Camp Mataponi

Last updated
Camp Mataponi
Location Naples, Maine, United States
Coordinates 44°1′40″N70°31′40″W / 44.02778°N 70.52778°W / 44.02778; -70.52778
TypeDrive In

Camp Mataponi (formerly known as Highland Nature Camps [1] ) is an all-girls sleepaway camp in Naples, Maine, United States, for girls approximately 7 to 15 years old. The camp is situated on Sebago Lake and accounts for over 5,000 feet of lakefront property. Camp Mataponi has grown to accommodate about 500 campers. Originally, the camp was called Highland Nature Camps. In the 1940s, it was renamed to Camp Mataponi by new owners Morton J. Goldman owner of Camp Takajo, and Samuel and Lee Kessler, of Teaneck, New Jersey, who also served as head counselors. The extraordinary culture and proud traditions of Camp Mataponi were thus born. The name Mataponi is of the Virginia Native American Tribe, historically located near the Mata, Po, and Ni Rivers.

It was founded in 1910 by Eugene Lehman, his wife Madeleine Davidsburg Lehman, and Estelle B. Davidsburg as Highland Nature Camps. [2] [3] [4] Mostly visited by distinguished Jewish families and from people from New York City, it was a nonsectarian all-girls summer camp. [3] [5] In 1926, the camp had rifle shooting as an activity. [6] In 1935, the camp ran between mid-June and September. [7] To allow campers to both do sports and learn scholarly subjects, the affiliated Highland Manor School ran classes. [7]

The current directors of the camp are Marcy and Dan Isdaner. [8]

Some activities at Camp Mataponi include: water sports, high ropes, baseball, archery, boating, and water trampoline. [ citation needed ] Business Insider in 2012 included Camp Mataponi on an "Absurdly Expensive Summer Camps" list, noting that students had to pay $10,400. Business Insider said the camp's lunch salad bar has 30 choices, and it hosted themed barbecues every week with names like "Under the Sea", "Funky Princess Super Hero", "Western night", and “Barbie”. [9] [10]

In September 2023, the camp opened up its doors to the 8th grade class of Shore Country Day School, located in Beverly, MA. Students arrived before lunch on Wednesday, September 6, and left shortly after lunch on Friday, September 8. The 39 students indulged in many fun activities, slept in bunks, and bonded with classmates and teachers during their short stay at camp Mataponi.

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References

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  2. ↑ "Where, Oh Where Jan. 6 Answer". Portland Press Herald . Blethen Maine Newspapers. 2005-01-13. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 20 March 2009– via HighBeam Research.
  3. 1 2 A Handbook of Summer Camps: An Annual Survey, Volume 1. Boston: Porter Sargent. 1924. pp. 137–138. Retrieved 2022-03-10– via Google Books.
  4. ↑ "Mrs. Eugene Lehman Dies; Wife of Tarrytown Mayor: Graduate of Hunter College, Was Teacher Before Marriage". New York Herald Tribune . 1931-12-02. ProQuest   1114245502.
  5. ↑ A Handbook of Private Schools for American Boys and Girls: 1919-1920 (5 ed.). Boston: Porter Sargent. 1919. p. 337. Retrieved 2022-03-10– via Google Books.
  6. ↑ "Novelty at Highland Nature Camp". American Rifleman . Vol. 74, no. 8. 1926-10-15. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-03-10– via Internet Archive.
  7. 1 2 "Highland Manor Notes". The Jewish Advocate . 1935-06-14. p. 8. ProQuest   886325544.
  8. ↑ Barnes, Jack (January 2000). Sebago Lake, West Shore:: Standish, Baldwin, Sebago, and Naples. Grand Rapids: Arcadia Publishing. p. 126. ISBN   0-7385-0156-5 . Retrieved 20 March 2009– via Internet Archive.
  9. ↑ Galante, Meredith (2012-06-08). "Send Your Kid To One Of These 18 Absurdly Expensive Summer Camps". Business Insider . Archived from the original on 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  10. ↑ Rosenberg, Max; Galante, Meredith (2013-05-29). "Send Your Kid To One Of These Crazy Expensive Summer Camps". Business Insider . Archived from the original on 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2022-03-10.


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