The Council Room

[Alec Stansell]

Hello to all - it's been a while since I visited the Wyanoke forum... The summer here on Cape Cod is delightful, in spite of all the heavy rain - I hope you are all well and enjoying the summer and the memories of camp it evokes! I was remembering camping at Land's End this evening - I suppose it's someones front lawn now, though I hope not.
David B, can you tell me the current status of Land's End? Perhaps I could throw the canoe in the water some night, paddle up there and secretly boil a crawfish in a styrofoam cup... Cheers, Alec

[David Bentley]

Thanks for the question, Alec, and I'm glad you are enjoying the Cape.

Lands End became Lot #4 in the original subdivision of the Camp, and the second owner (I think) has been in there since the late 1970's. He possibly could be the original owner, maybe the builder didn't live there. Nevertheless (whatever that means), a young couple who now have a law school daughter, an undergrad student, and a high school senior live there. I know them all and they are all very nice people. The house sits back a little from the shoreline, and when they first lived there the teaching fireplace and stumps to sit on where being used by them for the obvious uses. Over time these have sort of gone away. Their driveway comes off Forest Road, and, in all honesty, it is a killer in the Winter. The small sandy beach is still there, and they built a u-shaped dock for their boats. going further along the shoreline away from the main body of Camp, there are now three very substantial homes (Lots #3, #2, #1) ending with the boundary line to the neighbor who owned all of Johnsons Cove around to and past the sandy beach where we used to overnight from time to time.

Even with the total development of the Camp property, and because the individual homeowners were respectful of the environment, you could walk the property today and still be able to identify landmarks from 30 years ago.

Each Summer I get contacts about the property, even after all these years. This site put together by Mike is really great. I enjoy answering any questions I can (my memory is having birthdays faster than I realize).

Enjoy the 4th of July.

[DavidAyars]

Interesting, Dave, thanks. I seem to remember one or two people with camp history bought other developed properties on the Wyanoke site. Is that true?
_________________
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

[David Bentley]

Two people that I know of have a connection to Camp, one stronger than the other. The Aunt of the developer lives in a house accessed by the driveway to Red Roof, and not too far down the road. Her house sits so as to look up Winter Harbor, with the large diamond-shaped rock sort of in her water-edge front yard. A very nice lady, a friend of the Bentley family before the development days.

The other owner, a husband and his wife, live in the Midget Chapel. Pete and Susie are very neat people, have made some improvements, and enjoy the living greatly.

So, what is the connection ? This may take a minute to explain, but I know you can follow along.

Pete, in his youth, and as a young man growing up, was associated with a camp in Raymond, Maine, Camp Agawam, and Garth Nelson is the Executive Director of this camp, and has been for 21 years. (For all intents and purposes, he is THE MAN, at that camp. Pete is currently a life-trustee of Camp Agawam and personal friend of Garth's,and they see each other frequently during the off-season for Camp business.

So, enter the Midget Chapel as part of this matrix and you have the building that Garth and Mike Freeland used (namely the outside chimney) to learn rock climbing and impart these skills to others. So, Pete, with a long, long association with Camp Agawam, and Garth, with a long, long association with Wyanoke, share their association with the Midget Chapel, and, I might add, I am a friend of both of them, too. (Not quite as intricate as Spy Night and Capture the Flag, but a bit of lore from the Camp days.
_________________
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

[Alec Stansell]

Thanks for the Reply David! I'm glad someone is enjoying that wonderful spot! Alec