After many months of planning, discussing, negotiating, finger-tapping, more discussing, questioning, answering, and contemplating, we are finally ready to announce the creation (or re-creation) of Camp Somerset for Girls!
But first, let’s take a step back. Back in the 80’s, there were something like 8 summer camps on East Pond, one of the Belgrade Lakes. Today, only Camp Manitou and Camp Matoaka remain. Camp Somerset was of a similar ilk as Manitou and Matoaka and they often participated in activities with their neighboring camps, like socials and intercamp games. In 1986, Camp Somerset closed for good, and the property on which it sat was put up for auction and has remained mostly unoccupied since that time. The previous owner lived there with his wife and kept the few cabins that were still functional in working order to rent out during the summer. Fortunately, they also kept the land in pristine condition. The remainder of the buildings are in a state of significant disrepair – like, collapsed-pile-of-wood disrepair. Part sad, part cool.
A few of us die-hard camp people who attended or worked at Camp Manitou over the years began eyeing the property as a means to fulfill out life-long dreams of owning and running a summer camp in Maine. Fast forward a few years, and it seems that the dream is becoming our new reality.
We have some work to do (mainly, building an entire camp from scratch and then filling it with campers). Ok, we have a LOT of work to do . But there is literally nothing we’d rather be doing than creating a place that girls can grow and learn and become their most confident, amazing, adventurous, happiest, and best selves. A place that we want to send our own daughters. We hope you’ll follow us, and perhaps even join us, on this journey. We’ll continue to post pictures and updates as Camp Somerset transforms into its own best self.
