OT: Camp Jewell

[1-of-the-6]

Just curious, since this is a board of mostly Connecticut residents, if any of you went to the Camp Jewell YMCA summer camp in the northwest corner of the state? Or maybe had your children attend. It's run by the Hartford YMCA. I went there a long time ago, during the summers of 1961, '62, and '63. Great place and great memories.

 

[mhshuskies]

Just curious, since this is a board of mostly Connecticut residents, if any of you went to the Camp Jewell YMCA summer camp in the northwest corner of the state? Or maybe had your children attend. It's run by the Hartford YMCA. I went there a long time ago, during the summers of 1961, '62, and '63. Great place and great memories.

No, went to Sequassen

 

[Millenial23]

I believe that is where I went for a field trip in middle school. It was called 'Nature's Classroom' and it was winter. We went tubing down their giant hill! My glasses fogged up everytime I entered the dining hall because of the big fire in the fireplace there! They measured our food waste for that weekend, only gave us 3 minutes for a shower (not that it was strictly monitored) due to the number of people, and did a nighttime activity with us on the 'underground railroad'. There was loads more stuff too, that's just what I mainly remember! I'm pretty sure it was that camp because then in high school with my girl scout troop we did a volunteer/service day cleaning up the camp and I recognized it from Nature's classroom. Of course, different era, this was like early 2000s. But yeah, great place!

 

[bschwartz]

I went there in the early 80s when I was little. Met the first girl I ever recall "liking" there.

 

[1-of-the-6]

I went there in the early 80s when I was little. Met the first girl I ever recall "liking" there.

When I was there, it was an all-boys camp. We did have one dance, in my last year there, when girls from another camp came over.

 

[Sargassoc]

Nope. Incarnation Camp (also known as E.C.C.C.) in Ivoryton, the country's oldest co-ed camp.

But if you're camp, you're my peeps.

 

[cabbie191]

Camp Jewell alum here. Summer camp when I was in elementary school. Came home with salamanders as pets.

 

[LADan]

I attended Camp Jewell in the late 60s two years in a row. You would go for two weeks at a time during the summer. I was from Windsor and I remember meeting a ton of kids from West Hartford and New Canaan when I was there. It was all boys when I attended and it was ran by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver if my mind is still working.

 

[JustinesGuy]

Can non Jewish kids go there?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Two daughters attended and loved it. Also did a couple of bike tours run by the camp to Canada and NY/Pennsylvania.

 

[LADan]

Can non Jewish kids go there?

Plenty of everybody when I was there.

 

[1-of-the-6]

I attended Camp Jewell in the late 60s two years in a row. You would go for two weeks at a time during the summer. I was from Windsor and I remember meeting a ton of kids from West Hartford and New Canaan when I was there. It was all boys when I attended and it was ran by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver if my mind is still working.

My first year I went for two weeks, as a senior camper. Second year I was still a senior and stayed for four weeks, which was a little too long. Great place with all sorts of activities, but I always found a way to get onto the basketball court at some point everyday. Even got to play in the counselor's game when they were short a body.

A lot of the kids were from West Hartford. Not sure how my parents found out about it, given that we were from Long Island.

The head counselor when I was there was Chuck Hanscomb, known as Mr. Chuck. My cabin counselor that first year was Carl Chase, a student and varsity basketball player at Rhode Island.

My third summer was as a member of what they called their Older Boys Tripping Program. I went on two trips, the first a great canoe excursion going through the whole Fulton Lakes chain in upstate New York. Second one was to Maine and included Acadia National Park and climbing Mr. Bigelow, which had the biggest and best blueberries I ever saw.

 

[bluefan64]

Just curious, since this is a board of mostly Connecticut residents, if any of you went to the Camp Jewell YMCA summer camp in the northwest corner of the state? Or maybe had your children attend. It's run by the Hartford YMCA. I went there a long time ago, during the summers of 1961, '62, and '63. Great place and great memories.

Back in the 50's the original location for Camp Jewell was in W. Swanzey, NH. Spent two or three summers there. Best recollection was hiking to the summit of Mt. Washington as a twelve year old.

 

[zakalex]

My 6th grade class from Webster Hill School went there in probably 1956 or '57. I was a picky eater and didn't like the all eggs breakfast. Fortunately the director of the camp was my neighbor, Mr Malins, (he called me "dimples") and he arranged for me to have Cheerios. I was soooo relieved! Gosh, what an old memory!

 

[Kurebeach5]

I attended Camp Jewell in the late 60s two years in a row. You would go for two weeks at a time during the summer. I was from Windsor and I remember meeting a ton of kids from West Hartford and New Canaan when I was there. It was all boys when I attended and it was ran by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver if my mind is still working.

I was indeed from New Canaan and went to Camp Jewel around the time of our original poster ( 1-of-the-6) in the early '60's and I am not Jewish, nor do I remember that being a concern of anyone ! Also went to Camp Mohawk.

 

[1-of-the-6]

I was indeed from New Canaan and went to Camp Jewel around the time of our original poster ( 1-of-the-6) in the early '60's and I am not Jewish, nor do I remember that being a concern of anyone ! Also went to Camp Mohawk.

I don't know if the original remark about Jews was a serious comment or a bad pun on "Jewell". I stated in my original post that the camp was a YMCA camp. However, there were campers of all religions and ethnicities. Everybody and anybody was welcome. Except girls, who still had cooties back in the day.

 

[CBear01]

I don't know if the original remark about Jews was a serious comment or a bad pun on "Jewell"

I believe the OP was sincere in asking a serious question. Sleep away camp is a large part of growing up Jewish here in America. I, myself, am catholic but was Head Counselor at a sleep away camp in upstate New York for a number of years that was predominantly attended by Jewish campers. I'd say close to 90%. Was never a concern I was catholic, and the camp owner went out of his way to lend me a large van every week for me to take myself and about 7 or 8 campers to mass every Sunday. 7 or 8 out of 500. It is also my understanding that the camp began strictly as a Jewish member camp some decades ago and has since grown to include campers of all faiths. The camp is very well known (internationally) and has campers from all over the world (including Muslim campers from UAE and other Muslim nations). Many of the Europeans were catholic but did not care to attend mass, as I recall.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I went to Camp Jewell and Camp Woodstock both operated by the Greater Hartford YMCA Downtown Branch... as a kid, youth counselor and a 2 decade employee

 

[thatguyed]

Went there 7-8 years with the Stratford Indian Princess group (kinda like Girls Scouts but dads and daughters) roughly 1995-2003. Kids had a great weekend. Dads had a great weekend. Big campfires most years and little to no enforcement on that whole no alcohol thing. Meals were pretty good except for turkey bacon and turkey sausage at breakfast.

 

[Intpseeker]

I used to go to Camp Wakenah, on Gardner Lake in Salem and have many great memories. My daughters worked at various kinds of summer camps and this segment from This American Life rings true for each of us:

109: Notes on Camp

 

[diggerfoot]

I live about 5 miles as the crow flies from Camp Jewell, in the house I was raised in. Though I never attended the camp I've been there and knew people who taught for Nature's Classroom.

 

[Gabbyfan]

I attended Camp Jewel , first for two weeks, then a month the following year. It was in the late 50's. In fact, the first year I attended was the first year with all new "modern" cabins, which I am sure are not so modern now.