Records Camps, Carrabassett, Me. 181.

Records Camps, Carrabassett, Me. 181.

A scenic view of one of the cabins at Records Camps in Carrabasset, Maine. It is set in an open field with mountains in the distance. There are piles of hay in the field which was recently cut. "William Cyrus Record (1873-1940) purchased 75 acres of land in Jerusalem, ME (now named Carrabassett Valley, ME) in 1912 and established Record's Sporting Camps on the Carrabassett River. With the help of wife Edith, brothers Frank and James, built a house, six camps along the river, nearby a store and dining room on Rt. 27. People came to hunt and fish into the "wilds''. During the winter, the camps were closed up and Will and the family traveled to Orlando, FL where he owned a cottage and small orange grove that yielded supplemental income. In 1936 William deeded a small parcel to his nephew Otho Record to put a hunting and fishing camp on. Otho purchased and moved the Bigelow Station schoolhouse (located near Sugarloaf entrance sign) on rt. 27 to the parcel because it was in the way of straightening the road. William maintained the sporting camp business until his death in 1940. His daughter Valerie operated the camps and deeded sister Irene Fenderson camp #1. Valerie died in 1954 and her husband, Ralph Gould, inherited all the property and operated the camps until he sold to Leo Tague in 1956. Tague expanded the dining facility which partially burned shortly after completion. He rebuilt across the road at the current location of the Bowling Alley. Inexplicably, remaining buildings and camps burned or fell into disrepair over the next decade and none remain. Leo Tague and Irene Fenderson then sold almost all of the land to the town, and an airport was built in 1967. As of 2023, the Fenderson family still owns and maintains the camp #1rebuilt in 1961 (burned in 1959) and the Bigelow Station schoolhouse hunting camp." -- Susan Harrison, 2023