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Pilgrim Lodge Postcards Narrative |
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Pilgrim
Lodge History as told by its
POSTCARDS
and
Director of Outdoor Ministries, Bryan S. Breault
The 1930's
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Postmark:
1932, Webster Mass Stamp: 1 Cent Printed text on back: None Published by: Frank W. Swallow Post Card Co. Inc, Exeter, NH This postcard has been on the PL website from the beginning. It is owned by former staff member and dean James Verrill. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it is how similar the photo looks to the lodge today, with the exception of the 1999 addition. You also might notice the rocks underneath the building, which have been removed. The lattice work now runs all the way down to the ground. Also note there is no boardwalk in front of the lodge. |
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None Stamp: None Printed text on back: None Published by: Frank W. Swallow Post Card Co. Inc, Exeter, NH Look at how few trees there are between the lodge and the lake. That the tree in the foreground is not a tree at all, but rather a flagpole. Also notice that the ort shed and laundry rooms are missing as is the handicapped accessible ramp on the left, in fact there is no door on that end of the ping pong porch. Look hard and you will see what looks to be a covered wheelchair next to the steps. I place this card in the thirties based on its similarity in format to the postcard above. Look at the baby shrubs in front of the building then compare this to the photo of the lodge taken for near the end of Balbrook in 1950. When you get there, scroll down to see the 1950 photo |
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None Stamp: None Printed text on back: None Published by: Frank W. Swallow Post Card Co. Inc, Exeter, NH This card is published by the same company as the previous two with the same layout and is therefore considered to be from the early thirties. It is labeled here as "Cabin No. 2 South Side" and we still call it "S-2" although it is better known as 'The Health Center,' or 'The Nurses Cabin" The tree to the left is still there, but now there is a notch cut in the roof to make room for it. Look for the chair on the porch with looks to be one of the rockers we still use in the program room of the lodge. |
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Postmark:
None Stamp: None Printed text on back: None Published by: Frank W. Swallow Post Card Co. Inc, Exeter, NH Enlarge this card to take a look at the hat on the woman standing near the back of the canoe. Based on that hat I'd almost say that this picture is from the late twenties. I am placing it in the thirties because it is from the same publisher as the three above it. It's a nice shot of the shoreline, filled with white birch. |
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Postmark:
None Stamp: None Printed text on front: Published by: Garamond Press, Baltimore, MD This postcard is from the collection of Vivian and David Dennett, fellow Cobbossee postcard enthusiasts from across the lake. Look at the old cars in front of the lodge. The flag pole is not there yet and there is a tree in its place. The landscaping in the foreground is completely different as well. Where is the hill? Look how clear it is to the lake. This is a very captivating photo. |
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1939 Litchfield, ME Stamp: 1 cent Printed text on front: None Published by: Garamond Press, Baltimore, MD This is the most recent acquisition. The front reads "Northside Cottages." I'm guessing that's cabin 2 in the foreground. If you look to the right of the picture you can see that the fireplaces are already in place. The boardwalk looks pretty much the same (sans burps). At this time all the cabins were painted white. I had previously guessed that this series of cards was from the forties. Close. Since the postmark is 1939 I have moved all the cards in this series (see the three just below this one) to the thirties section. I added this card to the boardwalk section of the comparisons page. |
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None Stamp: None Printed text on back: None Published by: Garamond Press, Baltimore, MD We call them the "S-cabins" but in more refined days they were the "Southside Cottages." The boardwalk stops at the cabin. Also, note the grade on the side of the cabin. This has since been leveled out to make room for a holding tank. It looks as if the cottages were painted white. From Elaine Goodwin.
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None Stamp: None Printed text on back: None Published by: Garamond Press, Baltimore, MD Now known as 'the big room' or 'the program room.' This shot of 'the lounge' includes carpets chairs and tables, but looks essentially the same. Again, this is a good record of the birch lighting fixtures. This set of three cards, of which this is the second, is placed in the forties based on other items in the scrapbook from which this was scanned. Property of Elaine Goodwin
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Postmark:
None Stamp: None Printed text on back: None Published by: Garamond Press, Baltimore, MD Look closely and you will see how elegantly the tables are set. Balbrook had waiters and waitresses (not jumpers). The dining room looks so small: how did we fit everyone in before the addition? Also notice the screen to cover the double door into the kitchen which is in the center. There are still a few of these chairs left around. I have rental groups that lament the loss of these beautiful birch lighting fixtures (they became so old they were a fire hazard and had to be replaced.) Similar fixtures still hang in Wabanaki Lodge (the first lodge built by the Balbrook team) at the south end of the lake. Wabanaki is now privately owned. Thanks Elaine Goodwin for allowing us to scan the card. |
The 1940's
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None Stamp: None Printed text on back: None Published by: F. H. Frey, La Crosse 1, Wis. Can't you just picture your self sitting on the porch of the lodge. In the foreground is the railing. In the background is Long Island (now 'Manitou'). I just want to put my feet up and relax. The trees are completely different of course. What I really like about this card is the stylized way they drew in the canoe. Yup that's a little sketch in there. Pre-digital imaging. If you view the larger scan I think you'll be able to see it.
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None Stamp: None Printed text on back: None Published by: Artvue Post Card Co., New York The Balbrook boatdock. From other photos I believe this dock was south of the present boat dock. You can see a small path remaining if you stand in front of the ping-pong porch and walk directly to the lake. Balbrook operated from the late twenties to the early fifties. That means chances are this was in the thirties or forties. I'm guessing. The next five postcards belong to Elaine Goodwin who has been a neighbor of Balbrook and PL her whole life. She worked in the kitchen of both.
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Postmark:
None Stamp: None Printed text on back: None Published by: Artvue Post Card Co., New York, NY The same boatdock from another angle. Also from the collection of Elaine Goodwin.
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None Stamp: None Printed text on back: Balbrook Lodge, Litchfield, Maine Cobbossee Stream from Twin Bridges Published by: G.W. Verrill, Augusta, ME OK this one is an anomaly. Sure, it says "Balbrook Lodge" but it also says "Cobbossee Stream" where the photo was obviously taken. Did they run out of photos? Were they trying to tout local attractions? Is it what the card manufacturer had in stock and therefore sold it inexpensively? Go figure. No clue as to the date either. It just fit nicely on the 1940's line. Thanks to Elaine Goodwin who owns this postcard. |
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, Litchfield, ME Stamp: 4 cents Printed text on back: None Published by: Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co., Belfast Maine Welcome to Pilgrim Lodge! I know the postmark reads 1963 but this is the first in a series of six postcards. They are numbered L15C-L20C in the bottom right corner. They look to be from the first season at Pilgrim Lodge. Balbrook went out in the early fifties, and the site remained closed for several years before the Maine Conference bought in 1956. I think these six cards were sold for the next five or six years as one of them has a camper complaining about the 'same old postcards.' (Don't tell her we've been selling the same cards since 1993). You can also tell there were several printings of the same cards as later printings dropped the numbers from the front and the publisher's name from the back. This looks to me like it might have been from family camp since there is quite a mix of adults, kids and teens. That means it could also be 1956. Notice the nice beach (which must have been trucked in) as well as the old dock and float. Get our your bathing cap, the water's great! |
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None Stamp: None Printed text on back: None Published by:EKC This is the first Balbrook Lodge card I obtained online. Clockwise from the top left: This bridge presumably goes out to the swim dock, though I have seen no other photos of it. It looks about where the present day boat dock is currently located. If you look through the beautiful stand of (long gone) birches you will see cabin row. Next is a sunset between the islands, which I imagine has always been a stunning sight. Black and white does not quite capture its majesty, but you can't blame them for trying. Below that is the end of Manitou Island. I am wondering if that's moonlight on the water. Finally we come to the photo of a string of unfortunate fish. I assume they are bass, as post-Sturgeon Cobbossee was, and is, known for great bass fishing. I have a number of ads for lodges and camps around the lake from this period and they all have similar shot boasting of great fishing.
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1963, Litchfield, ME Stamp: 4 cents Printed text on back: None Published by: Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co., Belfast Maine Welcome to Pilgrim Lodge! I know the postmark reads 1963 but this is the first in a series of six postcards. They are numbered L15C-L20C in the bottom right corner. They look to be from the first season at Pilgrim Lodge. Balbrook went out in the early fifties, and the site remained closed for several years before the Maine Conference bought in 1956. I think these six cards were sold for the next five or six years as one of them has a camper complaining about the 'same old postcards.' (Don't tell her we've been selling the same cards since 1993). You can also tell there were several printings of the same cards as later printings dropped the numbers from the front and the publisher's name from the back. This looks to me like it might have been from family camp since there is quite a mix of adults, kids and teens. That means it could also be 1956. Notice the nice beach (which must have been trucked in) as well as the old dock and float. Get our your bathing cap, the water's great! |
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1958, Litchfield, ME Always the attentive lifeguard at Pilgrim Lodge. If you know who this woman is, let me know. She is standing on the float from the previous card. The annoying mark in the top appears on every copy of this card. It must have been caught in the enlarger when they printed these up. I have seen this card selling at postcard shows for as much as twenty dollars. Thank you to Laurie Mooney for sending this one to me. |
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1961, Litchfield, ME Stamp: 2 cents Printed text on back: None Published by: Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co., Belfast Maine "BUDDY CHECK!" Some things really don't change. Same waterfront, same angle, as the last two cards. But this one comes complete with lifeguard yelling for kids to "quiet down so we can get this over with!" Note the rescue canoe and paddle in the bottom left.
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None Stamp:None Printed text on back: None Published by: Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co., Belfast Maine The only postcard of the lot to boast a vertical (portrait) orientation. It looks as though the boat dock was still down the lake a bit in front of the ping pong porch. In fact if you look above at the Balbrook postcards it is clear that this is the same dock. Notice the railings are the same design as the boardwalk. The child on the left would not be able to wear that life preserver today, as it's not a certified personal floatation device. Put simply, if he were knocked out, he could float face down in that thing. I think we still have some of these canoes today. Do you know who is featured in this card? Email me. This was sent by Laurie Mooney. |
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1958 Stamp: 2 cents Printed text on back: None Published by: Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co., Belfast Maine Not much change here, except the door on the ping pong porch. This also looks like it might be family camp. The trees now mostly obscure the view of the lake. One of the chairs mentioned above is next to the tree that has grown up where the flag pole was. Question: should postcards include people or just the buildings, as above. Many thanks to Joanne Bartlett for donating this postcard to the PL archives. |
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1959 Stamp: 2 cents Printed text on back: None Published by: Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co., Belfast Maine The final postcard in the original PL set of six. The crowd doesn't look too thrilled. Could this have been introductions? If you were there, let me know. At each end of the shuffleboard court are benches that no longer exist. There are a lot less birches as well. |
1960's
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1964 Litchfield, ME At last, new postcards, new swimming dock too. This looks to be the first H dock. In the background you can see the pump house that still exists as well as stairs leading to a platform. Was this for diving? Note the retaining wall, which is all but gone. (and we'd probably not be allowed to put it back. The copy I have, seen here has several crinkles in it, but it's the only one I have every come across. The writer speaks of a trip to Augusta to see the capital building, sleeping on the island in lean-tos and the impending dance. |
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1964 Litchfield, ME Stamp: 4 cents Printed text on back: PILGRIM LODGE ON LAKE COBBOSSEECONTEE LITCHFIELD, MAINE Published by: unknown OK, so the summer of love was still four years away. My favorite is the woman on the far left who is just oh so excited! I obtained this card separately from the one above, (again, this is the only copy I've seen) and yet both these cards were sent by the same person, at the same camp, two days apart. She was "having a wonderful time." |
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1968 Litchfield, ME Stamp: removed Printed text on back: PILGRIM LODGE LITCHFIELD, MAINE Published by: Owen Art-Color, Newcastle, Maine Ah the luxury of color! Oops. This postcard was labeled incorrectly, and presumably the whole lot was rerun. The "Chapel" line is marked over, and below it reads 'quiet time.' The camper who sent it home explains "this is when we think." I'm not sure where these three large birches were, but you can see a dock in the background and I'm guessing it's the boat dock placing this right in front of the lodge. I found this card for a dollar after pouring through thousands of cards all day, at the very last minute of a postcard show in Portland. Intermittent reinforcement is the hardest to break. |
1970's
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none Stamp: none Printed text on back: PILGRIM LODGE Lake Cobbosseecontee, Litchfield, Maine Published by: Owen Art-Color, Georgetown, Maine A great shot of an old H dock. Look at the limbs used to hold that thing up. Also notice how much beach is there. This is either trucked in sand, or it is just that lake is really low, since the dock continues way passed the end of the water. Look at the three boys on the right, locked in some secret handshake. This must have been produced at a different time than the one above it since the publisher changed towns. Many thanks to Peter Godfrey for donating this postcard to the PL archives.
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none Stamp: 23 cents Printed text on back: PILGRIM LODGE Litchfield, Maine Main Lodge Color by Lyman Owen Published by: Owen Art-Color, Newcastle, Maine We've seen this shot twice before. Still no door on the ping pong porch or ort shed. The bushes are growing again in the front and on the side. I obtained this card through shameless begging. In the summer of 2002 my assistant Katelyn Macrae was sorting the mail and with sharp eyes picked this card out. She brought it to me. It had been mailed by the nurse Sue Frost-Silver who had kept it from the time she was a camper herself. She had written a note to her son back home. I told her it was a PL postcard I'd never seen and if I gave her another would she consider re-writing her message. She made me a deal. I could have it as long as the re-written second card made into that day's mail. |
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none Stamp: none Printed text on back: PILGRIM LODGE Litchfield, Maine Lakeshore Chapel on Cobbosseecontee Published by: Owen Art-Color, Newcastle, Maine Thanks again to Peter Godfrey for this one. This is a nice record of what the chapel looked like before the platform was built in the early nineties. It's also the first postcard of the chapel, which is featured prominently from this point forward. So do you like your postcards to include people, or just the site?
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1980's
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none One of those golden PL sunsets. The pulpit platform now has a railing on the back (please don't tell me someone fell off). The photographer, Rocky Ackroyd, went on to be on the PL staff and is now one of our beloved deans. I'm embarrassed to admit, I don't remember how I got this card. |
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none Stamp: none Printed text on back: DOWN THE BOARDWALK AT PILGRIM LODGE on Lake Cobbosseecontee Litchfield, Maine 04350 Owned & Operated by Maine Conference, United Church of Christ Photo by Jim Campbell Published by: Artvue Post Card Co., New York NY No, it's not you, this really is a little fuzzy. It's odd because a print of this photograph, crystal clear, still hangs in the resource room. When I first arrived at PL I was pouring through files and found letters going back and forth about "out of focus postcards." Notice anything different here? No burps. Also look carefully and you'll see someone sitting inside the porch in cabin two. Lastly, there looks to be set of steps going from the front of cabin three right down into the 'forbidden zone.' |
1990's
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none The first of a series of five postcards. First published in 1993 and sold at the store every year since. I think there must have been a deal on bulk orders because when I arrived in '97 we still had enough to wallpaper the great wall of China. Both sides. I've been selling them cheap and giving them away in recent years and we are finally ready to get a new batch. There actually very beautiful postcards, but as the camper wrote in 1963: "same old postcards." I won't be ordering quite so many. This card features the present day platform at the chapel.
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none Stamp: none Printed text on back: Lake Cobbosseecontee from the Chapel Pilgrim Lodge, Maine Conference, U.C.C. Published by: Windsong Scenics, Lovell, ME Nice shot of Wilderness Island in the background.
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none Looks very much the same as the first postcard from 1932. Today you would see the addition put on the left side of the building in 1999. I think it's pretty hard to tell that it is an addition since the front wall was cut from the existing North wall. The angle is precisely symmetrical to the ping pong porch on the opposite side. My eyes immediately go to the electric wire that is strung between the trees. These wires were all over camp and brought down by the ice storm of 1998. We didn't restore them, but ran the electricity in conduits along the boardwalk.
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none Stamp: none Printed text on back: "The boardwalk and cabins" Pilgrim Lodge, Maine Conference, U.C.C. Published by: Windsong Scenics, Lovell, ME Got burps? A nice shot of the boardwalk, but I always think it looks like it's missing something. People. Some like postcards of just the site, I prefer to have it occupied since Pilgrim Lodge really is about people.
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none Stamp: none Printed text on back: "Sunset on Lake Cobbosseecontee" Pilgrim Lodge, Maine Conference, U.C.C. Published by: Windsong Scenics, Lovell, ME This is the only postcard of the set of five that actually did sell out. And you can see why. It really is the perfect PL shot. The sun right between the islands; and the two canoeist in silhouette, who had better get that dang boat back to the dock before that sun drops another inch!
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none Stamp: none Printed text on back: Worship in the Chapel at Pilgrim Lodge, Maine Conference, United Church of Christ Published by: The Hallowell Printing Company, Hallowell, ME The colors on the next four look a bit funky. The cards themselves do not. Finally after twelve years of the same postcards, some new shots. The big question was "people, or empty site?" People tend to date the photo, which I think is great. About three quarters of the people I asked said they'd just want the site. So I put people in one and kept three with just the facility. I wanted one of the chapel, which is hard to get. This is OK, in spite of having so many backs to the camera. You can see that they are engaged with the worship (led by former challenge director Karen) and the alter platform is filled with campers. I believe the photo is by Sueli Gaewsky. |
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none Stamp: none Printed text on back: The main Lodge at Pilgrim Lodge, Maine Conference, United Church of Christ Published by: The Hallowell Printing Company, Hallowell, ME The Lodge itself in all its glory. I'd never seen a postcard from this angle and I liked having the bell tower in as well. I wish I'd noticed that the stairs need painting. This photo is in fact a few years old. You can tell because the tree in the foreground is now gone (thank you PL porcupines) and careful observers noticed that the chairs on the porch are the old Adirondack chairs, not the new Carolina rockers. If you compare it to the other full frontal lodge shots you'll notice the new addition on the far left. |
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none Stamp: none Printed text on back: The chapel on Lake Cobbosseecontee at Pilgrim Lodge, Maine Conference, United Church of Christ Published by: The Hallowell Printing Company, Hallowell, ME I love the light in this shot. It adds a palpable serenity to the space. Obviously I took it in the fall. This postcard has been added to the comparisons page next to the other chapel cards. |
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none Stamp: none Printed text on back: Sunset on Lake Cobbosseecontee Pilgrim Lodge, Maine Conference, United Church of Christ Published by: The Hallowell Printing Company, Hallowell, ME Those of you paying attention will recognize this photo as being from the 2002 brochure cover. If you fold it in half you'll see what I mean. There are a lot of great sunset shots of PL but this one just stands out as coming close to capturing what we all know can never be truly captured. You simply have to experience the PL sunset in person to understand. This stunning photograph is by Sueli Gaewsky. |
Comparisons:
Similar
postcards from different decades set next to one another
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Notes: The dates on some of these cards are not definitive. If you know of an error, please email me. Some of these cards are not in the PL archive, but are borrowed. Please email me if you have copies of any of the cards prior to the 1990's and would be willing to donate them, or if you you have any PL/Balbrook cards or ephemera not listed here and would be willing to donate them, or be willing to let us scan and return them. Thanks, Bryan. |