History of Gilmore Camps

Why Maine? Margaret Dresser and her sister, Grace Dresser Gilmore, always returned to Maine for vacations, bringing the children. Their Dresser ancestors had been among the pioneer settlers in Lovell. In fact, Lot #1 on old Lovell maps was deeded to a Dresser in the mid-1700’s. To the Gilmore children, Maine was Utopia. For a short time in the early twenties, Grace Gilmore and her boys lived at what had been Uncle Tom’s farm in North Fryeburg. While there, Tom finished his high school days at Fryeburg Academy and he loved every minute. Old scrapbooks are filled with school newspaper clippings citing his athletic achievements at the Academy. The achievements were real but the news coverage was incredible. You see, Tom was also Editor of the newspaper!

Aunt Maggie and Tom looked for property on Kezar Lake. They found the present Gilmore Camps acres that were owned by a distant cousin, Ed Huchins. Ed was a prosperous, well-known entrepreneur in the area. In the latter part of the 19th century he owned what is now the property of Dr. and Mrs. Heinrick Wurm, next to Gilmore Camps. After selling that in the early 1900’s century, he built the former Wigwam and Lodge. He spent his winters in hotels in Portland and Boston, an easy and entertaining life since he had friends among the show biz people. But summers- ah, the summers- he entertained on Kezar Lake. The Lodge housed buggies and a horse or two. Each winter the present shed next to the garage was filled to the roof with ice cut from the lake. No one had electricity in the Maine woods. In fact, the Wigwam was considered really posh because it had a bathroom. Later, Sweet Sixteen was built to make a home for Ed’s first car.

In the early thirties when Aunt Maggie and Tom began their adventure, the world was very different from today. Some main roads were tarred, but most roads were just plain dirt. It was common to see teams of oxen pulling heavy loads. No one had ever heard of a motel. They didn’t even plow snow in the winter. They just packed it down with giant rollers. The acres at Gilmore Camps were heavily wooded. It has taken two hurricanes, a tornado, lightning, heavy winds, numerous bulldozers, and lots of trimming to open the grounds until now the lake is visible from anywhere in camp. The beach was carved out of the swampy shoreline with the help of dynamite and bulldozers. Every grain of sand has been trucked in from outside. Today such activity is forbidden by law.

At first, adults and families with children came to stay. Three enormous meals were served daily. They were prepared on an old wood stove in the Wigwam kitchen and served first on the porch, later on an enlarged dining porch, finally moved in 1996 to become what is now our Recreation Room. A warning bell heralded mealtime and fifteen minutes later the final bell rang. That bell still sits next to the Wigwam deck. A Jersey cow furnished rich milk and heavy cream without which no dessert was complete. Fresh vegetables were served daily, picked from whatever was available in the large garden, now a lawn between the Lodge and Schoolhouse. In 1932, it was possible to share a room, have three meals a day for seven days, have your bed made and light cleaning done for you, and be entertained at a cost of $17.50 per person per week. Entertainment was offered to those interested - mountain climbs, boat trips, picnics, scavenger hunts, and in the evenings there were games, music, and local square dances.

The period during the thirties held happy memories for many vacationers. Their comments about food (cooked by Aunt Maggie), Tom’s entertainment, or just the joy of friends are preserved in several logs kept over the years. Indeed, even now at least once or twice a summer a strange car will arrive and people will say that they stayed here years ago. Some even spent their honeymoon here. They just had to see if it is as beautiful as they remembered. Over the years Gilmore Camps has changed, but not as fast as the rest of the world. We like it that way.

As the clouds of war gathered in Europe, Tom no longer could spend long months in Maine.  Engineers were needed.  Aunt Maggie’s failing health and World War II forced the closing of Gilmore Camps.  The family did manage by hook or crook to visit occasionally during those hectic years.  After the war a series of managers carried on.  When the last manager no longer was free to spend summers in Maine, a major change occurred.  Dorothy (Tom’s wife) offered to try to help if the larger cottages could be converted to housekeeping units.  It was supposed to be a five-year trial.  That was 1954.  Fate took a hand at this time because Tom was transferred from the Cincinnati area to the New York City area.  This at least meant that he could spend most of his weekends with his family in Maine.  Since the mid-50s Gilmore Camps has been essentially the same family oriented vacation spot it is today.

Major remodeling of the Wigwam was finished in the spring of 1999.  The original building was stripped down to its two by fours, rewired, new plumbing and insulation added and then the entire structure was set on a full foundation.  A Lindal Cedar addition was built to complete the project.  As much fun as summer provides, just imagine winter’s opposite extreme: sitting beside the warmth of a roaring fire in January, snow piled high, and temperatures hovering at 30 degrees below zero outside.  It truly is a winter wonderland.

Much of Gilmore Camps has been remodeled lately and the work will continue for several more years:

1997

·        New Recreation Room with pool table

·        Wigwam - new screen porch

1998

·        Birches - new kitchen and screen porch

·        Lodge - new screen porch

1999

·        Wigwam - new addition and completely winterized

2000

·        New bathroom in Schoolhouse, Birches, Sweet 16 and Fresh Air

2001

·        Lake Cottage - new kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom

·        Lodge - new bathroom

·        Queen size bed in Lake Cottage, Lodge, Schoolhouse and Birches

·        Washer & Dryer available for guests

·        New boat dock

2002

·        Lodge - new wood stove and front entry

·        Enlarged boat dock

2003

·        Lodge - new kitchen

·        Schoolhouse - new screen porch

2007

·        Birches - new bedroom

We hope these improvements will make your stay more enjoyable!

The Gilmore’s have been enriched by the friends they have met over the years through Gilmore Camps.  It is our joy when others think of this as their vacation home.