Visitors to the Archives Room
By Judy Blaze Woodruff
It was a bright, sunny, HOT, and MUGGY Saturday of Friends Weekend. The weather was almost unbearable, but with activities at the beach and air conditioning in St. Noel, many friends visited the Archives Room after a dip in the lake. Most were surprised by the history and information contained in the room, and spent an extended amount of time looking through Yearbooks, pictures, historical binders, and memorabilia dated all the way back to 1959.
In addition, the research about Pakentuck that Steve Rheinecker labored over for years is now filed in the Archives Room. It dates back to 1928, and gives the history of the Four Rivers Council Boy Scout Camp before Ondessonk obtained it. As you will learn in the history of Pakentuck, according to Steve, “James Heston, of Metropolis, introduced Roy Manchester to the area which would become Pakentuck. The Scouts had been looking for a site in Western Kentucky with no success. They had been using Dixon Springs as a camp. But there were too many people using the site.”
Steve goes on to learn that Pakentuck was “purchased by Dr. George Kerr of Metropolis July 13, 1927. Purchase price $7,500 for 50 plus acres.” There were “eight cabins 16’ x 20’. When bought, the sole structure was a 14’ x 20’ structure. With the help of two paid carpenters and about 200 scouts, the initial buildings were constructed. By 1939 the camp boasted: the dining hall on stilts, with a handicraft building on the underside; screened cabins hosting eight scouts each; a tree house for four scouts; a headquarters cabin for the camp staff; a well 96’ deep with a pump; a water tank and shower built behind the dining hall; and the creek running through the valley was Whippoorwill Creek.” The history takes you through many years of the development of the camp and precursor to some of the traditions of Ondessonk that we still have. It is well worth the time it takes to read through Steve’s findings.
If you missed the chance to check the room out over Labor Day Friends Weekend, be sure to visit the Archives Room the next time you’re at Camp. You’ll be surprised at the information you’ll find from the early years of Ondessonk, plus you might find a picture of yourself – many friends who visited did!
Click here to learn more about Camp Ondessonk’s Mission & History.