Camp Fern is a summer camp located outside of Marshall, Texas, on Fern Lake. Founded in 1934, Camp Fern is the oldest summer camp in East Texas and one of the oldest in the nation.
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Camp Fern currently offers 8 different sessions: a 4-week long girls camp,2 2-week long girl's sessions during the 4-week girl's session, 2-week long coed camp, 2 coed 1-week sessions during the 2-week session, and a 4-week long boys camp, during which there are 2 2-week long boy's sessions. The 4-week sessions are for children in grade 1-9,the 2-week sessions are for grades 1-9.
Daily activities offered at Camp Fern include English riding, swimming, archery, riflery, water-skiing, arts and crafts, ropes, outdoor experiences, boxing, tennis, basketball, ping-pong, fishing, "alternative sports", weight-lifting, fencing, drama, dance, and trampoline.
Camp Fern is nestled in the Piney Woods of east Texas, on Fern Lake. Fern, a private lake, is located off of Texas Farm Road 1793 approximately 5 miles from U.S. Highway 59, on the outskirts of Marshall, Texas. It is between Shadowood Lake on the south and Lake Highland on the north. The camp is about 11 miles from Caddo Lake. The Camp Fern campus constitutes a major portion of the Fern Lake area.
The camp, a family business, was founded in 1934 by "Uncle" Vernon and "Aunt" Mag Hilliard, who wanted to provide their daughter, Peggy, and other area youth a summer retreat. Eventually Peggy took over operation of the camp along with her husband, Bill Rotzler. Today Camp Fern is owned and operated by Margaret Rotzler Lee, the granddaughter of the founders. It is still run on Christian principles, with respect for all faiths.
Tribal Competition
The first night that a new camper spends at Camp, he or she is inducted into one of two tribes at Girls' Camp: Bena or Owaisso; at Boys' Camp: Caddo or Tejas; at Coed: Apache or Cherokee, of which they will be a member for life. There is an entire story behind all of the tribes. Before the campers are inducted into their respective tribes by drawing a bead from a bowl by Thunderbird, the story of the tribes is told. It is really a very symbolic ritual. While the competition is fun, it is definitely not "just" for fun - the competition level is intense, and emotions often run high. Some of the more popular competitions that the campers engage in are Wargames, Fight Night, and Field Day. Each small competition during the session is hotly contested, and on the final night of camp one of the tribes will be declared the "winner" of the year. The winning tribe wins a "feather" on a large, wooden Indian-head plaque kept in the Recreation Hall. It is a great honor and victory to win the feather, for campers have worked for it all month long. At the four week session, each tribe elects a Chief and a Firemaker to be the leaders of their tribe for the year.
Advancements
Advancements are individual awards given at the four week sessions, and are earned by a camper demonstrating his or her aptitude in a wide variety of camp activities. At Girls' Camp, the four advancements are Pioneer, Plainsman, Frontiersman and Rancher. At Boys' Camp, they are Pathfinder, Hunter, Brave and Chief.
Current Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson attended Camp Fern as a child, as did Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Chandra North.
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