YMCA Camp Fitch - History

History

The Youngstown YMCA began hosting camps for young boys in the early 1900s, the first of which was conducted at Muddy Lake near Ravenna, Ohio in 1906. In 1907, the camp was moved to Grand River between Orwell and Ashtabula and the following year the camp was moved to a site on Lake Erie between Saybrook and Geneva-on-the-Lake.

In 1914 the Board of Trustees of the Youngstown YMCA adopted a permanent policy of conducting a summer camp for boys. The campsite in 1914 was established at Cannon's Mills on Little Beaver River. Land for the camp was donated by John H. Fitch in addition to a sum of money sufficient to operate the camp for a five-year period. Thirty-two campers were enrolled for the first year, and the camp continued to operate at that site for the summers of 1915, 1916 and 1917. During these first years, a common fashion accessory for campers was a forked stick; these had to be carried for protection due to the abundance of rattlesnakes and copperheads in the area. Fortunately, this reptilian problem was rectified through the relocation of the camp grounds.

During the summer of 1919, a $5,600 dam was built to improve swimming and boating facilities; however, in spring of 1920, the dam gave way to a flood and for the next three seasons the camp used a wooden dam constructed by campers and their families.

Due to growing enrollment, in 1918 the camp was moved to West Point, also on Little Beaver River. At the close of the 1918 camping season, the family of the late John H. Fitch donated $10,000 to purchase the West Point camp site and make permanent improvements. The property consisted of 26 acres (110,000 m2) of land and a lodge. The total purchase price was $4,500. In gratitude, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution changing the name of the camp from Ot-Yo-Kwa to Camp John H. Fitch.

In 1923, the camp once again reached its capacity at eight tents and one ball diamond. A 93-acre (380,000 m2) site in North Springfield, Pennsylvania was picked to serve as a new permanent site for the camp. The wood land, located on Lake Erie, was located 72 miles (116 km) from Youngstown. Heirs of John H. Fitch contributed $25,000 for the purchase of the site. In 1924, the tenth anniversary of Camp Fitch, camp was moved to its present site. The new site consisted of many acres of woodland and a half-mile (800 m) of beachfront.

On the present day site, the camp emphasis was on program and the camp was staffed with a doctor, chaplain, directors for crafts, nature study, riflery, waterfront, village directors for each of the three villages (Windy City for boys ages 9 to 11, Chicagami for boys ages 12 to 14, Ot-Yo-Kwa for boys age 15 and older), an assistant camp director for program, a camp steward to handle the dining room and camp store and a tent leader for each tent.

Camp Fitch operated exclusively as a boys’ camp until the summer of 1951, when a two-week program for girls was initiated. This received an enthusiastic response, and the following years additional periods just for girls were added. By 1957, attendance for boys and girls increased to the point that the camp finally saw the necessity of simultaneously operating both a girls’ camp and a boys’ camp. The girls’ camp (Chicagami) occupied the original site of the boys’ camp. An area of forest was cleared to the east of Chicagami for the establishment of the new boys’ camp, Ot-Yo-Kwa.

In the mid 1960s, Camp Fitch was formally recognized as a YMCA branch and began a period of major expansion in facilities and programming over the course of several decades. Under the direction of William Lyder, Fitch was able to grow from a seasonal operation to a permanent, year-round establishment running approximately 340 days a year. Existing buildings on campus were winterized and modified to accommodate year-round programming. The upgrades to these buildings along with the construction of two outdoor education lodges allowed for the creation of an Outdoor Education program in 1973 that serves schools and youth groups when summer camp is not in session. During the Outdoor education season, the Fitch's outdoor education staff work with visiting school faculty to facilitate a curriculum covering the historical, geographical and biological interests of the area. With the addition of the year round programming, about 19,000 campers attend the camp a year.

With the expansion of program offerings, Fitch found itself in need of additional land to accommodate its growing population. In the early 1970s, the camp purchased 284 acres (1.1 km2) of wooded flatland and a half-mile of shore line on Lake Erie. In addition, the eastern boundary was expanded to run along Crooked Creek. In 1984, the French Creek Boy Scout Council in Erie sold its Camp Sequoyah, located just east of Camp Fitch. Fitch purchased all of Sequoyah south of Ables Road, along with 300 feet (91 m) of lake front property. This expansion brought the camp to its current size of over 450 acres (1.8 km2) with 1 mile (1.6 km) of frontage on Lake Erie. To date, only about 90 acres (360,000 m2) of camp land has been developed. The remaining lands have been left as undisturbed wilderness, which is used for outdoor camp programs, hiking trails and extended overnight camping as well as a buffer to external expansions in the area.

In addition to expanding Fitch's land holdings, Lyder campaigned to increase the number of facilities available to campers. A pool and inland lake were built to expand the aquatics program. All bath facilities were upgraded under his watch and several residential lodges constructed. Programming areas received roofs to shields campers from snow and rain, and a 40 foot climbing tower was constructed. The most significant facility impacts during his tenure, however, were the creation of cabents and the construction of a new Dining Hall. With the new dining hall in place, the camp's dining capacity was expanded to accommodate 1000 guests at a time. With these new accommodations in place, Fitch has recently started to host corporate retreats and conferences throughout the year.