HISTORY
Bearnstow is a not-for-profit educational institution devoted to the arts and nature. Founded in 1946 by Ruth Grauert and Frances Reid, it began as a summer camp rooted in inclusivity and creativity that was interracial, interreligious, and coeducational from the start. The name Bearnstow, derived from an early West Saxon word meaning “child and place,” reflects its mission to nurture learning and expression in harmony with the natural world.
Located on sixty-five acres of forested land along 2,400 feet of rocky shoreline on Parker Pond in Mount Vernon, Maine, Bearnstow’s twelve rustic buildings—some dating to the 1880s—offer a rare glimpse into Maine’s camp heritage. The property’s oldest structure, the Lodge, was built by Daniel Folsom around 1880. In the early 1900s, Charles E. Stevens established a fishing and hunting retreat known as Stevens Camps. Later, Colby College biology professor Webster Chester purchased the property, renamed it Spruce Point Camps, and built the Main Hall and additional cabins. Chester’s stewardship emphasized conservation and laid the groundwork for the camp’s enduring respect for the natural environment.
After the camp closed during World War II, Grauert and Reid discovered the property in 1945 and transformed it into a new kind of camp—one centered on the arts, community, and nature. They repaired the long-abandoned buildings and opened Bearnstow in 1946. From the start, it hosted programs in dance, drama, music, and visual arts alongside noncompetitive outdoor activities.
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Over the decades, Bearnstow expanded to include children’s day camps, community dance classes, and weeklong residencies in the arts and natural sciences. Its programs emphasize creativity, collaboration, and ecological awareness. Partnerships with regional schools, colleges, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection have furthered its educational mission in the natural sciences, including ecology, forestry, and conservation biology.
​​In 1994, the Kennebec Land Trust established a conservation easement permanently protecting Bearnstow’s land and shoreline. The same year, Bearnstow launched Natural History Week, bringing scientists and naturalists to share their work with the public. In 2007, the camp was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Spruce Point Camps, recognizing its historic and cultural significance.
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Today, Bearnstow continues to thrive as a place where art, nature, and community intersect. Its enduring mission—to inspire creativity and foster respect for the environment—remains rooted in the spirit of its founders and the landscape they sought to preserve.
FOUNDERS
Ruth Grauert
Ruth (Reg) Grauert had a rich career in the dance field and a passion for nature, creative arts, and education. She held a B.A. from Ursinus College, 1939, and an M.A. from Columbia University, 1941. She was the recipient of the 2005 Martha Hill Lifetime Achievement Award and Doctorates of Humane Letters from Ursinus College in 2009 and Centenary College in 2013. She wrote widely on contemporary dance, publishing numerous essays, articles, and reviews on dance aesthetics, education, staging, and lighting. Many of these articles appear here.
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From 1939 to 1943, Ruth had classes with Martha Graham and Hanya Holm. She then danced in the pre–World War II Hartford Nikolais Company and briefly in the Kashman Company then, in New York City, in the Charles Weidman Dance Company.
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Following World War II, she supervised all children’s classes at the Henry Street Playhouse and acted as the Playhouse stage manager for the many dance concerts presented there and as production stage manager for the Nikolais, Louis, Lamhut and Blossom companies from the 1950s to the late 1980s. In 1979–1980 she taught at the Centre national de danse contemporaine (CNDC) in Angers, France. She toured world-wide as the production stage manager for the Nikolais Dance Theater from 1948 to 1988 and taught lighting at the Nik/Lou lab throughout that period. Throughout her illustrious career, Reg without fail took leave every summer to run what Nik referred to jokingly as “That damn Camp,” which we know as Bearnstow.
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Read the full memorial tribute to Ruth, as well as remembrances of other long-time associates of the Nikolais Dance Theater and Murray Louis Dance Company.
Frances Reid
Frances (Fran) Reid was a dedicated dance educator with roots in Kennebec County. In her adult years when not at Bearnstow she dedicated her time to her own dance school, the “Frances Reid school of Dance”, in Downtown Concord, New Hampshire. Her aesthetic and training were in Lyric Theater, and her specialty was tap dancing but she also taught ballet, modern, polka waltz, and more. Reg came up every year to light the school’s recital. The Frances Reid school of dance operated until the late 60’s when Fran moved in with Reg in Jersey City. Besides dance technique classes, former campers remember how she taught them to focus in class, pay attention to detail, and performance skills. At Bearnstow she choreographed costumed extravaganzas for each age group, which are remembered by campers and their families to this day. Her incredible attention to detail also made her an incredible steward of Bearnstow. Fran was incredibly active and focused particularly on the care of the buildings. She would climb up and sweep the Lodge roof, lead chore teams in the dining room and kitchen, keep the pantry and linen closet in meticulous order. Fran was very proud of Bearnstow’s track record of excellent inspections for health and safety, as she told us frequently. She said that ideas for some of her best choreography came when she was cleaning things.
Ruth (Reg) Grauert and Frances (Fran) Reid were life partners who founded Bearnstow in 1946 as a children’s camp, which continued into the 90s. By the late 90s, it had become a summer arts place, bringing to students the opportunity to discover and know, first hand, the world of dance and creative arts through workshops and retreats, and our day camp program. Both dedicated their lives, and particularly their summers to Bearnstow. Reg and Fran ran camp as a team until Fran’s passing in 1994 and Reg continued on as Director until she passed away in May 2020.
Reg and Bobby Carr at Bearnstow 1960s​​
Fran and her dog Timmy at Bearnstow 1960s