August 21, 2026. On a glorious warm sunny day in August, forty eager people were treated to a once-in-lifetime opportunity to see two of Squam’s oldest and most iconic island camps, Wonalancet and Carnes, and to hear their history from current owners.     We chose these camps for our first event for a very specific purpose:  each represents the simple pleasures lifestyle and close connection to nature that first drew visitors to Squam in the late 1800’s.         
 
Wonalancet was purchased by Harold J Coolidge in 1889 after he fell in love with Squam as a camper at Camp Chocorua (now Church Island), the first boys’ camp in the United States.  With its retractable front wall opening towards the lake, it was long the hub of activity for a rapidly expanding Coolidge family.   Still on the walls are memorabilia characteristic of many old Squam camps:   cutouts of fish caught a century ago, and the recorded signatures of the many overnight guests that stayed there over the years.  Personalizing the interior are silhouettes, the faces of family members long gone.      The furniture is very old birch and extremely simple.  We ended our tour with a short walk to ‘The Point’, with its panoramic view of the Rattlesnakes, the family’s place to relax at day’s end.  Wonalancet remains one of Squam’s treasures, not only because of its age and its careful preservation, but because it is the embodiment of Squam’s earliest camps.    
 
Carnes Island, close to shore at the foot of the Squam Range, was likewise purchased in 1893 by Frank Webster and his wife Mary Fidelia from the estate of its former owner, Captain William Rice Carnes, a furniture importer from Boston and former Aide-de-Camp to General Zachary Taylor. Family lore says that Carnes and Webster, both ardent fishermen, became close friends after Carnes carefully explained to Webster that he was fishing in the wrong place.  A photo of the original “Camp Laurie”  is attached; it was small and simple, and used mainly as a summer fishing camp.  The Websters quickly replaced the original camp with a larger structure, with a small but cozy living space downstairs and bedrooms upstairs.  Over the years the Websters have lovingly retained Camp Carnes’ simple interior, preserving its original features and maintaining minimal amenities. 
 
The mission of the Squam Archives Center is to preserve Squam’s unique heritage and to make it accessible to the public.   Squam’s history can perhaps best be understood through its homes and camps.  We plan to sponsor more of these tours in the future.   Suggestions are always appreciated.