When David Hernandez and Tereasa Surratt bought the old ‘Vandavega’ campgrounds in 2004, they had no idea what they were getting into. Throughout the property, they discovered countless mysteries: trap doors, secret rooms, boxes of old photographs and letters. Before long, a century’s worth of stories began unfolding for the new ‘innkeepers’ of Camp Wandawega. For David and Tereasa, their lives were about to change forever. This episode features music by Philip Bowen, Joseph Bradshaw, and Casey Chambers.
In 1961, the Vatican sent a brotherhood of priests from the Catholic order of Latvian Marian Fathers to the shores of Lake Wandawega. The plan was to create a quiet retreat for retired priests. Instead, something entirely different happened: they created a summer camp and a gathering place for Latvian-American families in the midwest. This was the golden age of ‘Vandavega,’ an American summer camp unlike any other. This episode features music by Philip Bowen, Robyn Quin, and Volunteer.
In 1951, a family of immigrants took over the old Wandawega Hotel and converted it into a ‘vacation wonderland’ for middle-class Americans, ushering in a wholesome new era for a property that had long welcomed bootleggers, gamblers, mobsters, and prostitutes. But it wasn’t all sunshine and wonder in Walworth County. There was tragedy too; an era of sorrow for a family trying to create a wilderness escape for themselves and for others. This episode features music by Philip Bowen, Joseph Bradshaw, and Casey Chambers.
Every summer camp in America is haunted by at least one ghost. At Camp Wandawega, it’s the specter of John Gabriele who wanders the campgrounds at night. Known in the Chicago papers as ‘Johnny Sweetheart,’ Gabriele was a murdered on the run who met his desperate, violent end on the shores of Lake Wandawega in 1942. This episode features music by Philip Bowen, Joseph Bradshaw, and Beau Jennings.
Loved by some, feared by others, but respected by all – no single person has left a more notorious mark on the history of Camp Wandawega than Anna Anderson, the legendary madam of the Wandawega Hotel, the county’s most infamous speakeasy and brothel. This episode features music by Philip Bowen and Joseph Bradshaw.
Pioneers and profiteers, the first Americans, a murdered Mormon ‘king,’ and the intriguing origins of the name ‘Wandawega’ – there’s a deep shadow of mystery that surrounds the pre-history of what is today known as Walworth County, Wisconsin. And yet, it is here that our story begins. This episode features music by Philip Bowen and Joseph Bradshaw.
Get ready to crack open a cold one, wrap up in a blanket, and gather in close around the campfire, because ‘American Getaway: The Very True, Very Strange Story of Camp Wandawega’ is coming to Spotify and Apple Podcasts on May 4th, 2022. For the first time ever, this stranger-than-fiction history is being shared as a six-part audio experience. Inspired by tall tales told around the campfire, American Getaway blends a century of history, humor, mythology, and music to tell a uniquely American story.
American Getaway: The Very True, Very Strange Story of Camp Wandawega is coming soon to Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
