Hospitality. Stewardship. Mission.

In the summer of 1880 on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, the general conference of Free Will Baptists held a session in Weirs, New Hampshire to take a vote on the establishment of a “Permanent denominational summer encampment for social, Christian and general improvement.” A subcommittee of this conference visited many sites along the New England coast from Rhode Island to Maine. When they came along the southern coast of the pine state, they felt drawn to the land, known then as the “Guilford property.” In 1881 the Free Baptists paid the heirs of the Guilford property $5000 to secure the land that would gradually develop into what is now known as Ocean Park, Maine.

As Ocean Park came into the 20th century, the vision of what would one day be called Oceanwood began to take shape. The first sparks came in 1915 when a group of Massachusetts Baptists gathered in Boston to discuss the establishment of a “School of methods” located in Ocean Park. This led to the incorporation of the New England Baptist Conference in 1920 along with the purchase of more land. In 1927 the Royal Ambassadors boys camp was established, comprising 160 acres of land that adjoined the New England Baptist Conference area. The camp’s motto was, “building boys is better than mending men” and sought to promote the moral, religious, physical, social and educational advancement of New England boys. Two years later, the Ataloa girls camp was established as a parallel to the Royal Ambassadors.

Eventually the two camp properties became one and were bought by the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts in 1975. With the experience of running a successful camp in Groton Massachusetts, aptly named, “Grotonwood,” TABCOM helped to shepherd the camp into the 21st century; renaming it Oceanwood Camp and Conference Center and introducing new camping and retreat programs that build on and uphold the founding principles of Ocean Park.