Camp Courant – Nation's oldest free camp delivers for Hartford youth

• Our Youth, Our Future: Reflecting on 130-Plus Years of Camp Courant

By Piper Kimball

Special to Today Magazine

Hartford’s Camp Courant has forged an incredible legacy for over 130 years — a legacy that gives optimism in the face of an uncertain future. Poised to move forward, the camp’s team reflects back to the nonprofit's beginning in 1894.

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The Hartford Courant was historically delivered by paperboys, following regular routes by bike around the city. Sensing that these young men deserved time outside the metropolitan area, the Courant established The Courant Fund, calling on local residents to donate to the cause. The fund supported excursions for Hartford children, such as trolley and steamboat rides, with a focus on including paperboys.

In 1916, that idea shifted into a permanent address — Steele Grove in West Hartford — where campers were bused throughout the summer days. Hartford youth thrived in a supportive outdoor environment.

These were the early days of the country’s oldest free summer day camp, per the Camp Courant website.

The nonprofit has faced a series of challenges and setbacks in its tenure serving Hartford. In 1943, during World War 2, the camp was unable to offer transportation to West Hartford, with blame falling at the feet of the Axis powers and the war’s vast disruption of gas and oil companies. Nevertheless, the camp refused to close, relying on families to deliver their campers to a peaceful summer.

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In 1960, plans for Interstate 84 were finalized — plans that would directly disrupt and destroy the West Hartford campsite.

Sam Tapper, Camp Courant mission engagement coordinator, describes the interstate developer’s response as follows: “You don’t have to go anywhere specific, but you can’t stay here.”

Facing the loss of its home base, the camp scrambled to relocate at Farmington’s Batterson Park. The camp scored a lease of $1 per year — an amount that remains the same today.

In its life cycle as the country’s oldest free day camp, Camp Courant has survived two world wars and two pandemics, and witnessed 23 U.S. presidents. Yet its doors have never shuttered to the youth of Connecticut’s capital city. Even when COVID hit in March 2020, and in-person camp was simply too volatile and unsafe, the camp persevered. Summertime staff rallied to deliver craft materials, yoga videos and games directly to campers’ homes, volunteering their cars and time.

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“The most rewarding aspect was being able to come to them,” Tapper says.

It really does take a village — particularly during a worldwide pandemic. All of this perseverance comes in the name of the camp’s central mission. As Tapper says, “The future of our state starts with the future of our capital city, and that begins with the kids growing up there.”

Tapper emphasizes that the work of nonprofits cannot happen simply by the staff’s efforts. Camp Courant has six full-time employees, four part-time year-round employees and about 150 summertime employees. These staffers rely on generous donations made by the community: The $2 million-plus annual operating budget is funded entirely by individual donations and corporate grants.

Although charitable work is evergreen, Tapper stresses that now is the time to act: “If you’re reading this and you’re shocked to have never heard of the camp in 132 years, please visit the website — being intentional with your time has a tenfold impact on the campers.”

Even the smallest contributions make an impact — the camp’s mission survives on countless small moments of giving. Tapper puts it this way: “We need big grand buildings just as much as sports volunteers and volunteers for the lunch line.”

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When asked about the personal impact of working at the camp, Tapper shares an anecdote about a camper’s graduation at the end of a summer.

A camper aging out of the program gave a speech and mentioned Tapper by name as someone who championed his growth. The camper took time to intentionally thank every staff member who played a part in his summers, all the way up to the CEO. In that moment, a simple truth was clear: This work is powerful and impactful in ways that cannot always be seen or predicted.

“When we were kids,” Tapper says, “we always just wanted to be heard.”

The Greater Hartford community hears and recognizes its youth, the future of the capital city, through programs such as Camp Courant. Potential volunteers hoping to engage with the camp’s mission can contact Tricia Rowold — email: trowold@campcourant. org • phone: 860-677-2355.

Camp Courant is also available as a rental space during the offseason, with all proceeds funding the mission.

Parents looking to send their children to Camp Courant may apply via the website — a $125 application fee is required that can be waived on a need-basis. Otherwise, the camp is free of charge. +

• Editor’s Note — The Hartford Courant is widely recognized as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States — founded in 1764 as the weekly Connecticut Courant, the publication became a daily paper in 1837 • Camp Courant website •

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