© 2004 Beth Teele-Haidinger

last updated: June 25, 2015

Olsanski's Camp

John Watson originally of New York City (lived at 42nd and Lexington for years) was the original owner of our camp. After he stopped coming to Meddybemps, he moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL and never returned.

The camp was built in the 1940s as two one room cabins and a garage. Later on the living room was added which joined the two cabins, one of the cabinets was converted into a kitchen and a screened in porch was added. I am  really not sure if the garages were part of the original building plan or built later, but there is a 4 stall garage with an adjoining guest room (since converted into storage).

Over the years there have been several granite crib fixed docks built.  Rock piles from these structures still remain. This was all replace in the 1990s with the floating dock system that is currently being used.

Years ago at the mouth of the canal which sits between our property and the town dock, my grandfather, Trapper Lombard, built and maintained a boat house. This has long ago been torn down and replaced by the current State of Maine spillway.  If you follow the canal from the Lake you will find that it flows into the Dennys River.  Next to our camp is Joy Frost's camp. She is my aunt and only surviving Lombard from Lottie and Trapper (Charles) Lombard's marriage. The only other person with the Lombard name is me--Eric Lombard Olsanski.  Next to her is my Aunt Madge Orchard.  We call her Aunt, but she is really my Mother's cousin.  Near her camp is the mouth of the Mill Pond which flows into the Denny's River.  They alway used to say that Meddybemps had 52 Islands (they must have been counting a couple of rocks there), but if you look at this piece of real estate, it is technically an island--the 53rd island.  Across the Highway 191 from our camp is Mona's house. This used to be my Grandparents house.  They used to have 9 garages housed in two buildings. Since then some of those have been torn down. Also my Great Uncle Harry's store and Ice House used to be near my Grandmother's house. After great uncle Harry passed away, Madge Orchard's mother Grace Campbell and Lottie Lombard ran the store. All that has been torn down.

 I acquired the property from John Watson in the 1970s and turned it over to my mother and father since I was busy running all over the place for a number of years.  Although I spent most of my Summers from age 8 to 15 or 16 in Meddybemps, I didn't start regularly visiting again until 1994 or 1995
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Submitted by Eric Olsanski -May 19, 2006

2012 Dennys River and Lake Meddybemps Water Management, by Colby Bruchs

Photos from Pete from the Superfund Site - Indian Tribute, Sept. 2012.

For a peek at what is being sold by the LMA, click here

Ice above Town dock - 4.4.13

Ice below Town Dock - 4.4.13

Open water above camp - 4.4.13

Denny's River at canal mouth - 4.5.13

Denny's River upstream to bridge - 4.5.13

Broken ice and open water above dock - 4.5.13