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Our Story

The property that Cedar Pond Campground now sits on, was once owned by the Twitchell family. That is an old local name in the North Country and we’re not sure which branch of the family actually owned the property.  However, the homestead did sit on the piece of land opposite the waterside of the campground approximately where sites # 32 and 31 are now.  No one seems to be able to tell us exactly what happened to the homestead, because there is no trace at all that it ever existed we think maybe a fire destroyed it.  The beach side of the property was at that time, privately owned by the Twitchell’s, however, they allowed the public to use it. The beach went from the water up to the road and people simply pulled off onto the edge of the sand to park and go swimming. There were changing rooms down on the beach and it was a pretty popular local spot. Apparently many  romances began at Cedar Pond! The pictures we’ve seen are circa 1940-but the pond is just as pretty today!

The present day office building was originally built to house the new bathrooms and upstairs was a snack bar, selling hot dogs and hamburgers and ice cream for the beach goers.  In the early 60’s the property was purchased by the Frechettes, and they started to build the campground. What we call the landing (the water side) is where the first sites were installed.  The sand and gravel was brought in by the truckload to fill part of the beach, then the wiring and plumbing was laid in and that is how it all began. Then some sites were added on the other side of the road and up the hill.  

The Silks purchased it in the very early 70’s and owned it for 30+ years.  During that time the state boat launch was put in and the fill from that project was put in the campground to create sites #23 & 25 and the parking area.  When the Silks owned it they had a little store in the office building called the Cedar Pond Superette, at one time they sold all the normal camping staples as well as beer, cigarettes, lottery tickets, penny candy and ice cream. Many of the pond residents who walk around the pond have fond memories of Mrs. Silk in the store as they walked around the pond each evening and got their treat of ice cream or candy. Mrs. Silk passed on the year before the Feldhouses purchased the campground, and Mr. Silk passed on during the summer of 2010, up until that time he spent his summers in the little blue and white cottage diagonally across from the office.  In 2017, the Feldhouses sold the property to the Dorans.  They operated the campground until May, 2026.  They then sold it to Wayne Hallee who has been running it since then!  Wayne is operating the campground with it's history in mind.  He is brining back some of the popular features of years past, like allowing the public to use the beach, and setting up a portion of the house/office as a camp sstore, selling camping essentials and yes, even ice cream!

Owner Wayne Hallee

Wayne grew up not far from Milan, NH, in a little town called Gilman, VT. Gilman is only about 35 miles from Milan. So this is a homecoming for him! A son of a paper mill worker, Wayne lived the classic North Country lifestyle as a kid. After graduating from St. Johnsbury Academy (VT), Wayne attended the University of Maine in Orono, ME. Having a lot of family in Maine and loving that area, he decided to stay there for 18 years. In 2008, now married with 2 kids, Wayne and his family decided they were tired of the harsh Maine winters, so they moved to North Carolina. Wayne worked in grocery store management for the last 20+ years, and in 2026, he decided he needed a change. Now divorced, and having a strong desire to be a “snow bird”, while also loving the camping lifestyle, Wayne decided to buy a seasonal campground somewhere in Maine or New Hampshire, so he could spend his summers up north, and his winters anywhere but. Cedar Pond Campground happened to be up for sale at that time, so Wayne decided that it was the perfect park for him! Aside from loving camping, Wayne’s other passion in life is hockey. As a native New-Englander, he is a fan of all of Boston’s pro sports teams, but his favorite by far is the Boston Bruins. Growing up in Gilman, he and his family were very active members of the Gliman/Lunenburg Outing club, and back in the 70s and 80s, he played for Gilman in the North Country Youth Hockey League, a league made up of town teams that played 90% of their games outdoors at the various town rinks. In addition to Gilman, towns like Lancaster, Littleton, Franconia, Whitefield, North Conway, and Gorham all had teams in that league. One of Wayne’s greatest memories of that time was the year Gilman beat Littleton, then Gorham to win the NCYHL junior division championship at Notre Dame Arena in Berlin! Wayne went on to play for St. Johnsbury Academy’s varsity hockey team, then continued to play in various adult leagues well into his 50s. Wayne also enjoys photography and videography as well, so don’t be surprised if you start seeing Wayne starting up a professional photography side gig serving the North Country soon!

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