Historic Trail
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Fire Circle
Waterfront The location of the fire circle has remained consistent. The first upgrade were benches that were actually built for the first wedding at camp (mid 1980s). The date is unknown, but this would have to be late 1980s.
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Swimming Areas
From 1976 to 2000 (24 years) the only swimming area was in the lake. The floating dock was popular and the swim ropes/floats had to be put in place prior to inspection each summer. In the later 1990s, a drowning in a Florida lake was blamed on poor visibility. Water in most lakes is tannin-colored.…
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Docks
The original dock (pictured here) was made from telephone poles. One corner rested on a live Cypress tree. Several original camp volunteers worked as pole climbers and were able to get the poles donated.
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Craft Shed
This building was the only structure on the property when the land was purchased. It had a sand floor and housed the pump and water tank.. Over the years, a concrete floor was poured, walls were insulated, and screen porches were added. It has served as the Craft Shed since the early 1980s.
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The Lodge
The need for staff housing was apparent from the beginning. The Staff Lodge as it was called was ready for Summer 1980.
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The Workshop
The original shop is a combination of a pole barn (telephone poles), and metal i-beams. The folks from Tampa (Thisse and Gratton families) rescued the i-beams when the original Tampa Tribune building was razed. This provided a frame for a moving hoist that can lift an engine (or a whole vehicle). That is still in…
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The Duplex
In 1981, a camp family lived in two rooms of the Staff Lodge. By the summer of 1982 the duplex was completed. There were two bedrooms on each side and a laundry/utility room outside the back door.
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Railroad
Between the Craft Shed and the Dock you will find a dry fire hydrant. Standing there you can see where the railroad came through the property. The main crossing here is about where the road turns between the Dining Hall and Craft Shed.
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Hay Wagon
The hay wagon was built in the 1970s by Ted and/or Al Thisse. It was discovered in the 2020s that the frame is from a WW2 bomb carrier – which explains the difficulty in finding replacement wheels.
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