Kieve Collection

SummaryThe Kieve Collection consists of two reels of 16 mm. film shot sometime between 1930 and 1950. With a very small portion of footage showing a family playing in their yard and sitting together on a porch, the collection focuses mainly on the day-to-day activities at the Kieve Boys Camp in Nobleboro, Maine. Located on Damariscotta Lake, the films show Maine landscapes, boats and boating, swimming, relay races on the water and diving. Other activities depicted include sports like tennis, basketball, archery, as well rifle target practice. Reel two contains footage of some boys from camp on a dock while the camera shoots the seining process from a large boat. Documentation shows the spreading and dropping of the net, and harvesting the fish, pulling the net along with fish into the larger boat. The end of reel two contains what appears to be a promotional camp film, in Kodachrome, including black and white intertitles and a short rolling credit introduction about the camp.

Biographical/Historical NotesCamp Kieve for Boys was founded by Donald Kennedy in 1926. Located in Nobleboro, Maine, on Damariscotta Lake, the camp began as a wilderness-trip summer camp with a minimum of rules, balanced by a large number of counselors and programs downplaying competition while encouraging campers to set and surpass personal goals. In 1974, Richard C. Kennedy, Donald’s son, donated the family business and facility to a newly created non-profit educational organization, Kieve Affective Education, Inc., and began to extend Kieve’s mission beyond the summer camp sessions. Richard Kennedy published "Camp Kieve: the first seventy years, 1926-1996." WorldCat In 1990, Henry Kennedy, Donald’s grandson and Richard's son, took over as Executive Director. Henry Kennedy expanded Kieve’s offerings and services further, including Wavus Camp for Girls, the Kennedy Learning Center, Kieve West, 9/11 Family Camp, an Alumni & Family Adventure Camp, and, most recently, a Veteran’s camp. In 2005 Kieve Camp merged with the Wavus Foundation to create the Kieve-Wavus Education, Inc.

RepositoryNortheast Historic Film

AvailabilityThe Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and UseAuthorization to reuse and/or reproduce must be obtained from Northeast Historic Film. See http://www.oldfilm.org/research for more information.