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| Then: Sebago Basin |
Some
local residents once said the establishment of a Walmart store in the center of
North Windham was a watershed moment in the transition from country town to
suburb. Today, many residents concede they don’t know or can’t remember what
occupied the site before the big store’s arrival in 1994.
The
Manchester family, descendants of Stephen Manchester (a founding settler), have
lived on the property for well over 150 years. In 1958, Lawrence and Francis
Manchester established Sebago Basin Tenting, a campground that became a
destination for thousands of visitors from all over New England and Canada. Some
stayed for a few days and others, seasonal patrons, settled in for the summer.
The area boasted 29 original campsites with a variety of activities from
swimming and boating at nearby Sebago Basin beaches to ball games, dancing,
horseshoes and campfire sing-alongs. Their son, David, and wife Carol, shared
some of the memories.
Writing
in the Windham Historical Society’s quarterly newsletter, retired teacher and
author Carol Manchester reminisced, “The (Manchester) family-owned business on
Route 302 . . . was easily recognized by its iconic A-frame structure (rec
hall), a local landmark (and) point of reference for visitors.”
Built
in 1961, the imposing rec hall, 32 feet to the ridgepole and easily visible
from 302, accommodated registrations, dispensed information and was the central
meeting place for gab, games, dancing and leisure.
A
gazebo was soon added. On warm summer evenings a pull-down screen would be hung
from its side, film threaded through a 16mm projector and movies shown to
campers who would gather under the stars, seated on in-the-round benches.
In
those times, a Maine camping experience was unique. David recalled a New Jersey
camper’s remark about the crystal-clear Sebago Basin water. “He stepped into
the water, looked down, and exclaimed, ‘I can see my feet.’”
Over
the 1960s and 70s, the campground expanded from 29 to 175 camp sites. The
expansion, maintenance and administration was, according to David, the combined
effort of the Manchester family, including his parents, six brothers and
sisters, cousins, friends and neighbors.
“For
us, it was a great place to grow up. And many of the campers became our close
friends.”
As
Sebago Tenting grew, so did the variety of campers and activities. The sandy basin
beaches welcomed sunbathers and swimmers. The 20 or so boat slips afforded lake
exploration and water skiing. Visitors also delighted in the live bands, square
dancing, camp fires, cultural speakers and ping pong and pinball in the rec
hall.
Highlight
activities for kids included hayrides behind the old Farm-All tractors; messy,
but tasty, watermelon eating contests; decorating bicycles and floats for
holiday parades through the wooded roadways and campfire songs with local
singer/composer Rick Charette.
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| Now: Walmart sits in the location now. |
Competitive
games, remembers David, were wildly popular. “Every night, the ball field
filled up with spectators to cheer on their favorite softball teams. Sometimes
there was even a double-header.” Enthusiasm also ran high for tug-of-war games,
3-legged races and horseshoe tournaments.
“We
had so many wonderful people who energized the games and activities,” recalled
David, “There was one guy. We called him the Mayor. He had a big presence. He
looked and spoke like a mayor, a real unique personality and a natural
supervisor. He was always helping and organizing.” The mayor, he said, returned
for many seasons. Of the 175 campers each year, many were repeat patrons, and
over 50 were seasonal.
In
addition to being the owners, “Our family was major participants,” said David.
The
high degree of hustle & bustle also spawned entrepreneurial opportunities
for youth. David and Carol’s son, Lawrence, opened a steamed hot dog stand.
Another son, Walter, became a bicycling newsboy, delivering Portland Press
Herald and Evening Express newspapers to the campers.
Through
the 1970s and 80s, the camping experience and equipment became more
sophisticated. The introduction of canvas top and pop-up trailers, and later,
motor homes and RV’s prompted modern updates to the Manchester campground,
including electricity and bath houses. Also, a name-change that was more in
keeping with the times seemed needed. Sebago Basin Tenting became Sebago Basin
Camping.
In
February 1986, a major set-back: Vandals broke into the A-frame and started a
fire. As described in Carol Manchester’s article, it was “the beginning of the
end. Because of the deep, snow-covered quarter mile road to it, firefighters
could not save the building. The business opened for the next two seasons but
the A-frame, center of the campground experience, was gone and greatly
increased insurance premiums - it closed after 30 summers.”
