I've been off line for a few weeks due to pc problems and I just saw this Camp Columbus thread! where was that llocated ?
Campers at Columbus?
- Thread starter Sean Barry
- Start date
A visit
I took a ride to the site of the camp. While everything is now gone there is still evidence that something was there. I walked up to where the directors house was located and there is a pvc water pipe sticking up out of the ground there. In what was the cub village there is an electric cable sticking out of the ground around where cabin 15 was located. I think there was a spotlight mounted on the back of that cabin. Down at the boat dock there is a slab of blacktop that I remember being there and a concrete curb where the creek once ran. Does anyone know what happened to the creek?
I drove down to Red Bridge and was looking at the area where we used to take kids on a "wet" hike and the locals used to swim and jump in from the trees. I started to walk over to the edge when this old councelor got the shock of his recent life. In the corner next to the bridge was a black snake. I think he was as shocked as I was because he went over the side and into the water.
To the locals in the area. Does anyone ever swim at the old waterfront? The beach looks unused and unmaintained.
I took a ride to the site of the camp. While everything is now gone there is still evidence that something was there. I walked up to where the directors house was located and there is a pvc water pipe sticking up out of the ground there. In what was the cub village there is an electric cable sticking out of the ground around where cabin 15 was located. I think there was a spotlight mounted on the back of that cabin. Down at the boat dock there is a slab of blacktop that I remember being there and a concrete curb where the creek once ran. Does anyone know what happened to the creek?
I drove down to Red Bridge and was looking at the area where we used to take kids on a "wet" hike and the locals used to swim and jump in from the trees. I started to walk over to the edge when this old councelor got the shock of his recent life. In the corner next to the bridge was a black snake. I think he was as shocked as I was because he went over the side and into the water.
To the locals in the area. Does anyone ever swim at the old waterfront? The beach looks unused and unmaintained.
Jim, this is the first year that I don't see at least some people at the beach. Times have changed I guess..the age of innocence is gone. The geese have made their mark too. If you had seen a Canadian Goose in the lake while you were camping you would have been shocked. I think Canadians should be rounded up and sold overseas from big container ships full of frozen birds.
The creek has been blocked for many years, even before I got here in 1982. I think the camp made it anyway, right? What was it like in the heyday? (Gabe will check this spelling, not to worry).
Robert Walsh Sr. knights of columbus from trenton nj
hi i am richard walsh (red hair) from trenton nj. my whole family worked on the camp with my grandfather and father (francis j. walsh sr.) every year. i also have pics of the camp and the kids and the old camp station wagon with my cousin bobby and my grandmother in it. it was an old woody wagon. we not only attended the camp for a week or 2 a year but at the end of summer we would pile up all the mattresses in the wreck hall and get the boats out of the water. and close it up for winter. the callahan's were great. i forget the guys name who lived by the swimming beach and the old broken bridge.
i learned to swim at the boat docks when all the other kids were swimming in my dad through me in. i remember the canteen. the ritz. the outhouses.
there were two sides one for the older kids. i remember the fires at night being huge. i just dug out all the pics. lots of memories.
hi i am richard walsh (red hair) from trenton nj. my whole family worked on the camp with my grandfather and father (francis j. walsh sr.) every year. i also have pics of the camp and the kids and the old camp station wagon with my cousin bobby and my grandmother in it. it was an old woody wagon. we not only attended the camp for a week or 2 a year but at the end of summer we would pile up all the mattresses in the wreck hall and get the boats out of the water. and close it up for winter. the callahan's were great. i forget the guys name who lived by the swimming beach and the old broken bridge.
i learned to swim at the boat docks when all the other kids were swimming in my dad through me in. i remember the canteen. the ritz. the outhouses.
there were two sides one for the older kids. i remember the fires at night being huge. i just dug out all the pics. lots of memories.
Robert, I'm shocked!
It's one thing that we had to tollerate prejudice towards Mexicans but now a hater of Canadians as well? I can only assume you take issue with a Canadian Goose because you've been subject to one, in a lake no less. I'm no birder but I believe the proper term for your fowl is "Canada Goose". You may want to check me on that in a proper publication though. "Canadian Goose" is oft misused. Either you misused the term Canadian Goose or you've been tweeked on the bumm by a frisky Canadian in a body of water. While somewhat disturbing, selling them overseas is a bit harsh.
Perhaps you would be o.k. with it if it was a Romanian Goose, left cheek only, in a flowing stream?
g.
I wonder if Canadian Geese would be correct. :eng101:
PS: what does tollerate mean? Is that the rate at the toll booth?
I wonder if Canadian Geese would be correct. :eng101:
PS: what does (tollerate) mean? Is that the rate at the toll booth?
I believe Gooses would work just fine. Although that's a lot of welts.
Yeah, I noticed tolerate, just too darned lazy to go back and fix.
A weak attempt at a comeback Bob. But right is right. Ya got me.
g.
Ya know,
I will not out of simple respect continue to hijack this wonderful thread.
We'll take this up when next we meet, over a beare.
I hope you get goosed by then.
g.
I will not out of simple respect continue to hijack this wonderful thread.
We'll take this up when next we meet, over a beare.
I hope you get goosed by then.
g.
As always, it will be a pleasure to see you again George. Its all good.
Guy, if you would be so kind as to delete the last 5 posts plus this one. It would be a good cleanup of a good thread.
I wonder if Canadian Geese would be correct. :eng101:
Bob:
You need to listen to LARGO because, as usual, he knows what he is talking about. You have committed a faux pas by using the term Canadian in connection with these aquatic birds. This subverted language is always incorrect! When speak specifically about this genus and species of Aves, the official name is “Canada Goose” (Branta canadensis) according to the American Ornithologists’ Union. While the term “Canadian” has entered our modern speech in relation to these geese, those who maintain an interest in proper scientific names should use the always correct title, “Canada Goose.”
:science: Ever the surrogate,
Jerseyman
Camp Columbus Memories
I was a season camper for 3 years . 1970. 1971 and 1973. I’m in the Aug 12-16 ’73 JPG that Summer End posted earlier. I “hailed” from Queens NY and was the only New Yorker in the camp. I was assigned to Cabin 2 in the cub village my first two years and then on to the senior village in 73, cabin just at the back of the Chapel.
After reading some of the stories , I just couldn’t believe some of the people that were there are posting stories about them. Brought back many happy memories that I will share now.
My first camp counselor was a dude with no fingers on his left hand. Just stumps up to the first knuckle. I don’t remember his name, but my brother knew him from school in Franklin Township from a few years earlier. He was a very mean and stubborn individual that liked to watch people squirm. He was fired after a few weeks into the 70 season. I was glad to see him go. After that , all went well for the rest of my stay.
Our cabin was raided a couple of times. Camp counselors would come into a cabin and smear shaving cream or tooth paste all over a non-suspecting delinquents face. Or sometimes, the whole cabin go it. Depends on how unruly your were. The ultimate was when they placed your hand into a bucket of warm water. You paid the price that night. We would stay up a good part of the time and chat or mess with the cabin next door. Our cabin was always getting into some sort trouble on a nightly basis.
Softball games between the staff and campers were always fun in the cub village near the boat dock. Those counselors could really hit that ball far, almost the picnic groove. And the campers were no slouches either, we would catch those hits bare handed out there.
Another memory was when we got new camper on Sat or Sun, we would always go out of our way to tell them to pee in the urinal and not in the sink. Apparently, the two repositories look similar, but the height difference was obvious. But not to all. Every week some counselor would catch some kid peeing in the sink. It never failed.
I also remember the bigger your flash light was , the more popular your were with the other campers. My last year there I wanted my parents to buy the biggest, badest flash light they could find. I found one with one of those blinking red lights on the back, huge 5 inch main reflector and took a huge 6 volt battery that acted as the base of the unit. It cost like $6 and my mom went through the roof over the cost, and all I got was a standard utility flash light. And you really needed the flash light especially at night going to the latrine. It was dark. They had a single sodium light on the latrine building itself, but it was still dark getting there. The senior village latrine was a hike to the top of the hill just before the archery range and it was pitch black at night with just a few scattered lights from other buildings.
I remember the rattle snake scare and the truck flipping over. Dumb pinnies. I also remember playing capture the flag in the senior village right after a tremendous rainfall. Shirts v. Skins. We always tried to get the pinnies girls to play on the Skins team. Boys will be boys. After a while we stopped playing CTF and just went into mud sliding into the water. Great fun.
The last year I was there. I was asked if I wanted to work in the kitchen. They fired someone and were short handed. I did express some desire to help, so John Sherry let me work for my food and board. It wasn’t too bad. I was done with work at about 6pm and did pretty much whatever I wanted. The highlight of that time was when I got to go to Seaside Heights and pick up camp counselors that had the night off. Usually 2 or 3 of the counselors were given the night off at a time and they usually all drank to excess. Legal drinking age was 18 at the time, and enforcement wasn’t what is now. We would go to SH at a pre-designated time and place in the camp car and bring them back to camp. It was fun seeing some of them in that state and I was relentless on messing with them too.
Also while I was working there, we had a run-away in the senior village . He had apparently left during the afternoon rest period and walked to the little country store up the street, about ½ mile up the road. Jim Cushney and I jumped in the camp station wagon to retrieved him and brought him back to camp. John Sherry was none too happy about this and he was one guy your didn’t mess with too much. Anyway, I think the boy was sent home the next day.
One of the CC traditions was if you slept late for work, like I was once, you got a bucket of water thrown on you by none other than John Sherry.
After the first week of this, it really was a rarity to see it happen. In my case , it was special treat for the camp. Although another counselor did get it same morning as I did, mine was the talk of the camp that day for some reason.
We had yearly overnights hikes to Whiting Lake. 3 plus miles down that dusty old road. When we got there, we had the whole lake to ourselves. And the water was so warm and deep. Google earth still shows the floating raft off the south end. We built a big fire, ate hot dogs and beans. Told scary stories, drank gallons of bug juice and slept under the rotunda. One year we got caught in a storm during our walk there and a couple of boys almost got hit by lightning. Scary time there for a while. And long hot walk.
Another year we went on a canoe trip through Double Trouble creek to the sea. Our team got lost and we had to bus it to Toms River to finish the trip.
Crabbing trip on some Toms River bridge somewhere. And a fishing trip on a boat that broke down in Barnegat Bay. We had to get towed in. The Johnny B. Good the boat was called, or something like that.
Boxing night was always fun. Especially when two big guys went at it. Some of those punches really hurt. And tiring too. I’m proud to say I never lost a match.
Talent night was always a crowd pleaser. There was this one black guy, worked in the kitchen, he would imitate a cat and “meow” really loud. He was good at it too. He would also scare kids in the cub village at night with it. All the cabins got to participate on talent night too, nobody was left out.
The Wall of Fame in the Art and Craft Hall was cool too. If I remember correctly, Van Doren stood out on the wall. Hundreds of names were on it.
I remember some kids getting those really cheap jet plane model kits, and paint peace signs on the wings. It’s a fighter jet.
I remember one year, the assistant camp directors wife, she was a nurse, she was like 8 months pregnant. I always though who was going to nurse her if she went into labor? Naïve huh?
There were a couple of boys that got caught smoking cigarettes. I remember this was really big NONO. Any drinking or smoking would get you kicked out of camp.
Friday night camp fires were the highlight of the week Awards were given out and parents got to meet the counselors and other camper. My parents were usually not there. They were off on vacation somewhere. They came to visit 3 maybe 4 times during the season, including dropping me off and picking me up. I did get Camper of the Week the last week of the season in 1974. I haven’t seen the patch in years, when you posted a picture of it, it really brought it back home for me. I also got the cleanliness award, nature, and I think sportsmanship.
I was really, REALLY good at Zell Ball, only two people I couldn’t beat, Mr. John Sherry was one. He said no rematch. He meant it. The other was Bill Anthony Daniels,(BAD). Is was good, I had him so close, but he had the height on me.
I also remember a pair of Hungarian twins that worked at the camp for a while. Don’t remember their names of what they did.
Fire drills were fun for the whole camp. Long bucket brigades was just another way for us to get wet and through water on one another.
I also remember the water melon contests. Teams would put sweat shirts and grease up a water melon then throw it in the lake. First team to get past the goal post gets the water melon. Those sweat shirts were incredibly heavy and the WM was slippery.
Fights were extremely rare, but I do remember one night my first year, the camp director really nailed a camp counselor. Yelling at him full force, straight in his face. I thought he was going kill the poor guy. Counselor was gone the next day. I never did found out what is was about.
Rec Hall was cool. One of my duties when I was working was to sweep the hall out every day after breakfast. The cool part about it was there was an portable phonograph in there with some relatively recent albums. Three Dog Night’ Spinning wheels comes to mind on this memory. I would have listened to anything back then. Then John Sherry got the whole camp in the Rec hall one day in Aug of 74, and we watched President Nixon resign the presidency on an old black and white 19inch TV. All I could see were all the bugs flying around it the tube. I didn’t occur to me many years later of how significant that moment of history was. There was also a really old piano in the corner that no one was every allowed to play. It was a piece of junk, but we still bang the keys every chance we got.
One of the greatest hikes that CC had to offer was the hike to the dam on the east side of the lake. We could swim in the wash or stand under the falls. That was such a great feeling. I still think about that too this day. The dam failing and subsequent lake draining was the real killer for the camp. Enrollment was on the decline even before the environment took a hit, the economy wasn’t what it could’ve been and the liability was just too steep to keep that pace up.
Those are it for now. I’m sure I’ll remember more when I read the replies to these.
Thanks everyone.
I was a season camper for 3 years . 1970. 1971 and 1973. I’m in the Aug 12-16 ’73 JPG that Summer End posted earlier. I “hailed” from Queens NY and was the only New Yorker in the camp. I was assigned to Cabin 2 in the cub village my first two years and then on to the senior village in 73, cabin just at the back of the Chapel.
After reading some of the stories , I just couldn’t believe some of the people that were there are posting stories about them. Brought back many happy memories that I will share now.
My first camp counselor was a dude with no fingers on his left hand. Just stumps up to the first knuckle. I don’t remember his name, but my brother knew him from school in Franklin Township from a few years earlier. He was a very mean and stubborn individual that liked to watch people squirm. He was fired after a few weeks into the 70 season. I was glad to see him go. After that , all went well for the rest of my stay.
Our cabin was raided a couple of times. Camp counselors would come into a cabin and smear shaving cream or tooth paste all over a non-suspecting delinquents face. Or sometimes, the whole cabin go it. Depends on how unruly your were. The ultimate was when they placed your hand into a bucket of warm water. You paid the price that night. We would stay up a good part of the time and chat or mess with the cabin next door. Our cabin was always getting into some sort trouble on a nightly basis.
Softball games between the staff and campers were always fun in the cub village near the boat dock. Those counselors could really hit that ball far, almost the picnic groove. And the campers were no slouches either, we would catch those hits bare handed out there.
Another memory was when we got new camper on Sat or Sun, we would always go out of our way to tell them to pee in the urinal and not in the sink. Apparently, the two repositories look similar, but the height difference was obvious. But not to all. Every week some counselor would catch some kid peeing in the sink. It never failed.
I also remember the bigger your flash light was , the more popular your were with the other campers. My last year there I wanted my parents to buy the biggest, badest flash light they could find. I found one with one of those blinking red lights on the back, huge 5 inch main reflector and took a huge 6 volt battery that acted as the base of the unit. It cost like $6 and my mom went through the roof over the cost, and all I got was a standard utility flash light. And you really needed the flash light especially at night going to the latrine. It was dark. They had a single sodium light on the latrine building itself, but it was still dark getting there. The senior village latrine was a hike to the top of the hill just before the archery range and it was pitch black at night with just a few scattered lights from other buildings.
I remember the rattle snake scare and the truck flipping over. Dumb pinnies. I also remember playing capture the flag in the senior village right after a tremendous rainfall. Shirts v. Skins. We always tried to get the pinnies girls to play on the Skins team. Boys will be boys. After a while we stopped playing CTF and just went into mud sliding into the water. Great fun.
The last year I was there. I was asked if I wanted to work in the kitchen. They fired someone and were short handed. I did express some desire to help, so John Sherry let me work for my food and board. It wasn’t too bad. I was done with work at about 6pm and did pretty much whatever I wanted. The highlight of that time was when I got to go to Seaside Heights and pick up camp counselors that had the night off. Usually 2 or 3 of the counselors were given the night off at a time and they usually all drank to excess. Legal drinking age was 18 at the time, and enforcement wasn’t what is now. We would go to SH at a pre-designated time and place in the camp car and bring them back to camp. It was fun seeing some of them in that state and I was relentless on messing with them too.
Also while I was working there, we had a run-away in the senior village . He had apparently left during the afternoon rest period and walked to the little country store up the street, about ½ mile up the road. Jim Cushney and I jumped in the camp station wagon to retrieved him and brought him back to camp. John Sherry was none too happy about this and he was one guy your didn’t mess with too much. Anyway, I think the boy was sent home the next day.
One of the CC traditions was if you slept late for work, like I was once, you got a bucket of water thrown on you by none other than John Sherry.
After the first week of this, it really was a rarity to see it happen. In my case , it was special treat for the camp. Although another counselor did get it same morning as I did, mine was the talk of the camp that day for some reason.
We had yearly overnights hikes to Whiting Lake. 3 plus miles down that dusty old road. When we got there, we had the whole lake to ourselves. And the water was so warm and deep. Google earth still shows the floating raft off the south end. We built a big fire, ate hot dogs and beans. Told scary stories, drank gallons of bug juice and slept under the rotunda. One year we got caught in a storm during our walk there and a couple of boys almost got hit by lightning. Scary time there for a while. And long hot walk.
Another year we went on a canoe trip through Double Trouble creek to the sea. Our team got lost and we had to bus it to Toms River to finish the trip.
Crabbing trip on some Toms River bridge somewhere. And a fishing trip on a boat that broke down in Barnegat Bay. We had to get towed in. The Johnny B. Good the boat was called, or something like that.
Boxing night was always fun. Especially when two big guys went at it. Some of those punches really hurt. And tiring too. I’m proud to say I never lost a match.
Talent night was always a crowd pleaser. There was this one black guy, worked in the kitchen, he would imitate a cat and “meow” really loud. He was good at it too. He would also scare kids in the cub village at night with it. All the cabins got to participate on talent night too, nobody was left out.
The Wall of Fame in the Art and Craft Hall was cool too. If I remember correctly, Van Doren stood out on the wall. Hundreds of names were on it.
I remember some kids getting those really cheap jet plane model kits, and paint peace signs on the wings. It’s a fighter jet.
I remember one year, the assistant camp directors wife, she was a nurse, she was like 8 months pregnant. I always though who was going to nurse her if she went into labor? Naïve huh?
There were a couple of boys that got caught smoking cigarettes. I remember this was really big NONO. Any drinking or smoking would get you kicked out of camp.
Friday night camp fires were the highlight of the week Awards were given out and parents got to meet the counselors and other camper. My parents were usually not there. They were off on vacation somewhere. They came to visit 3 maybe 4 times during the season, including dropping me off and picking me up. I did get Camper of the Week the last week of the season in 1974. I haven’t seen the patch in years, when you posted a picture of it, it really brought it back home for me. I also got the cleanliness award, nature, and I think sportsmanship.
I was really, REALLY good at Zell Ball, only two people I couldn’t beat, Mr. John Sherry was one. He said no rematch. He meant it. The other was Bill Anthony Daniels,(BAD). Is was good, I had him so close, but he had the height on me.
I also remember a pair of Hungarian twins that worked at the camp for a while. Don’t remember their names of what they did.
Fire drills were fun for the whole camp. Long bucket brigades was just another way for us to get wet and through water on one another.
I also remember the water melon contests. Teams would put sweat shirts and grease up a water melon then throw it in the lake. First team to get past the goal post gets the water melon. Those sweat shirts were incredibly heavy and the WM was slippery.
Fights were extremely rare, but I do remember one night my first year, the camp director really nailed a camp counselor. Yelling at him full force, straight in his face. I thought he was going kill the poor guy. Counselor was gone the next day. I never did found out what is was about.
Rec Hall was cool. One of my duties when I was working was to sweep the hall out every day after breakfast. The cool part about it was there was an portable phonograph in there with some relatively recent albums. Three Dog Night’ Spinning wheels comes to mind on this memory. I would have listened to anything back then. Then John Sherry got the whole camp in the Rec hall one day in Aug of 74, and we watched President Nixon resign the presidency on an old black and white 19inch TV. All I could see were all the bugs flying around it the tube. I didn’t occur to me many years later of how significant that moment of history was. There was also a really old piano in the corner that no one was every allowed to play. It was a piece of junk, but we still bang the keys every chance we got.
One of the greatest hikes that CC had to offer was the hike to the dam on the east side of the lake. We could swim in the wash or stand under the falls. That was such a great feeling. I still think about that too this day. The dam failing and subsequent lake draining was the real killer for the camp. Enrollment was on the decline even before the environment took a hit, the economy wasn’t what it could’ve been and the liability was just too steep to keep that pace up.
Those are it for now. I’m sure I’ll remember more when I read the replies to these.
Thanks everyone.
Wow, you have a good memory. I wish I had visited there when I first started exploring the pines in 1973. It would have been interesting to see the camp.
Do you have any photo's?
BTW, many of the people who have posted here no longer respond for some reason. So your replies may be limited.
Guy
Do you have any photo's?
BTW, many of the people who have posted here no longer respond for some reason. So your replies may be limited.
Guy
Thanks Dri, I enjoyed that.
I was a Boy Scout in the late 60's and went to Lake Lenape in Medford a few times. That had good memories too.
I was a Boy Scout in the late 60's and went to Lake Lenape in Medford a few times. That had good memories too.
DRINTRNET'S memories. I can fill in some blanks for you. The guy with the missing fingers was Tony Bless and his assistant in the cabin was Bob Sweeney, who later opened cabin 18. The guy fired by Pat Dolan, the director in 1970, was probably "Graz" short for Graziano. He was the cub village leader and was replaced by Jim Dennion, a big red head. The Hungarian twins were Frank and Joe Szabo. They were kitchen workers. The only New Yorker I remember was a kid who sang Beatles songs at the Friday night campfires and we nicknamed him "Greenwich" because he said he was from Greenwich Village. If that is you I remember your name very well and your NY accent. I take it you don't want your name here so I won't put it on this post but your initials would be CS if you're who I'm thinking of. Post some more memories, I check this site often especially when there are new posts. John McCarty
More Memories
Seeing drintrnts postings has kicked up another memory. He talked about the "raids" at night. Yea, shaving cream on a sleeping kids hand, tickle his face with a feather and watch while he put the hand full of shaving cream on his own face. We were also pretty good at picking up the whole mattress with a sleeping kid on it and moving it to another cabin. He would wake up in the morning not knowing where he was and the councelor in the cabin would start giving him a hard time for being in the wrong cabin.
Kids smoking wasn't a problem that I recall, but staff members wanting to smoke was tough because we couldn't smoke in front of kids. The solution was the councelors lounge. It was located in back of the cub village latrine. It was a large closet/storage area. On the walls were the names of staff members from the 50's and 60's and I and a few others from 1970 added our names to the list. You could hear kids on the other side of the wall talking about the smell of smoke. Oh to be young and dumb again. It took me 25 years to kick that habit. That clears out the memories for now. I'm sure more will come. John McCarty
Seeing drintrnts postings has kicked up another memory. He talked about the "raids" at night. Yea, shaving cream on a sleeping kids hand, tickle his face with a feather and watch while he put the hand full of shaving cream on his own face. We were also pretty good at picking up the whole mattress with a sleeping kid on it and moving it to another cabin. He would wake up in the morning not knowing where he was and the councelor in the cabin would start giving him a hard time for being in the wrong cabin.
Kids smoking wasn't a problem that I recall, but staff members wanting to smoke was tough because we couldn't smoke in front of kids. The solution was the councelors lounge. It was located in back of the cub village latrine. It was a large closet/storage area. On the walls were the names of staff members from the 50's and 60's and I and a few others from 1970 added our names to the list. You could hear kids on the other side of the wall talking about the smell of smoke. Oh to be young and dumb again. It took me 25 years to kick that habit. That clears out the memories for now. I'm sure more will come. John McCarty