Camp Julia Crowell

Camp Julia Crowell was a Girl Scout camp in Richfield Township, Summit County, Ohio, opened in 1937. It was named for Julia Cobb Crowell, a Cleveland civic leader who served as the city's first Girl Scout commissioner in the 1920s. The camp closed as a Girl Scout property in 2011.

Since 2014, the camp has been known as the Richfield Heritage Preserve, a public park administered by the Richfield Joint Recreation District. Camp Crowell Hilaka Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

History

Camp Julia Crowell was opened by the Cleveland Girl Scout Council in 1937, to offer day- and overnight-camping programs, hiking, and water recreation for scouts, as well as national and regional training programs for scout leaders.[1][2] It was built from 243 acres of land, lakes, and buildings, purchased from private farms,[3][4] and named for Julia Cobb Crowell (1877–1957), a Cleveland civic leader and Girl Scout commissioner in the 1920s.[5]

The camp expanded to 336 acres in by 1957, with the addition of the Hilaka (High-Lake) section.[6] In 1967, the physical facilities underwent a major upgrade, with new commons buildings, water and sanitation systems. A new boathouse followed in 1969.[7] In 1998, Camp Quality Northeast Ohio was held at Camp Crowell-Hilaka, serving children with cancer and their siblings.[8]

Camper incidents

On August 4, 1959, two thirteen-year-old campers were killed by lightning, and two other girls were hospitalized, during a storm at Camp Julia Crowell.[9][10] In 1999, the parents of a child injured while riding a horse at the camp sued; all the camp's horses were sold in 2005.[7]

Closure and current status

The camp was sold by the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio in 2011, along with several other properties, despite an organized effort by Friends of Crowell Hilaka, to maintain the program and the site. The Western Reserve Land Conservancy purchased the property in 2015. Since 2014, the site has been known as the Richfield Heritage Preserve, a public park administered by the Richfield Joint Recreation District.[1][11][12] In 2020, the Crowell Hilaka Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[13]

Current park facilities include a segment of the Buckeye Trail,[14] an event center, and accessible camping sites.[15]

References
  1. "Camp Crowell Hilaka Historic District (U.S. National Park Service)". National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  2. "Hiking Enjoyed by Girl Scouts; Seven Advanced". The Salem News. 1939-05-08. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-07-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Karle, Tina (2019-01-15). 200 Waterfalls of Northeast Ohio. Lulu.com. p. 275. ISBN 978-1-387-99190-7.
  4. "Girl Scout Camp Opens 1st Session". Call and Post. July 4, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved July 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "GIRL SCOUTS". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University. 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  6. Richardson, Lynn Scholle (2021). Crowell Hilaka and the Richfield Heritage Preserve. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467107037.
  7. "History". Crowell Hilaka. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  8. "Camp Plans Activities for Kids with Cancer". The Akron Beacon Journal. 1998-06-05. p. 25. Retrieved 2021-07-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Two Girl Scouts Killed as Lightning Hits Camp". The Akron Beacon Journal. 1959-08-04. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-07-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "2 Girl Scouts Killed by Lightning in Camp". The Circleville Herald. 1959-08-04. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-07-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "History". Richfield Heritage Preserve. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  12. "Vandals Damage Preserve". The Akron Beacon Journal. 2017-04-21. pp. A002. Retrieved 2021-07-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Preserve Listed on National Register of Historic Places". The Akron Beacon Journal. 2020-06-27. pp. A2. Retrieved 2021-07-14 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Crawford, Caroline (October 28, 2016). "Richfield operates historic girl scout camp". Lantern. Archived from the original on 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  15. "High Lea Open-Air Shelter". Richfield Heritage Preserve. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2021-07-13.

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