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Property and House to the south of Burr Point.
Became the YMCA Camp when the property was donated in 1924.
The Y camp is the center one of three youth camps located on the east side of Owasco Lake
The original camp, Hylhurst, was used for the Y Camp's main building until it was replaced with this A frame structure. The cream color exterior of the original building, with the sweeping from porch "Dining room" should bring back memories to many older campers. When the original building was replaced, one of the main upgrades was replacement of the old multiple hole outhouses with modern bathrooms. I beleive that tents still serve as the main residence of the campers. Bathing and clothes washing chores were performed by the individual campers in the lake itself. The road to the camp was shared at the top with the Boy Scout Camp located to the North of here. The last section of road was a steep rutted dirt road, which when it rained, could only be used by the old WW II surplus ambulance that served as the camp truck. The camp director during my time, Dick Hudson, was one of the few at camp that were allowed to drive this vehicle.
The open air chapel was a small clearing to the north of the main camp, situated on a small bluff. The athletic fields were up the hill on the east side of the entrance road on a fairly level field. The rifle, BB gun, and the archery range were also located up there. There was an area in the woods south and east of the camp that contained a grouping of Tee Pees where "secret" Y camp initiations and sleepovers took place.
Then, the big sleepover, took place on the western shore of the lake, below the still used (at that time) railroad tracks. The prerequisite of this sleepover was passing the camoe test of your proficiency in handling a conoe. The ability to swim was also required. You would sleep in your sleeping bag with your feet towards the lake for two reasons-
One, it was more comfortable sleeping with your head at a level above your feet since there was a slope to the beach.
And two, because of the slope, as you slept, you might gradually move down the slope, waking up with the bottom of the sleeping bag and you feet slightly wet.
Hot dogs roasted on a sharpened stick over the open camp fire cannot be beat by todays gourmet meals, even if they were slightly charred on the outside from being too close to the flame. The beef stew made on the shore over these open fires, from canned beef in gravy and canned vegetable were campers delights. Marshmellows - need I say more?
During the camping season one of the local mens' clubs would would come to the childrens camps around the lake by boat. They would unload watermellons from the boat and chosen campers would have to swim out and retrieve them.