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Camp Linden: A Brief History
Members of the Ethical Society of Philadelphia (ESOP) were always committed to social reform. They sat on the Boards of various organizations that worked for change and involved themselves in the management of their affairs. One such organization was the Southwark Club, established in 1895 to address the terrible conditions of poverty in the Irish-Catholic community. In 1906 when the Club fell on hard times, ESOP members, under the leadership of Dr. S. Burns Weston, purchased four buildings for the Club's use. The Southwark Club became the Southwark Settlement House and thrived under the management of ESOP members. Southwark was to figure significantly in the fortunes of Camp Linden.
Camp Linden came about in 1929 when Samuel S. Fels, husband of then Ethical Society President Jennie Fels, purchased the 65-acre Greenwood Dell Farm for $5,000 and deeded it to the Society for $1. The Society joined forces with Quaker, Presbyterian and Jewish congregations to support and operate the Camp. Under the auspices of the Southwark Settlement House, thousands of children were served at this beautiful site by the west branch of the Brandywine River.
In the late 1940s the Southwark Settlement House merged with United Communities and the Camp was placed under professional management. By the 1960s the Society had deeded to this new entity all properties connected to it except for the Camp. United Communities continued to thrive, but the Camp entered a period of slow deterioration in the 1970s. At that point the ESOP, with a much reduced and considerably less wealthy membership, was able to render only small yearly contributions. Camp Linden closed in 1980.
By 1985 under a newly found initiative, members of the Ethical Society led by Richard Kiniry and Dr. Carol Love undertook efforts to reopen the facility by combining volunteer with paid labor and professional supervision. Eleven acres of the camp were sold to raise funds. After some struggle we resuscitated the Camp, and by 1990 the Society's Ethical Action Committee (EAC) had initiated and developed relations with churches and community centers in search of summertime activities for their children. By partnering with these organizations, committee members welcomed hundreds of children to the camp one day a week for several weeks during the summer.
In 1995 former ESOP President Jean Bradley became defacto Director with no pay. The EAC hired Committee Chair Saul Machles and the duo provided three days per week of camping. In 1996 the Camp earned a permit to reopen as an overnight facility based upon a detailed site-development plan. In 1997 the Camp Linden Board of Trustees was founded. The Trustees first act was to hire Jean as Executive Director to organize fund-raising efforts, develop children's programs, and supervise staff. Since those early days the summer program has grown to include swimming instruction, gardening and nutrition. We currently host campers five days per week from late June through mid-August and continue to provide a nature program, fun and games in a safe, well managed environment. To learn more read Camp Linden Works for Children.
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