t cross-examined as well as it might have been. Three staff members, hearing the boy’s panicked account, grabbed baseball bats, jumped in a car, and raced over to Ephraim Johnson’s property. Ephraim told the counselors that he had acted in good faith and had tried several times to call Wyanoke, but the calls weren’t answered. The men didn’t believe him. Heated words were exchanged. And Ephraim got backed towards the saw, inadvertently switched it on, and fell into the whirling blade. He did not survive. The boy and staff were splattered with Ephraim’s blood.
The Carroll County Sheriff investigated. No charges were brought. It was ruled a tragic accident.
The sawmill was never used again. Ephraim’s thigh bone remained jammed in the blade as his flesh rotted away, and the mill slipped into ruins.
The kicker: the boy who almost drowned but for the noble, misunderstood efforts of Ephraim Johnson? He was the maternal uncle of Mervin Pifnik. Mervin would have been a first-year Chip but for his mysterious failure to show up at camp in the early 1960s. Some say the ghost of Ephraim Johnson kidnapped Mervin off the bus at a Rt. 16 highway rest stop, stole him away to the rusted-out sawmill, and murdered him there. The ghost of Ephraim is said to hold the ghost of Mervin hostage even today, demanding payment and 75 years of back interest for the millwork.
And so goes the Legend of the Sawmill at Johnson Cove.
Now boys, I must tell you, not one word of anything that happened in that story after the hurricane is true. Not… One… Word.
_________________
Camper: J-8 1965 (Kevin Ryan), J-8 1966 (Mike Freeland), S-6 1967 (Russ Hatch), S-3 1968 (Jeremy Cripps), and JA-2 1969 (Dan Mannis).
JC: J-2 1970 (Bill Bettison) and J-3 1971 (Gene Comella). Councilor 1972, J-5 1973, and JA-1 1974 & 1975 |
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David Bentley
Founder W. H. Bentley
Joined: 10 Mar 2005
Posts: 301
Location: Wolfeboro, NH
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| Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 10:09 pm Post subject: Legend of the sawmill at Johnson's Cove |
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Really, you mean after all these years..oh, no, is anything real anymore!
_________________
C-1 49 J-7 52 S-3 55 J-10 58
C-7 50 J-7 53 S-2 56 J-8 59
C-8 51 J-4 54 S-7 57 (JA) J-8 60 - 64
1965 - 1968 Military service
Pine Cone 68 - 75 (with wife,Sherry,
and daughter Tracey)
Wolfeboro - full-time since 1997 |
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Robert Vaughan
Ass't Director
Joined: 12 Nov 2006
Posts: 46
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| Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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Dave (both Daves),
Great story - you have not lost your ability to spin a yarn.
Bob |
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Steve Hood
Director B. M. Bentley
Joined: 29 Nov 2010
Posts: 83
Location: Mobile, AL
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 11:28 am Post subject: Spinning yarns and telling stories |
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WOW !!!!
I remember that Wyanoke lore contains lots of stories, all well told. I guess good yarns are like good cheese and good wine: they get better with age.
Lets see. Message to Garcia, The Golden Arm.
As I read the Johnson's Cove story, I found myself getting wrapped up the plausibility of it in it, early on. Then my mind flashed back to the story Norm Risser used to tell about the person who filed an accident report for insurance, due to injuries suffered by an out-of-control elevator.
Today's campers would be hard pressed to duplicate these great yarns/stories on their i-phones or tablets.......
Hmmmmmmmm..... Can you imagine would Wyanoke would be like in 2014, if the campers were wired to the outside world with electronics????
I guess I am rambling. Enuf !!!!!!
_________________
1951: C-9. F. Whitemore, P. Durkee.
1952-53: J-11. E. Wilkins.
1957: S-7 D. Irons, JA
1958: J-4 W.Dann JC
1959: J-1 G.Engstrom JC
1960-61-63: J-6. Councillor
1964: JA-2. Councillor |
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Mervin Pifnik
Joined: 30 Jul 2014
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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| DavidAyars wrote: |
The kicker: the boy who almost drowned but for the noble, misunderstood efforts of Ephraim Johnson? He was the maternal uncle of Mervin Pifnik. Mervin would have been a first-year Chip but for his mysterious failure to show up at camp in the early 1960s. Some say the ghost of Ephraim Johnson kidnapped Mervin off the bus at a Rt. 16 highway rest stop, stole him away to the rusted-out sawmill, and murdered him there. The ghost of Ephraim is said to hold the ghost of Mervin hostage even today, demanding payment and 75 years of back interest for the millwork.
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Ha ha. Very funny. Hill-AIRRR-eous. Another joke at the expense of my family. You comedians are about as funny as a flood in a Fizzies factory. I should sue all you SOBs for defamation of character.
And I still want my trunk back. Actually you can keep the moldy underwear and the rock-hard Ipana toothpaste. Just give me my June 1961 Playboy. Heidi still haunts my dreams.
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Jim Culleton
Site Admin
Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 265
Location: Potomac Falls, VA
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| Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 1:19 pm Post subject: Mervin Pifnik |
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Wow, Mervin, so good to see you after all these years! Will wonders never cease? Heard that you are a zombie now roaming the camp property in search of your trunk, 6-12 stick and a case (144 units) of Fleers Double Bubble Gum. FYI, the Double Bubble was confiscated from the trunk early on by either Brad or Irving as such items were against the law and forbidden at Wyanoke. The only "allowable" stuff was that offered during Candy Line. You would not recall this fine detail.
Having visited the former camp property over Memorial Day Weekend a few of the homeowners residing down on Chapel Lane complained of hearing zombie-like moans & groans & squeals coming from the vicinity of the former Lands End. Of course that is where the old saw mill was located in Johnson's Cove adjacent to Lands End. Could that have been you?? Some have claimed that they have seen a "gray looking figure" standing on the rock just off of the Land's End beach. Was that you?? Were you supposed to be a "Gray"?
We didn't know that you had a long lost uncle, nor parents . . . . . as you were considered a "one-of-a-kind"  !
Please fill us in some more on your whereabouts!
_________________
'56 - J-9 J. Moulton
'57 - J-11 J. Moulton
'58 - J-4 E. Web Dann, S. Hood
'59 - S-6 P. Leavitt
'60 - S-2 F. Avantaggio
'61 - JA-1 RK Irons
'62 - C-9 JC with P. Freeland
'63 - C-1 JC with S. Borger
'64 - C-6 Councilor |
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David Bentley
Founder W. H. Bentley
Joined: 10 Mar 2005
Posts: 301
Location: Wolfeboro, NH
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| Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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Let me see, Steve Hood brought up the following:
"Lets see. Message to Garcia, The Golden Arm. ",
so I am tempted to check with Mike about the possibility of posting his all time favorite "Prunes Alaska".
_________________
C-1 49 J-7 52 S-3 55 J-10 58
C-7 50 J-7 53 S-2 56 J-8 59
C-8 51 J-4 54 S-7 57 (JA) J-8 60 - 64
1965 - 1968 Military service
Pine Cone 68 - 75 (with wife,Sherry,
and daughter Tracey)
Wolfeboro - full-time since 1997 |
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Mike Freeland
Site Admin
Joined: 31 Dec 1969
Posts: 400
Location: Parker, Colorado
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| Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
_________________
'56-C-9 C. Mosher '57-C-9 Bill Feaster
'58-J-14 H. Peavy '59-J-11 G. Wood, C. Duncan
'60-S-8 R. Leavitt, D. Hemphill '61-S-1 E. Slocum
'62-JA-1 H. Dunbar '63-C-2 (JC)
'64-C-5, (JC) Councilor
'65-C-9 '66 - '72-J-8
'73-JA1 '75-J-6 |
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Mike Freeland
Site Admin
Joined: 31 Dec 1969
Posts: 400
Location: Parker, Colorado
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| Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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Well, Dave B, here's something I'm guessing you haven't heard in many years (do you have or know of anything similar? I'd love to get it). The link below points to a recording that was made in 1968 at the 60th Anniversary campfire, by Dave Clemens. It's tantalizing and frustrating because it sounds so present, but the tape ran out long before it should have and the rest is lost to history.
There's more from this campfire, with voices long silenced, some not, which I'll post when I get some time to split out the segments. The campfire was held indoors, and fortunately so because we'd never have gotten this gem fragment of Wyanoke History: Click HERE. Might be best to close your eyes while listening to it.
If that doesn't take you back, nothing will.
EDIT
And here is the actual Johnson Cove Sawmill when it was fully operational and run by the Veterans Administration, ca 1939. Note the convenient ladder from the second floor to the lakeside level:
_________________
'56-C-9 C. Mosher '57-C-9 Bill Feaster
'58-J-14 H. Peavy '59-J-11 G. Wood, C. Duncan
'60-S-8 R. Leavitt, D. Hemphill '61-S-1 E. Slocum
'62-JA-1 H. Dunbar '63-C-2 (JC)
'64-C-5, (JC) Councilor
'65-C-9 '66 - '72-J-8
'73-JA1 '75-J-6 |
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Bob Kennington
Founder W. H. Bentley
Joined: 02 May 2007
Posts: 210
Location: Winter Harbor
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| Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2016 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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Some Winnipesaukee charts list Johnson's Cove as "Ike" Johnson's Cove.
I was told by a neighboring friend that Brad Frankum had a handyman living in a small wooden hut not far from the sawmill. When my friend heard that the handyman had died, he investigated inside the hut, and found a 1961 Playboy magazine featuring Heidi!
(OK, he found only magazines—the rest is true).  |
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Jim Culleton
Site Admin
Joined: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 265
Location: Potomac Falls, VA
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| Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 12:23 am Post subject: The Frankums |
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Anyone remember the Frankums (Frankuns) who, I believe, owned property on or near Johnson's Cove? Mrs. Frankum used to sunbathe on their "yacht" when anchored in Johnson's Cove and to the delight of campers and staff alike with eyes wide open! Bob, you should remember them??
_________________
'56 - J-9 J. Moulton
'57 - J-11 J. Moulton
'58 - J-4 E. Web Dann, S. Hood
'59 - S-6 P. Leavitt
'60 - S-2 F. Avantaggio
'61 - JA-1 RK Irons
'62 - C-9 JC with P. Freeland
'63 - C-1 JC with S. Borger
'64 - C-6 Councilor |
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Bob Kennington
Founder W. H. Bentley
Joined: 02 May 2007
Posts: 210
Location: Winter Harbor
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| Posted: Sun May 08, 2016 4:00 am Post subject: |
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I bought a Model T Ford from Brad Frankum, who I'd met only that once. 'Never heard he was ever married, or that he would ever be so inclined! His nephews would make a case.
Brad Frankum, a "Daddy-Warbucks", made millions from WWII, owned all of Johnson's Cove, Lands End, the sawmill, and a large, dark, residence, named "Shadowbrook". Aside from the bedrooms and bathrooms, the interior is almost entirely one large living room.
The residence has a huge treehouse hidden from Forest Road and Lake Winnipesaukee viewing. That residence is now rented-out by the new owners of the old airport's 101+ acres, the Marriott family. The 101+ acre entirety is managed and maintained by a very busy young Marriott administrator, living at the airport's one residence. That "model home", built on the airport's highest point, was struck by lightning—and damaged—about ten years ago. (Copper, though used as a showy weatherproofing trim in new and expensive homes, seems to be a poor choice for flashing!)
Frankum's yacht, a wood 30'+ Cris-Craft with "baby-blue" decks, was kept at his 50+foot dock. (Original photo-credit, Brad Frankum).
More that I wrote, from another forum:
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Owned by one person in its entirety since WWII, Johnson's Cove is a clear, cold, murky — but historic — site. Large wetlands drain into it through several streams, with the greatest flow in Spring. All those brooks may now be increasing their flow due to extensive pine tree "trimming".
Johnson's Cove appears as "Ike's Cove" on some charts. Could it have been named for an Ike Johnson? Unknown here....
The former owner's name was the late Brad Frankum of Massachusetts, said to have been a WWII "Daddy Warbucks". His "Shadowbrook" residence is that dark, foreboding and gloomy dark house adjacent to the east. It is not unusual to see deer drinking from the lake in the middle of the day there. Except for the signs that say "Keep Out", Frankum allowed Johnson's Cove to "go natural". (For the most part, much of neighboring Camp Wyanoke did too).
Two beaver lodges were built there starting about 20 years ago. Beavers are seen every year in the neighborhood, but the lodges themselves have not been well maintained. It's possible that they are being systematically trapped and/or that their food-trees are being "trimmed" too enthusiastically by the new owner.
Brad Frankum, who died in his 90's, was the owner of the wooden Cris Craft "Sea Witch", whose mass exploits on weekend nights I've recounted elsewhere on this Forum. To my knowledge, he never wrecked it. He kept a 22-foot wooden steamer as well, secured at his 50-foot dock. (It was that red-colored dock that floated away one spring, and which presence I warned of here at the Forum. It was not rebuilt or replaced).
You'll recall that "trees were trimmed" there last winter? Developers started bulldozing on the steep, unbuildable, side...starting this New Year's Day!. So it looks like this history will have to be built up -- going backwards!
There may even be some politics involved of late. Remember the "No-Rafting" bill that went nowhere last year? Think Johnson's Cove. Just one lot is for sale there for 4½ million bucks. (Not that legislation could be affected by such considerations).
I hope we can collect some "before" photographs of Johnson's Cove here before it's too late. My sole contribution is currently in 35mm slide form and, when converted to a digital photograph, will probably be the first photograph ever taken there to appear here.
http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2791
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_________________
Gordon B. (Father) Wyanoke ~1929-1937
Midget C-1 (1952, 53) (Belden, Edwards)
Junior J-7 (1954, 55) (Scheirer)
1967-1971 Military-Naval Security Group
Sister: Winnemont 1955-56
Blue: there's another color? |
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Alan Neagle
Senior
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 19
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:08 am Post subject: |
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I seem to remember doing more than one camp out on that place on the other side of johnson cove from lands end. Traveled there by canoe. Also remember camping out on lands end. I had heard there was a story about the mill but was not told it. At the time I was there there was not much left of it. Now I know the 'story'.
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Alan Carter Neagle |
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