It was a cold winter in 1987 and our four children, who were all born in Florida, had never seen snow. The girls were 12 and 10 and the boys were 8 and 6, and they were excited about spending their vacation on the hundred year old Emery Farm. We suited them up in borrowed snow jackets, pants, mittens, boots and hats and headed north to find a foot of snow had just fallen. What could be better than a frozen pond on the property, with snowmobiles in the garage, a hill for tobogganing and friends we had met during the three summers of owning Wicker Hills Golf Course? Even our fabulous babysitter, Cathy Clark of Clark’s Berry Farm, took the kids ice-skating with skates found in local resale shops.
Our previous summer homes had consisted of a rental cabin in 1984 on Sage Lake, which was more rustic than rustic, but fun for the kids for fishing and swimming. The following summer we hauled up a 34 ft. brand new travel trailer and parked it behind the pro shop at the golf course, beside the practice green. The proximity was perfect for cherry and apple tree climbing and picking, earthworm hunting, golfing, and eating our meals at the course. The kids built a tree house and the size of our trailer was perfect for sleeping, so we had all that we needed. Until—our eldest and first born daughter grew to her full height at 5 ft. 10′ and could no longer fit on the fold out beds. Two sisters in one bed and two brothers in the other was no longer an ideal sleeping arrangement.
My husband wandered into the Schofield Real Estate office to say hello to some friends and exited with the plan to go see the lodge that Darlene and Frank Leiva insisted was a gem of a deal. So, after seeing this historical camp, he retrieved me and the kids for a peek and the rest is history. We had three days to get the money to the owners, who now lived in Georgia, and we had no money. We knew a banker in town who wanted the private waterfront parcel, so we sold it to him as the down payment and never worried about the missing piece, as we had lakefront rights through the association on the common area where the boathouse, craft hut and fire pit remained.
The lodge had already been remodeled into a dwelling with two separate living quarters under one roof. The west side had a loft, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen and two porches. It also had the big fireplace and the camp map. The east side had a loft, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a smaller kitchen and two porches. I was attracted to the camp library, filled with old books and the bathrooms with huge windows.
Our partners in the golf course in Hale happened to be my husband’s aunt and uncle from Texas. Aunt Blanche had summered on Sage Lake growing up and when she married Aaron, they would bring their three kids up to enjoy my husband’s family with eight kids on Sage Lake at the family compound of cabins owned by Blanche’s parents and my husband’s parents. What better way to enjoy what they had as children growing up than to recreate that family compound at Maqua?
The Starks family reside on the west side and the Baker family reside on the east side, but we own the entire building on fourteen acres together, which includes the camp-craft hut on the front lawn, and hut one adjacent to the west side where the entrance used to be. We have a door that goes between the two sides and all overflowing relatives can be housed in beds on either side when needed during big family gatherings. The floors still shake when the ping-pong games start up on either side!
The tennis court still exists, but needs repair and is unused. We still hike the horse trails on our communal 64 acres enjoyed by the ten association members. (The subdivision was parceled by Bob and Luanne Sukenik when they bought the camp in 1979. More to come about his story later.) The campfire pit still gets used all summer long, as do the six or seven remaining huts, used for adventurous guests. The camp craft hut is used as a shed for the lodge. The infirmary has been remodeled into a guest house by the owners, who built a new house on the other side of the path. The old house, Dutton, (once used for counselors, sick bay and nature hut), was taken down due to age and decay and replaced by a new log home. The boat house has been renovated and there are photos under “Camp Envy”, as well as the craft hut, which also is used by adventurous guests for camping. Chapel Hill still has a view, but a log cabin sits on that site. The two camp brownies are still in use—one has been converted into a garage for another log home and the one by the lake is in working order with one shower and two separate toilet facilities.
The summers with our families at Maqua have included the births of babies, five weddings, and even memorials for our lost loved ones. We have celebrated holidays with fanfare, potlucks with traditions, unending sunset boat cruises, loon and eagle sightings galore and memories that carry on the traditions that campers enjoyed. (Songs at campfires, marshmallow roasts, Fourth of July boat parades, kayaking, sailing, swimming and more.) I feel envy at never having camped here, but the stories from the staff and campers have made me feel like a part of their history and I am so delighted that my husband was the one who walked into that real estate office one winter day. It was meant to be. And thanks to all of you, your stories have helped me keep it alive!