Graylag's History

The Graylag Story

Building the camp

In 1946, Jacob Geib and sons Fred and Robert turned 500 acres of undeveloped woodland and the waterfront of Wild Goose Pond into a summer camp for boys. They named it after the European name for the wild goose, which, because it was gray and lagged behind other geese flying south in autumn, was called the Graylag. As the founders said in the original camp brochure, “The continental name symbolizes the free spirit of the out-of-doors.”

Basketball: The Bob Cousy years

In 1952, basketball legend Bob Cousy, of the Boston Celtics, became a partner in Camp Graylag. From that time, the camp specialized in basketball and became closely identified with Cousy’s athletic gifts and sportsmanship. Camp Graylag at that time had the largest outdoor floodlit courts in New England and attracted many great players and coaches as instructors in the fine points of the game. For more photos from this era, click here.

After 23 successful years, Camp Graylag closed in 1971. The property was sold and subdivided, passing through the hands of several owners over the next 20 years.

A Family Grows at Graylag

In late fall of 1981, the Graylag property was placed for sale. A young family learned of it, pooled together all their limited resources, and was able to purchase Graylag and secure it from developers. The property had been vacant and vandalized for many years, and needed renovations to make the main house livable. In early spring of 1982, Graylag became the family’s year-round home.

They experienced much joy and connection, as well as challenges and changes. Mary Ellen (“M.E.”) Shannon and her three daughters were blessed to have Graylag as their home. They remained until the mid-1990’s when Carl Wallman purchased the property, making it his home, his masterpiece, and eventually a nature preserve. Mary Ellen is still deeply connected to Graylag, offering weekly yoga classes and serving as a member of the Board of Directors.

Restoration under Carl Wallman

In 1995, after 25 years raising Angus cattle in neighboring Northwood, NH, Carl Wallman bought the 50-acre parcel of beautiful woodlands central to the former Camp Graylag. Carl was born and raised in New York City. His parents had immigrated to New York as young people, leaving Russia and Poland, where they were forbidden to own land, so land ownership was especially meaningful to him.

As Carl became more familiar with the Graylag terrain, trees, plants, and animals, he began to add gardens, mark trails in the woods, and thin trees, following the contours of the land. He added some other parcels of the original camp to the property, began to fix up some of the buildings and tear down others, and started to encourage and protect the plants native to New Hampshire.

Inviting guests to share the woods

Over time, he realized that he wanted other people to be able to enjoy the natural woodlands and waters of Graylag and started to renovate the former cabins into comfortable, rustic vacation cottages, which could be rented to guests. Graylag Cabins opened in the summer of 2005. For Carl, it was wonderful to see that the peace and beauty of these hills, woods, and waters affected others much as they affected him.

Passing the torch to Graylag Nature Preserve

Carl passed away in February 2020. We will always be grateful for the determination with which Carl worked in the last months of his life, endowing Graylag with both a clear mission for moving forward and the means to make that mission real. In November 2019, Graylag Cabins became Graylag Nature Preserve, a public 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Camp Graylag History program

Below, you can watch the video of a June 2023 program on the history of Camp Graylag hosted by the Pittsfield Historical Society. Four daughters of the Geib and Cousy families — the camp’s original owners — share their memories and stories of old camp days.