Dear Hagan Campers, Counselors, Families and Friends,
Thank you so much for including in the time capsule this description of our book, Folds to the Door: A Social History of Camp Hagan, Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA, 1937-1970. Although I am the author, I say “our” because this project is truly the result of a collaborative effort among campers and counselors from the beginning of Hagan to the end.
Camp Hagan flourished in the Pocono Mountains north of Shawnee-on-Delaware from 1937 to 1970. Many years later, in fact in 2009, a reunion of some 60 campers and counselors from the 30s, 40s, and 50s , most of whom were themselves former campers, was hosted by Carolyn McGonigle Holleran in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. Reunions had been taking place for many years, with an address list maintained by Christine Hill Killough. At the 2009 gathering some camper/counselors from the 40s and 50s who had just “found” the elder group were included, and I was happily one of them. At that reunion Hagan alumnae expressed their wish for a history of our camp, and I willingly took on the task. After that, we “found” the 60s alums and were thus able to make our book about the whole life of Camp Hagan. After unforeseen delays, the book is nearly completed and should appear this year (2015).
Folds to the Door is a saying that all campers knew, about keeping clothes in “cubbies” and towels at the end of beds with only folds showing, no loose edges. This is only one of the traditions that lasted for all of Hagan’s years, one that resonates for us especially because it is so homespun and basic to daily cabin life.
In Folds to the Door, I examine three periods of Camp Hagan life: first, the hopes and plans of the Lutheran Ministerium before the camp was ever built, and the very first years through the end of World War II; second, the late 40s and 50s; and third, the 60s and the end of our camp in 1970. We explore questions such as Who were we (how old, where from, how many)? Why did we go to Camp Hagan? How did we get there? (transportation and luggage), What was cabin life like? What went on in a typical day? What did we learn and what did we earn? Why did so many return for so many years? Who did we become, as adults? What life lessons did we take with us?
Historically, early 20th century American summer camps were based on pioneer, Indian, or military themes, and we look at how those continue or realign or diminish over Camp Hagan’s years. We recall Kapers, daily schedules, the waterfront, canoe trips, entertainments, all the departments, Special Days, campfire, Hagan Christmas, the candle float, Vespers, Cabin Devotions, SINGING! – and many more topics that fill our memories and our photo albums.
This book is based on responses to questionnaires from approximately 70 Hagan campers and counselors about their histories at camp, new experiences, funny episodes, favorite activities, and reasons for continuing for many years, as many of us did. It also draws on narratives, materials, newspaper articles, and memorabilia provided by Hagan alumnae, on interviews with directors and early campers, on the annual minutes of the Eastern Pennsylvania Lutheran Synod, on published works about summer camps, on numerous conversations with people who went to other camps in many parts of the country. and, of course, on my own memories and experiences at Camp Hagan. A further rich source has been the Wooden Album, or Hagan Scrapbook, full of documents, daily news sheets, and records of Hagan life through the first two decades starting with the hand-signed list of “Charter Campers,” a treasure trove for Hagan history. And finally, the book also includes my own Hagan experiences and memories.
The book has become the focal point of my life as I have eaten, slept, breathed Hagan facts and memories for the past few years. Much of my joy in working on this book has come out of the connections now forged among so many former camper/counselors among the eldest, the middle group, and the “Third Wave” of 60s alumnae. Working on the book has changed me personally in the kind of scholar I am, from a previous career in linguistics to the study of social history. Through interviews, responses to questionnaires, and constant email correspondence, I have discovered how Hagan launched the lives of those who attended, and how much Camp Hagan remains part of people’s lives, 50 or 60 or even more years after they first set foot on the campus.
When I told an acquaintance about writing this book, she said “You mean, you went to camp all summer long? And you went BACK ?” Many people are incredulous that we longtime campers spent many years at our camp, often as campers and then as counselors. In contrast, longtime campers are incredulous that anybody else wouldn’t have wanted to do that, that other people can’t imagine that a girl or boy might wait through the school year for camp to start again. But for those of us who did, Hagan has remained a formative part of our lives, and we can’t imagine ourselves without it. The three main goals of Camp Hagan: to socially broaden, physically fortify, and spiritually deepen, were realized in our lives.
The story of Camp Hagan’s brief sojourn in the mid-20th century gives us a window on a unique time and place in American history. We are ever grateful to the Lutheran community for establishing this camp, and especially to Peter Paul Hagan and Mrs. Hagan for donating the land. Deep, huge thanks to all the camper/counselors who helped me immensely, filled out the questionnaires, and generously contributed photos, memories, and ideas as well as aiding in publishing and distributing. For all of us, a labor of love: to make Folds to the Door, A Social History of Camp Hagan, a reality.