Camp Awosting has just finished their 110th consecutive summer – not too many camps can boast this longevity!
Camp Awosting began in 1900 in Ellenville, New York, on Lake Awosting under the ownership of Dr. Ted Truslow and the directorship of Jerome Kidder. They ran Awosting as a summer camp program for boys from the New York City area, giving them the chance to spend some quality time outside in the woods. Activities included hiking, swimming, some sports, archery, woodcraft, and just good times – the likes of which you usually get by gathering around a campfire!
In the 1930's, William Faber Davis bought the program from Dr. Truslow and moved the camp, cabins and all, to its current location on Bantam Lake in Northwestern Connecticut. The site in Connecticut already contained a camp named Sagawatha Lodge, which Mr. Davis incorporated into Awosting. When he brought these two camps together, he welcomed the Sagawatha Lodge staff to Awosting; Oscar Ebner, Sr. was a counselor at Sagawatha Lodge in 1933, thus becoming a staff member at Awosting in 1934.
In 1948, Oscar Ebner and his wife Virginia purchased Camp Awosting from the third owner/director, Mr. Preston Beaver. This began a long career for both Ebners in owning and directing summer camps. Oscar and Virginia were both educators in New Jersey. Their children, Barbara, "Buzz," and Robert, migrated each summer to Connecticut with their parents and became active campers and staff members. In 1955, the Ebners began a sister camp, Chinqueka, where Barbara and Virginia served as directors and program leaders.
In 1975, the "elder" Ebners retired from active duty! Barbara was already director of Chinqueka and Buzz became director of Awosting. Robert was up and coming as a staff member, later involving himself with both camps as co-director. Rob has since sold his interests in the camps to his two siblings. Virginia passed away in 1988 and Oscar passed away at the end of Awosting's 101st summer in 2000. Both Oscar and Virginia have been recognized as ACA Pioneers in Camping.
When Oscar passed away in 2000, the third generation of Ebners had already entrenched itself into the camps. Buzz and Sherry's daughter Kristin took over the reins at Chinqueka when Barbara retired in 2002, after 16 years of administrative work at both Awosting and Chinqueka. In 2003, having "nothing else to do," the Ebners purchased a day camp program about 20 miles from Awosting. Buzz and Sherry's son Kevin runs the day camp program. Buzz retired from Awosting in 2008 and has turned the program over to two new directors, Steve and Pauline Jepson. The Jepsons have been part of the Ebner Camps family since 1989. Kristin, Kevin, and the Jepsons are looking forward to being the third generation of exceptional camp directors for these awesome camps!