Summer Activities

Summer Activities. . , The Campobello hotels welcomed socializing between their guests and the summer cottage owners. Summer colonists and hotel guests exchanged visits and participated in hotel activities such as excursions aboard the company's small steamboats, field days, dances, and the use of tennis and croquet courts, billiards tables and bowling alleys., During 1881 and 1882, the Campobello Company built a hotel pier, roads to Glensevern Lake and Raccoon Beach, a bridge across Glensevern and another at Eastern Pond, bridle paths, and the Friar's Head observatory. Cottage owners were encouraged to make use of the hotel services, including the rental of carriages and horses from the hotels' livery., Many of Campobello's summer visitors enjoyed outdoor pastimes such as sailing, canoeing, fishing, walking, and picnicking. Arrangements could be made at the hotels or locally to hire sailboats and skippers. Indoor activities included reading, musical recitals, and card games (Franklin Roosevelt enjoyed working with his stamp collection.), The summer colonists socialized amongst themselves as well, exchanging visits for meals, dinners, card parties, candy bees, and afternoon tea and conversation. They also sailed together or competed against each other in boat races. Most of the summer colony area was open meadow, with a small golf course (constructed by the summer colonists but used by hotel guests, too) and a baseball field laid out in a half circle of "common land". Field days held on the common land, were attended by the entire summer community and by island residents. On August 20, 1908, the St. Andrews Beacon noted, "Cottagers and permanent residents of Welshpool had a grand picnic at Welshpool on Wednesday last. There were canoe races, gasolene boat races, dory races, and a swimming match that attracted much interest....In the evening there was a dance in Owen Hall (Owen Hotel)."