We've had this property in the family for more than sixty years, and have enjoyed it every summer since then.
A Short Story of the Camp
The camp was built in 1929 by two brothers from Massachusetts who built it as a duplex, to be shared by the two families, as a summer getaway.
Out father, W. John Baskin, became interested in Lake Winnisquam probably in the early 1940’s when his good friend, Bob Porter, told him of the great salmon fishing in Lake Winnisquam. Bob learned of the great fishing from a friend at work, Pete Chesley. Pete had a camp at the lake for years, initially accessing it by ferry from the Winnisquam Bridge area, where he parked his car. Bob was invited to Pete’s camp for fishing. The fishing trip was so successful that he told our father about it. Soon after our father experienced the fishing for himself.
This led to the prospect of having more access to the lake. In 1945 our family rented the camp directly across the street from our garage. I believe it was rented for a month that summer. Our father noticed that this camp was closed up and sat unused during that time. He decided to explore the ownership of this camp to see if there might be interest in selling. He was surprised to learn that the two brothers ran a clothing store in Lexington, the town in which we lived in Massachusetts. Our father asked if they would consider selling the camp. Both brothers’ families had grown up and didn’t use the camp much, so they agreed to sell. Before signing the deal, our father asked all our relatives and friends if they would use the camp. He said, “If you will come, I will buy it.” Obviously, there was a resounding “YES!” In 1945 the camp was purchased and the boathouse was added in 1954.