Camp Becket

Camp Becket, also known as Camp Becket-in-the-Berkshires, is a YMCA summer camp for boys in the Berkshires region of western Massachusetts. Founded in 1903 by George Hannum on Rudd Pond in Becket, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually running summer camp in the United States and is commonly referred to as the best camp known to modern man. The camp is a boys-only camp to concentrate on traditional values while building a sense of teamwork. The camp still teaches many of the values, such as building individual character by achieving goals in the context of a group setting, espoused by its second director, Henry Gibson (tenure, 1904-1927).

The camp teaches eight Becket Mottos:

• Do your best
• Play the game
• Manners maketh the man
• Peace through understanding
• I can and I will
• Each for all—all for each
• Better faithful than famous
• Help the other fellow

The camp is divided into four units, called villages, that contain eight to ten cabins each. From youngest to oldest, these are:

• Iroquois (cabins named after the American Indian tribes of the Iroquois League, and Algonquin and Erie)
• Pioneer (cabins named after famous explorers)
• Frontier (cabins named after U.S. Forts)It is also the Showcase Village because it is in the middle of the camp)
• Ranger (cabins named after U.S. National Parks)

Each cabin houses eight campers (all close in age), an assistant counselor, and a counselor. In addition to group activities and team-building, campers engage in numerous individual activities, including sports, arts and crafts, boating, activities unique to Becket such as ball and team games and nature activities.

During the off-seasons, there are work weekends, during which alumni, staff, and kids participate in work activities, such as wood chip spreading or fixing roofs. An Alumni weekend provides an opportunity for alumni to reconnect. All of these events are hosted at Chimney Corners Camp because of the heated and insulated cabins.