film (1,200 ft.) : si., b&w ; 16 mm.

1930 – 1940

The Camp Chewonki Collection consists of two reels shot in the 1940s depicting daily summer camp activities at Camp Chewonki in Wiscasset, Maine. Boys are seen playing, working, and learning how to take care of themselves and each other in a camp setting. The first reel includes footage of agricultural duties such as harvesting hay and herding cattle, and includes what looks to be vacation footage, including a boy seated on a Canadian Pacific cruise ship. The second reel offers a glimpse of two African American cooks standing in the doorway of a large building believed to be the entrance to the kitchen. The material focuses on the recreational activities at a boys’ camp, including footage of canoeing, sailing, swimming, and hiking. Counselors and boys meet with nurses and barbers, learn the basics of hygiene, and are weighed and measured. Boys participate in track and field activities such as shot put, jumping hurdles, and the long jump; counselors and campers take part in sports such as baseball, tennis, three-legged races, and horse riding. Religious service as a group, views of the wilderness, and theatrical performances are also captured.

Camp Chewonki was founded in 1915 along the shores of Lake Champlain, and moved in 1918 to the shores of Montsweag Bay on Chewonki Neck in Wiscasset, Maine. Founded as a saltwater camp for boys, Chewonki has grown into a year-round, non-profit environmental education organization. The boys’ camp continues each summer with an emphasis on natural history, sailing, and wilderness trips. In addition, a wilderness camp for girls ages 11-17 is offered, along with a variety of coed wilderness expeditions for teens.

Northeast Historic Film

The Collection is open for research.

Authorization to reuse and/or reproduce must be obtained from Northeast Historic Film. See http://www.oldfilm.org/research for more information.