Camp Columbus near Bamber Lake

[Pickeralhead]

That would make sense and, for the same reason, we don't see those fence lizards (we called them that as kids, not too sure what the actual species was), box turtles and the frog population has plummeted. Building and pollution has taken its toll.

 

[Teegate]

I grew up in Marlton when it was full of farms, and I remember waking up to Bobwhite calls all the time. Ask anyone there now even what a Bobwhite is and I bet most if not all don't even know.

Guy

 

[Pickeralhead]

When I last visited, a few years back,I found an old house foundation. More like the foundation of a small shack. Some old guy named "Dutch" apparently lived there many years ago. In the late 50's. The foundation is on the right side of the path (now a road) just as you get to the Camp Columbus site coming from the Red Bridge direction. Anyone know what happened to or has heard of this guy? My dad told me a story of when he and his cousin shot a deer over there, late at night (in 1956 or there-a-bouts) and "Dutch" came out of his house/shack to investigate it. I think he may have been a caretaker. Not sure if he was affiliated with the camp or not. Just some interesting history I wanted to follow up on for my dad.

 

[Pickeralhead]

I was told his may have been "Schultz" (sp?)

 

[Pickeralhead]

I remember that Bob Whites were as common as Whipporwills. Those "fence lizards" I referenced we're gray and smooth skinned. About the same size as the ones we have in Florida. About 4 inches. I thought it strange that they suddenly disappeared in the late 60's. I remember picking up box turtles very Sunday on the way to the bakery to pick up jelly donuts. The bakery was down that long road that went through the Pines. I could smell the Cedar in the air that hung in the early morning. We picked up the box turtles and brought them home. Illegal to do today.

 

[jmccarty]

What happened? This thread was out to about 15 or 16 pages the last time I looked!

 

[Teegate]

What happened? This thread was out to about 15 or 16 pages the last time I looked!

I thinbk you are on the wrong thread. Try this one.

http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/campers-at-columbus.2584/page-16#post-108678

Guy

 

[Pan]

Loud and clear at my place. I recorded this on my phone in July, cleaned it up a bit in Logic Pro. Don't hear so many of them now, but in the spring and early summer they are a constant serenade. Maybe this will bring back a few memories for you.

http://stephencreek.com/njpb/whip.mp3

Woops - just noticed that. Is that a loop you made or the actual sound? Maybe the cleaning up program you used made them sound more raucus and relentless. I remember the whippoorwills and bob whites and water frogs and tree frogs and the sounds of the Pine Barrens from my backpacking and car camping trips in the Barrens, starting about 1970. There are a lot of great youtubes in the Barrens. I must explore them some. Here's a whippoorwill one:

Speaking of whippoorwills...Keely Smith beautifully singing "the whippoorwill song" from "thunder road", 1958:

 

[bobpbx]

That is some art of fancy in that Thunder Road Part1 clip. The guy rolls the car twice and once he's upright again heads the other way like a bat out of hell. Ha!

 

[manumuskin]

I'd guess that Whipoorwill clip is the field immediately east of Batona Camp.

 

[Pan]

That is some art of fancy in that Thunder Road Part1 clip. The guy rolls the car twice and once he's upright again heads the other way like a bat out of hell. Ha!

Didn't he just spin it around? I haven't seen it in a long time. Love that movie though, especially Keely Smith.

 

[Boyd]

Woops - just noticed that. Is that a loop you made or the actual sound? Maybe the cleaning up program you used made them sound more raucus and relentless.

Geez, that post is almost a year old. It's not a loop and I didn't do anything to make it "raucus and relentless". They sing continuously like that at my place. Haven't heard them yet this season however.

 

[Uncle Mikey]

I grew up in th 60's and have very fond memories of Bamber Lake and Camp Colunmbus. Every summer I would vacation on the other side of the lake with my grandparents and once a week we would make our way down the small path, through the honeysuckle. Past the old red bridge and to the camp. There, the boys would put on an Indian camp fire and we would hold our lighted punks (to keep the mosquitos at bay) and listen to ghost stories. It was a real event for us kids! I returned to Bamber Lake a few years ago and found that my grandparents house was torn down an replaced with a contemporary. My father helped build that house in 1955. It was a vacation home for the family before my grandparents moved in after they retired. Many of my relatives lived and grew up there but I found only one cousin who is still there. The old red bridge is gone. The old path is now a wide dirt road. The box turtles, lizards, snapping turtles, frogs, whippoorwills, bob whites are all quiet now. It tore at my heart to see the change. I will always remember Bamber Lake and Camp Columbus as a very important part of my childhood.

I was born in 1942 and am an old man now but my parents sent me to Camp Columbus every year for the summer from 1949 until 1956 and I have many fond memories of the camp. I was just wondering the other day what might have happened to the camp and if it was still in existence and when I googeled it I came upon this site. Sorry to hear it is now gone as there were many years of good times at the camp. As I recall the camp was filled on both sides, the cub side for the younger guys and the north side for the older kids. Every day was filled with activities from arts and crafts to hiking, boating and swimming. Lot of fun after dinner with games and sports also. I live in New Hope, Pa and have a summer home in Beach Haven and every weekend travel past Whiting NJ and wonder if the camp is still around and now I know. Was a great experience and well run by good people. The memories are not lost on me.