What glorious weather we’ve been having! The beach was bustling over the Fourth of July weekend but has since settled back into its familiar role as a quiet respite from the world.

Long before it became Sprucewold Beach, it was known as Clam Cove. In the 1930s, my father, grandfather, and great-great-uncle would make the Sunday afternoon walk along the Indian Trail from Spruce Point, where they lived, to gather clams for supper. It is lovely to think that generations of families have enjoyed these shores in so many different ways.

When the beach property was first developed by Sprucewold Lodge owner Parker Nickerson around 1920, all Sprucewold residents and renters were welcome to enjoy the beach. The Sprucewold Beach Club was formed in 1971 when then-Lodge owner Robert Thornton sold the beach and surrounding land to a small group of Sprucewolders, who created the corporation that would eventually include 100 members.

The original 100 stock certificates each referenced five shares, reflecting what the founders believed would be the average number of people in a cabin. Each cabin received five beach badges to be worn while using the beach. Today, membership in the Beach Club remains tied to ownership within Sprucewold, and membership continues to pass from one Sprucewold resident to another. The number five is now simply a holdover from the original certificate language; it no longer represents five separate memberships or beach shares. A property owner is either a member of the Beach Club or is not. No new certificates have been issued since the original 100 in 1971, though values have risen considerably from the original $100 purchase price. Traditionally, shares were passed along with cabins from one generation to the next, though today membership may be transferred separately or included as part of a property sale.

The Linekin Heights Association (LHA) was formed around the same time, in 1970–71, when Robert Thornton sold the cabins that had once belonged to the Sprucewold Lodge. Linekin Green occupies the site of the original Sprucewold Lodge, which was lost to fire in 1930. The present Lodge building was originally the annex and survived the fire, along with the surrounding cabins extending beyond the Green to Crooked Pine, Crest, and Nahanada.

The LHA operates under a condominium structure. Cabin owners own their individual cabins and lots while collectively sharing ownership of community properties, including Linekin Green, parcels on Bayberry and Crest, and the sewer pump station on Crooked Pine. Nahanada Park was also once owned by the LHA during its years as a swimming pool before being transferred to the Sprucewold Association and becoming the beloved park we enjoy today.

The LHA maintains bylaws and community rules, but there are also provisions written into many deeds that quietly help preserve the historic character of our neighborhood. Two in particular are worth remembering: fences may not be built without approval from the Board of Directors, and exterior cabin color changes are not permitted. Together, these have helped maintain the distinctive look and feel of Sprucewold for generations. Earlier deed restrictions that were inappropriate and exclusionary have thankfully been removed over time as properties changed hands and our community evolved.

Many thanks to Mary Otto, editor of Rusticators in Sprucewold: Preserving the Legacy, and to the many community members who have helped preserve and share our local history over the years.

Thank you also to Randy Lehman for alerting LHA President Walter Moulaison to an issue with the sewer treatment plant. Crisis averted!

And thank you to Ralph Kimball for writing last week's Register column.

Looking ahead, a raffle will be held during the annual meetings and again at the potluck supper on Aug. 1 at Linekin Green. The LHA Annual Meeting begins at 9 a.m., followed by the Sprucewold Association Annual Meeting at 10:30 a.m. The potluck supper will take place from 5 to 7 p.m.

Raffle tickets will be $5 each for a chance to win a beautiful poster commemorating Sprucewold's 100th anniversary, created by Kim and Philippe Villard. The poster was generously donated by the Villards and framed by the Rittershaus family. All proceeds from the raffle will support our Chipping Day program and help us continue caring for the woods we all share.