Celebrating 125 Years of Camp Courant: Humble beginnings turned largest free summer camp in the nation

Camp Courant started as a newspaper’s dream to support Hartford’s youth – give them a place to grow, learn, and just be kids. Today, 125 years later, it is still going strong as the largest free summer camp in the nation.

Every summer, the six-week day camp provides Hartford children with educational programs, free meals, and a safe place to play at Batterson Park in Farmington.

It got its unofficial start in 1894, when an editorial was published, asking for $50 donations to help underprivileged children go on small trips during the summer. After raising $1,000, the Courant was able to send kids on trolley and steamboat excursions around town.

Two years later, Camp Courant started offering outdoor activities, where local children had the opportunity to swim in the Farmington River, lounge on hammocks, enjoy swings, dance and sing – just be children.

The first official campsite opened in 1916 on Park Road in West Hartford, with the help of organizations like The Open Hearth, the North End non-profit Hartford City Mission, and the United Jewish Charities.

Soon after the new campsite opened, Camp Courant was servicing up to 800 kids from Hartford, not including the children making their way from West Hartford.

Swimming in the river was the camp’s biggest attraction. Bathing suits and swim trunks were donated so every child could enjoy the water and have the opportunity to learn to swim. In 1928, over 400 bathing suits were given out to campers.

The increasing demand for a safe place for children in the summer wasn’t always easy to support. In 1938, the Great New England Hurricane nearly destroyed the campsite, closing it for eight weeks. In 1943, gasoline shortages during World War II suspended camp transportation and shortened the season.

In the early 1960s, Camp Courant almost closed permanently. The state had plans to build a section of the “East-West Highway” right through the West Hartford campsite. Despite the Courant’s efforts to convince City Council of the negative impact this would have on the camp’s 14,000 children served at the time, I-84 was built, and Camp Courant was forced out of their campsite.

But there was still hope. The Connecticut General Assembly passed a special act in 1957 that helped pave the way for Camp Courant’s relocation. The act authorized the lease of any portion of Batterson Park no longer needed for park purposes, to any corporation or institution operating for educational, recreational or charitable purposes. The camp was saved, and in 1963, Camp Courant opened at its current location in Farmington’s Batterson Park.

This move helped transform Camp Courant into the 36-acre facility it is today. By the 1970s, Camp Courant was offering both recreational and educational activities, like swimming, baseball, basketball, arts and crafts, table games, storytelling sessions, spelling bees and reading.

Not only were camp activities expanding, but donor and community support continued to grow as well. Supporters and alumni launched a campaign in 1996 to create a new $3 million endowment to keep Camp Courant open for another 100 years. In 2000, Hartford Mayor Michael P. Peters broke ground on a $2 million renovation, “The Pavilion Project,” which ultimately allowed the camp to operate during rainy days for the first time following its completion in 2007. In 2014, Camp Courant started a $1.5 million renovation project for a new pool and pool house with handicap accessible ramps and bathrooms, two new classroom spaces, a renovated Early Learning Center and a brand new playscape.

Today, campers receive free bus transportation from select sites near their homes, as well as free breakfast and lunch. Camp activities continue to expand to include learning opportunities that can better prepare the community’s children for growing industries, like STEM and manufacturing programs. In addition to sports and recreation, kids get the chance to learn real-world applications in areas like health, financial literacy, while enjoying arts and culture programs, like photography and girls’ empowerment.

Through donations and community advocates, Camp Courant continues to carry out its original mission of helping the city’s children enjoy their summer vacation, while encouraging them to establish positive relationships, grow, learn and have fun.

Sabrina Herrera can be reached at sherrera@courant.com.