Camp Child

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Camp Harrison H. Child, was a Summer camp in Manomet Massachusetts USA run by the Old Colony Council of the Boy Scouts of America from 1925 through 1995. It provided a typical Summer Camp experience for young men in a structured environment. Summer activities included the teaching of such outdoor skills as: camping; cooking; safe boating; swimming; archery; rifle shooting; hiking; field and sports, nature appreciation; wilderness survival, and many other skills, most geared to the earning of merit badges .

Typically established troops of Boy Scouts from communities of the South Shore of Boston would arrive with there own leadership and camp for one or two weeks at a time. However individual scouts could attend forming a “provisional troop”. The Staff, mostly composed of former Campers and all scouts, or former scouts themselves, would teach classes, set up camps, run entertainments and activities for guest campers providing food, in a dinning hall environment (or delivered to the camp site by truck) and otherwise help provide an enjoyable summer experience. The Camp was large, so two swimming and boating areas at either side of the lake, as well as two scout craft training areas were maintained.

Camp Child had colorful names for local features such as “The Phantom forest” and “Bird Point” which jutted majestically into the hart of “Morey’s Hole”.

The camp completely surrounded a spring fed lake known as Morey’s Hole which provided clear water for the nearby Briggs Reservoir and Cranberry Boggs, the land was beautiful. A mix of Conifer forest with deciduous trees, oak, birch and maple intermingled. The camp had numerous hiking trails, running along the low rising hills which surrounded much of the pond, the most prominent height was Hio Hill, which was accessible by the Yellow Dot Trail and rose 204 feet above the camp providing breathtaking views.

In 1963 Camp Child hosted the National Jamboree which ran from August 17-September 1, 1963 and boosted participants from around the nation and the world. This probably was a high point for Camp child and for scouting in the United States in general.

In 1969-1970 the Old Colony Council merged with The Squanto Council absorbing the later, this left the new OCC with two summer camps where only one was strictly speaking required, both remained profitable for years. However Camp Squanto was located on public park land by long term lease arrangement, the council could use but never sell its interest in that camp. Child by contrast was acquired by gift and was held by the Council by title.

Beginning in the 1970s facilities began slowly expanding at Camp Squanto, while no significant improvements were made at Child, just routine maintenance. As time went on the land at Camp Child became increasingly valuable as potential residential real estate, The Old Colony Council feeling a decline in the number of scouts (part of a national trend) and otherwise experiencing financial pressure, sold the only camp it could in 1995. The site is now residential communities.

A loose association of former Staff members exists and maintains a web site for keeping in touch and swapping stories and memorabilia.

Camp Child Staff Alumni http://www.i-fubar.com/chhc/

1963 Jamboree http://www.sossi.org/exile/lithuania.htm