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“Camp has been the main part of my life, [for] all my conscious life.”

- Pete Gucker

“The pressure on kids, in the world, from my perspective, has ramped up.”

- Nancy Gucker Birdsall

“It was a time, I think, when camp was fighting against what was the predominant culture at the time.”

- Neal Sondheimer

“Stuff like Camp is more important now than it has ever been.”

- Henry Sondheimer

“I never got tired of working with kids.”

- Nancy Gucker Birdsall

“Regarding the educational system of those days, what we were doing was regarded as ‘experimental.’”

- Pete Gucker

“It had a huge impact on me in terms of getting away from my parents … it was very foundational for me”

- Henry "Hank" Sondheimer '60

Stand Up and Cheer - A Love Letter to North Country Camps

1861

1876

1892

1931

1950's

1955

1968

1984

2018

2020

1920

2021

2025

The Gunnery Camp, widely regarded as the first organized American Summer camp, is founded by abolitionist and school headmaster Frederick W. Gunn

The first private camp, Dr. Joseph Trimble Rothrock's North Mountain School of Physical Culture, is founded in Pennsylvania

Credit to the ACA

In New York, Camp Arey becomes the first camp to admit girls. By 1902 it is exclusively a girls camp. Other camps, including

Camp Kehonka (seen on the right) were quick to

follow.

Camp Kehonka was also one of the first camps to

have a female director - Laura Mattoon was her

name.

Credit to the ACA

Camp Lincoln is founded by Colba "Chief" Gucker, a physical education teacher at the Lincoln School in New York. The camp only admits boys.

Camp Whippoorwill is founded by Colba "Chief" Gucker to be a 'sister' camp to Lincoln. Together they form North Country Camps.

Pete and Jan Gucker, the son and daughter of Colba Gucker, take over as the directors of Lincoln and Whippoorwill.

The Vietnam War begins

Both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy are assassinated before the camp summer begins.

When it does, Riflery is no longer offered an activity.

Nancy Gucker Birdsall, the daughter of Pete Gucker, takes over as the director of Camp Whippoorwill. She will stay on as the Executive Director of North Country Camps until 2017.

Ownership of North Country Camps shifts from the Gucker family to the North Country Camps Foundation.

The COVID-19 pandemic shuts down camp for the summer. As a coincidence, it is also Camp Lincoln's 100th year of operation.

Both Lincoln and Whippoorwill return to operation, with kids sporting

masks for the first part of the summer.

The present day.

Change At North Country Camps

Pete Gucker's response to the question: "How has Camp changed since you attended?"

Camp Lincoln and Camp Whippoorwill have changed significantly over the years, in terms of look, culture, make-up, and many other aspects of their operation. Though some changes may be larger than others, all have shaped the evolution of the camps, and all have left their impact on former and current campers.

The Sondheimer family has attended North Country Camps since the 1950's. With three generations of camp attendance, they are uniquely suited to looking at what has changed over the years from the perspective of differently aged camp alumni. Below are their responses to the question:

"How has Camp changed since you attended?"

Above: The Lincoln Waterfront in the present

Below: The Lincoln Waterfront around the 40's and 50's

"Well, there's no riflery."

- Hank Sondheimer

"We used to have Chapel, every Sunday."

- Hank Sondheimer

"The ranks of international counselors have exploded."

- Neal Sondheimer

Left: The Lincoln Lodge near the present day

Right: The Lincoln Lodge around the 40's and 50's

However much Camp shifts, its culture and tradition mean that it can only change so much, even over a century.

What Makes Camp Special?

The Initial board is a unique part of Camp culture. Each summer, a wooden board is coated in green paint. Before they leave, each camper must carve their initials into the board.

Each board is hung in the rafters of the lodge at the end of every summer, a reminder of decades past and memories made.

The Lodge is the heart of Camp Lincoln - it is where campers eat nearly every meal, where they relax on rainy days, where announcements and dropped plates and delicious food all are brought together.

Yet there is something more to the building - maybe it is the wall of signs above the kitchen, each with their own story. Maybe it is the solid stone fireplace, warm and inviting. Yet, one aspect of the Lodge stands out more than any other: the initial boards. Look up into the rafters and one can see the names of Camp myth - Frau, Bob, Doug Furman and so many more. Many can find the names of family members among the initials carved, if they look hard enough.

The Initial Boards are a reminder of the piece of oneself that is left behind there, forever bound to this place that so many have loved.

Camp's insularity is also part of what makes it special. Even in years past, it has been difficult to fully remove oneself from society; but even in the Information Age, Camp has remained a respite from the outside world.

"I would say that Pete went out of his way to keep [the Vietnam War] out of the camp environment."

- Hank Sondheimer

To find a place that is truly isolated, that is entirely self-contained, is something that not many people can experience. That, I believe, is what makes Camp so special.

Why Did I Make This?

I fell in love with Camp during the Summer of 2018, and since then, I haven't been able to let it go. I have been told before that you should share the things you love, and so I have; I have recruited multiple people to come to camp, in the hopes that they will experience it in the same way that I did.

This project is the next step in that process - by sharing my love for this place with the world, I hope both to bring more people into the Camp community, and maybe to inspire others to share what they love too. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making it. If you want to learn more or watch my full interviews, please visit my student site here.