1929 was a memorable year. It was the year of the stock market crash of course, but also the year construction began on the Empire State Building. Herbert Hoover was president, Singing in the Rain was playing on the radio and the Philadelphia Athletics won the World Series. Even better, it was the first year of operation of Camp Wa Wa Segowea in the Berkshires! The main lodge was built as were the cabins, and those cabins are what we're talking about today!
Eleven cabins were built using chestnut wood and those same cabins are around and being used today at camp! They were built before the chestnut blight destroyed all the trees not only on the property, but all along the east coast as well as across the country. The chestnut blight which took place in the early 20th century was caused by fungus entering into the US on Asian nursery stock coming into the New York Zoological Gardens and affected trees everywhere.
The cabins were completed before all the trees were gone and we're happy for that! Chestnut was used a lot back then for log cabins and has a natural resistance to insects and fungi. 11 cabins built here at Camp Segowea are each unique. Ticon, the last cabin on the left end is the smallest cabin and the one closest to the lake. All the way at the other end is Arapaho and is one of the larger cabins and is closest to Mt. Beacon. Back when Camp Segowea was an all boys camp, most of the cabins were used and filled with young boys enjoying the magic of Camp. Quite often the two cabins on the ends were used for storage, but put into use when the camp was full. Sometimes one cabin in the middle (usually Oneida cabin) was the directors cabin and Arapaho served as the health cabin. Later on, when Teen Camp started, the Director of Teen Camp, Dean Temple used the same tactic and stayed in the middle cabin of what was called "Cabin Row", with the boys on the left side and the girls on the right. While the camp director has their own cabin now with a great view of the lake (Keller Cabin), the same principle is used today, with the boys staying in cabins on the left side and the girls on the right closer to Mt. Beacon!
While the cabins themselves are the same, they did undergo a major sprucing up last year for the camp reopening. The support pillars were adjusted, all cabins were painted inside and out and a new screen system was installed in all the windows. Even the shutters got a makeover using a newer system to keep them up! To top all that, brand new staircases and railings were built for each cabin last year as well.
One last fact on the cabins; most Segowea alumni know that the cabins are named in order and have a special meaning. In order, from left to right it's T Y M C A O P N Y S A. or Ticon, Yukon, Mohicans, Cayuga, Apache, Oneida, Pawnee, Navajo, Yurok, Seneca and Arapaho or The Y M C A of Poughkeepsie New York State of America! The camp was of course involved with the Dutchess County YMCA back then, located in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Yes these cabins are pretty special to the long history and tradition of Camp Segowea. Each cabin today can hold up to 8 campers (on bunk beds) with a couple staff members and perhaps a CIT too! They are kept clean (or at least they're supposed to be!) every day by the people living in them and can quite often be a great place for a quiet conversation. Which one will be your favorite?
Register today for camp! http://www.cdymca.org/locations/CampWaWaSegowea/Home.aspx
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