From the Glen School Class of 1967 blog
"It's funny how something that was part of our life for 5 short days can hold such great memories."
CAMP GREEN TODAY
In the Spring of 1973, Cooper Union's 1,000 acre Green Camp - affectionately known to Ridgewood, NJ 6th graders as "Camp Green" - was broken up and sold to the State of New Jersey. All but 173 acres were used by the state's Juvenile Justice Commission for a reform school called "Green Residential Community Home" - the center serves a maximum of 32 teens. The remaining 173 acres was designated as part of the park it is today I believe.
At the time in 1973, Cooper Union expected a windfall of $10,000,000 from the sale. While citing upkeep of the camp which was relatively small ($150,000 annually) - for school that was tuition-free and depended heavily on donations the sale would give them unprecedented cash for use at Cooper Union in the city.
Cooper Union actually attempted to sell the property in 1971 but was met with strong student and alumni opposition and resulted in the board holding off temporarily. But despite a $20,000 study of the camp the board was pre-disposed to the idea of the sale and the vote - 11 board members - would vote unanimously in 1973 to sell it and on June 28, 1973 it was shut it down. I like to think that the last ones to use the camp were 6th graders from New Jersey who experienced for the last time the benefits of Camp Green.
Posts
Memories of Green:
ReplyDelete(1) my first encounter with shared bathing.
(2) 'no thank you' helpings of grotesque food fare in the dining hall.
(3) unforgettable treks deep in the Ramapos under the wing of
Dr. Anne Dunham, Cornell biologist and educator living in Ridgewood.
She cut a dashing figure with her patched eye, and
encyclopedic knowledge of all things natural.
Miss that.