What Was the First Summer Camp in America?

For generations of American children, summer camp has been a rite of passage. From afternoons spent on lakes and trails to nights under the stars and around campfires, these experiences feel timeless. But in reality, organized summer camps are a relatively modern invention.

Historians often trace the origins of the American summer camp to an 1861 outing organized by Frederick W. Gunn, an abolitionist and founder of the Frederick Gunn School in Washington, Connecticut. That summer, Gunn led about 30 boys and a dozen girls on a 30-mile trek from his boarding school to Welch's Point on Long Island Sound in Milford, Connecticut.

Known at the time as "gipsying," the excursion blended recreation with education and lessons in teamwork and self-reliance. The group spent 10 days boating, fishing and taking part in military drills amid growing tensions that would soon erupt into the Civil War.

"What made Gunn's 1861 trip unique was its intentional combination of outdoor living, recreation, education and character development in a structured group setting," says Lauren McMillin, public relations and communications manager for the American Camp Association.

"That model became the foundation for the organized summer camp movement that followed."

Following the popularity of similar trips in 1863 and 1865, Gunn expanded the concept after the American Civil War ended. Beginning in 1867, he organized summer gatherings at Point Beautiful on Lake Waramaug, a few miles from his school. The camps continued until 1879 and helped establish a model that would spread across the country in the decades that followed.

Early camp advocates believed that time spent outdoors could restore qualities eroded by modern life. Nature came to be viewed not simply as a place for recreation, but as a powerful force for personal development.

By recreating the conditions of the wilderness frontier or the yeoman farm in a recreational summer camp, many Americans hoped "the character-building forces of nature would revitalize bodies and spirits sagging under the weight of urban life and its conveniences," says Michael Smith, a professor at Ithaca College who has researched the history of camp in the United States.

For boys in particular, camping was considered a way to develop toughness, self-reliance and independence. Some advocates even worried that modern homes and schools had become too comfortable and overly structured. Camp offered something different. Children entered a new social world where they were expected to navigate challenges alongside their peers.

According to Smith, many early supporters viewed camps as laboratories for raising children suited to the modern world. In camp's less regulated environment, they believed young people could develop qualities that conventional institutions struggled to foster.

“By the reckoning of early camping advocates and by that of many (though by no means all) campers, camp seems a better world, a place where socialization of children can happen without the constant subjection to a parent’s or teacher’s will,” Smith explains. “The camp world would be, if nothing else, a less mediated world.”

Among the earliest summer programs was Joseph Trimble Rothrock's North Mountain School of Physical Culture in Pennsylvania, founded in 1876. An environmentalist and physician later known as the "Father of Forestry," Rothrock believed that "the pursuit of health could be combined with practical knowledge outside usual academic lines." His program encouraged boys to develop physical fitness and practical outdoor skills beyond the traditional classroom.

By the 1880s, summer camping had begun to take root across the Northeast. Among the earliest dedicated camps was Camp Chocorua in New Hampshire, founded in 1881. The movement expanded and diversified as the 20th century began. Camps that had once catered primarily to boys increasingly welcomed girls and drew participants from a wider range of backgrounds.

Many programs were established by religious and ethnic organizations, as well as youth groups such as the YMCA and Girl Scouts, while others were created by reformers seeking to provide guidance and fresh-air experiences for working-class children in crowded cities.

"The rise of summer camps in the late-19th and early-20th centuries reflected adult worries about the effects of modern urban, industrial life on the next generation, as well as rising ideas about American children's entitlement to protection and recreation," says Leslie Paris, associate professor of history at the University of British Columbia and author of Children's Nature: The Rise of the American Summer Camp.

Although modern camps may offer robotics, coding and specialized sports programs, many of the activities that define camp life are still present today. Paris points to Camp Chocorua. “The campers swam, sailed, listened to stories, wrote for a camp newspaper, had a water sports day, went on a long hike lasting several days, worked toward a camp medal, did some chores, performed plays, had pillow fights and had weekly Sunday church services in the woods,” she notes.

Some aspects of those early camps would surprise modern families. "Very few camps in the 21st century eschew modern conveniences entirely," Smith says. Many of the earliest camps were intentionally rustic, with few of the comforts now considered standard. At the same time, the camp movement continued to grow and adapt.

"Over time, camps evolved to meet the changing needs and interests of children, families and society," McMillin says. "Yet despite these changes, the core mission has remained remarkably consistent: helping young people build friendships, develop independence and life skills and grow in a supportive community."