Our History
Our Roots
Frost Valley YMCA was founded in 1885 as The Boys’ Camping Society (BCS). By 1901, the BCS had grown in numbers and it became necessary for it to split into two locations – a site on Lake Champlain for New York boys (now called Camp Dudley,) and a site in New Jersey, which was called the Jersey Boys’ Camp at Lake Wawayanda, or Camp Wawayanda for short. When areas around Camp Wawayanda became so developed that it encroached on the peace that camp was meant to offer, the camp had to find another location. In 1957 Julius Forstmann’s 2,200-acre estate, which was called Frost Valley, was sold to the YMCA. The first summer camp in the new permanent location was held in 1958.
Today, Frost Valley YMCA is a place where people from all backgrounds and experiences can connect, belong and grow, through engagements in community, nature, the arts and recreation, to cultivate a healthy and fulfilled life. As the nation’s oldest YMCA camp, Frost Valley has grown to become one of the premier outdoor camping, group retreat, and environmental education centers in the world.
1885 – 1920
Our story begins with Sumner F. Dudley leading the first trip
in 1885 on Orange Lake near Newburgh, NY.
1885:
Frost Valley YMCA, and the entire concept of Y Camping, has its early beginnings. The Boys’ Camping Society is formed by Sumner F. Dudley and George A. Sanford, the Newburgh YMCA Secretary. Dudley leads the first trip in 1885 on Orange Lake near Newburgh, NY – also known as “Camp Baldhead.”
1886:
Camp Wawayanda’s beginnings: Newburgh YMCA sponsors teen camping excursion to Lake Wawayanda in Sussex County, New Jersey.
1901:
YMCA camp (boys only) at Lake Wawayanda is founded.
1911:
Camp Wawayanda hosts training for leaders of the newly established Boy Scouts of America.
1919:
Camp Wawayanda moves to Andover, New Jersey.
1950s & 60s
Camp Wawayanda finds a new home, programs expand, and
Executive Director Halbe Brown begins his 35-year tenure.
1954:
Urban expansion forced Camp Wawayanda to again make another move. The next three summers Camp Wawayanda was held at an interim site, Steven’s Institute of Technology Camp, while the Board searched for a permanent site.
1956:
A Christmas Eve deal transfers Julius Forstmann’s 2,200 acre estate in the heart of the Catskill Mountains to the YMCA.
1957:
Frost Valley Association is formed to run the Frost Valley Camp and Conference Center. The Forstmann “Castle” opens to families and conference groups.
1958:
First summer camp, for boys only, opens at Frost Valley.
1962:
Girls camp, Camp Henry Hird, opens at Frost Valley.
1966:
- Halbe Brown begins 35-year tenure as Executive Director of Frost Valley.
- Village Chief Bud Cox had taken a patrol of campers on a three-day trek to find the wreckage of a small plane that had crashed on Doubletop Mountain which was the beginning of the Catskill Explorers program which became our Teen Adventure Trips.
1968:
The Frost Valley Association, the interim governing organization of Y’s using the camp, is dissolved and Frost Valley is incorporated as its own independent YMCA.
1969:
- Summer: The summer camp season begins with a hurricane that floods main camp, but everyone is safe and all damage is quickly repaired.
- Fall/Winter: Frost Valley establishes a year-round Environmental Education Center to introduce young people to the natural world and teach them how to protect it.
1970s & 80s
Several partnerships are formed including those with the Ruth Gottscho Kidney Foundation, Tokyo YMCA, and YAI. Major expansion happens at Frost Valley – many new buildings were constructed and property purchased to support our growing programs.
1970:
Frost Valley coordinates the International Camper Exchange and sends campers to Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Counselors from abroad add to the cultural mix at Frost Valley.
1975:
Halbe Brown oversees the development of the Ruth Gottscho Kidney Dialysis Center at Frost Valley, the first of its kind anywhere.
Mid-1970s:
Frost Valley’s partnership with the Victoria Foundation begins, bringing children from Newark, NJ to Frost Valley; providing an escape from the unrest of their urban environment and promoting diversity at camp.
1978:
Another major purchase was made, this time for the 1,600-acre Straus estate adding another 24 beds to the Conference Center.
1979:
Halbe Brown brokers a global collaboration between Frost Valley and the Tokyo YMCA, extending a home base and respite in the United States to Japanese families living abroad, and designating Frost Valley as an international YMCA.
1980:
Forest Management Plan and Program begins to maximize the Frost Valley forest for multiple uses, like timber resources, wildlife habitat, water quality protection and recreation.
1980s:
The Straus Center is renovated and opens as a conference and group retreat facility. Thomas Lodge Dining Hall burns down and in its place many new buildings go up: a new dining hall, several villages and super-lodges: Margetts, Hussey, Scott, Neversink, Snow, Bodman, Day, Kellogg, Hyde & Watson, Quirk and Kresge.
1982:
The first Elderhostel program is held at the Straus Center.
1983:
Mainstreaming at Camp, in coordination with YAI, is initiated at Frost Valley, quickly becoming a popular program.
1988:
A Forest Management Trail was built, and the Raptor Center and Wildlife Rehabilitation Program was developed.
1990s & 2000s
Frost Valley’s Resource Management Center opens. Environmental Education Programs are developed with help from the U.S. Geological Service. Quirk Lodge is outfitted with energy-efficient and environmentally-conscious innovations.
1990:
The Resource Management Center, the first institutional-sized composting center in New York State, opens.
1991:
Frost Valley hosts a national task force to set the environmental agenda for the 13-million-member YMCA of the USA.
1992:
The Ketcham Family Chapel and memorial garden are built on and around Reflection Pond.
1994:
Frost Valley serves as the northeastern U.S. training and resource center for the Y’s Earth Service Corps, a leadership training program.
1995:
Hayden Observatory opens, providing access to two high-powered telescopes for stargazing.
1998:
- A Streamside Classroom is developed in association with the U.S. Geological Service.
- Frost Valley receives the prestigious Benchmark Award from the USGS for outstanding efforts in environmental education.
- Quirk Lodge is opened, with composting toilets, solar-powered lighting, and other energy-efficient and environmentally-conscious innovations.
2000:
The Educational Farm in the East Valley hosts campers and guests for the first time.
2001:
Halbe Brown retires.
2003:
Jerry Huncosky becomes Chief Executive Officer of Frost Valley.
2007:
McLain Lodge undergoes renovations and reopens as Geyer Hall; a fully equipped business center. Also, the new hotel-style 24-room Lakeview Lodge opens.
2008:
The Guenther Family Wellness Center opens, replacing the old Smith Lodge which served for decades as the camp infirmary.
2010s to Present Day
Frost Valley firms up its commitment to sustainability, earning a Hospitality Green Concierge award. More programs focused on the arts and STEM-based activities are added. We join the YMCA Diversity, Inclusion, and Global (DIG) Network, strengthening our longstanding core values of diversity and inclusiveness.
2010:
Frost Valley YMCA joins the LIVSTRONG® at the YMCA movement, providing free weekend retreats to cancer survivors.
2011:
- June: Straus Center is renovated, becoming East Valley Ranch, opening for family and group retreats as well as an all-girls equestrian summer camp.
- August: Hurricane Irene hits the Catskills and devastates the Frost Valley property on the first day of Family Camp, bringing down the beloved Pigeon Lodge.
2012:
- January: Frost Valley hosts the Northeast YMCA Camp Conference (NEYCC) and is deemed the permanent host location for this annual conference.
- March: The “No Room For Bullying!” program is developed, incorporating our 8 core values into an anti-bullying curriculum facilitated by Frost Valley staff.
- June: Leadership Lodge, a solar-powered CiT lodge, is built in place of the former Pigeon Lodge. Construction begins on Program Village, a collection of 6 buildings dedicated to the arts including woodworking, pottery, painting, dance, candle-making, and STEM-based activities, the last of which is completed in 2019.
- September: Halbe Brown passes away. A memorial is held for the wider Frost Valley community, including many former campers and counselors.
2013:
We host our first Autism Family Support Weekend.
2014:
Frost Valley’s Healthy Home Teaching Kitchen provides nutrition, cooking, and kitchen safety classes for campers and visiting groups.
2015:
- Energy-efficient LED and CFL light bulbs are installed throughout camp. An eco-friendly Woody Biomass Heating System is installed, as well.
- CEO Jerry Huncosky accepts Hospitality Green’s Green Concierge: Silver Tier award on behalf of Frost Valley’s commitment to sustainability.
- June: The Blum House opens, thanks to the legacy and vision of former FV supporter Eric Blum, as a place for staff to seek respite during downtime.
- October: Frost Valley’s Disc Golf Course, created by renowned designer John Houck, opens to the public.
2016:
- March: Frost Valley partnered with Tri-Valley Central School to offer a school-age childcare program.
- May: The Bud Cox Trip Center, named in honor of a long-time employee and donor, is the starting point and home base for all of our Adventure Trips and year-round hiking outings.
- June: Durango Village, a boys horseback riding camp for ages 8-12, opens to the public.
2017:
- June: A new road is completed that eliminated the second entrance to camp, improving the security of our campers, and guests. The roads around Frost Valley are officially named to reflect our core values.
- July: A partnership with the Clarke School for Hearing and Speech is formed. An on-site certified teacher of the deaf from Clarke provided support to campers who joined us through this partnership.
- December: Frost Valley is the 76th YMCA and the second camp to join the Diversity, Inclusion and Global (DIG) Network strengthening our longstanding core values of diversity and inclusiveness.
2018:
- New cabins 41-50 are completed in time to host 2018 summer campers.
- Frost Valley partners with YMCA Kosovo to help develop the country’s first summer camp for children.
- Little Rainbows Daycare opens, providing on-site daycare for staff and local community members.
2019:
- Frost Valley’s DIG Innovation Committee was formally established. This committee, composed of staff members from diverse backgrounds, seeks to maintain and improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and for the guest/camper experience.
- A 672-panel solar array installation is completed, providing 35 percent of Frost Valley’s electrical needs and reducing our overall carbon footprint by 25 percent.
- The Landsberger Amphitheater at CiT Point is completed in time for the 2019 summer camp season.
2020:
- Due to state regulations concerning the Covid-19 pandemic, Frost Valley was forced to close its doors in March.
- Unable to host our usual overnight campers, we open up our lodges for rent to families through our new Lodging Rental program. We are also able to run a summer day camp and end the summer with Family Camp, offering limited programs and meal deliveries to guests.
- Local students were given the opportunity to complete their online education at Frost Valley’s new “Outdoor and Virtual Learning Center” (OVLC) and round out the day with our signature outdoor programming.
- Thanks to the generosity of our Frost Valley family, our Year End fundraising campaign raised more than $730,000 helping ensure the survival of Frost Valley. Covid restrictions lessen, enabling us to offer more normal programming towards the end of 2020.
2021:
New cabins 1-6 were completed in time to host 2021 summer campers.
2023:
Riel Peerbooms becomes Chief Executive Officer of Frost Valley.
Hall of Fame
In 2008, to commemorate Frost Valley YMCA’s 50th year in the Catskills, the Board of Trustees resolved to begin a tradition of recognizing the outstanding individuals who have been instrumental in the service and leadership of our organization. The following individuals have been inducted into our Hall of Fame for their contributions to the founding, continued success, and legacy of Frost Valley.
D. HALBE BROWN (1936-2012)
Executive Director of Frost Valley YMCA, 1966-2001
WOODRUFF J. “WOODY” ENGLISH (1910–1996)
Long-time trustee, Frost Valley YMCA’s Environmental Education Program was named in his honor
EVA GOTTSCHO (1913–2009)
Founder of the Ruth Gottscho Kidney Foundation Bringing children with chronic kidney disease to Frost Valley YMCA
HELEN GEYER
First-ever woman on the Frost Valley YMCA Board of Trustees
JAMES C. KELLOGG
Frost Valley YMCA Board President for fifteen years, succeeding Woody English
WALTER T. MARGETTS (1905–1983)
Responsible for finding and negotiating the transfer of Julius Forstmann’s estate to what was then known as the Central Atlantic Area Council of the YMCA, now Frost Valley YMCA
TATSUO AND EMIKO HONMA
Tatsuo and Emiko Honma were the founders of, and the driving forces behind, the innovative Tokyo-Frost Valley YMCA Partnership formed with D. Halbe Brown in 1979.
The primary goal of the partnership was to ensure mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and Japan, providing young people the opportunity to become global citizens with the skills and intention to serve others.
Its programs continue today to support Japanese families living in the United States, offering opportunities for fellowship and helping them cope with the challenges of adapting to a new culture while maintaining a sense of their home culture.
JANE BROWN ( -2013)
Those who have felt the Frost Valley magic—its capacity to welcome everyone and to create a remarkable sense of familiarity and ease—must know that it is in no small part owing to the generosity and hospitality of Jane Brown. Jane and her husband, long-time Frost Valley Executive Director D. Halbe Brown, brought their young family here in 1966. From then until 2001, no one provided keener or more consistent stewardship of Frost Valley’s people—campers, staff, trustees, grantors, donors, friends, and visitors, for a day or for a year—than Jane. To the extent that people at Frost Valley felt specifically connected to the place, it was almost always because of Jane.
CHARLES R. SCOTT (1874–1954)
The two oldest YMCA camps in the United States, Camps Dudley and Wawayanda, were both founded in 1885. Camp Dudley moved to the Adirondacks but its twin settled in northwestern New Jersey where Charles R. Scott, the leader and director, named the camp “Wawayanda” after the nearby lake. Scott became the first president of the American Camping Association, an organization he helped found; he became Secretary of all New Jersey YMCAs; and, in 1910, he organized the nation’s first Lifesaving Corps at Wawayanda—all of which helped establish our camp as a site for premiere leadership, constant innovation, and the youth program for which all other camps looked to for guidance.
FENN PUTMAN (1933-2014)
The longest serving member of the Board of Trustees (forty-two years)
DR. JEROME WOLFF ( –2003)
Played an instrumental role in Camp Wawayanda’s momentous move from New Jersey to it’s present home
PAUL GUENTHER
Visionary supporter of non-profit organizations and a long-time leader of the Board of Trustees; he supported the building of Frost Valley’s new Wellness Center with an extraordinary, organization-changing gift of $1 million.
DAVID KING
Tremendously energetic long-time member of the seasonal staff between the late 1950s and the late 1970s Dave had an impact on every single aspect of the Wawayanda camping experience, many of the innovations and customs he introduced into daily summer life here are in use to this day.
HOWARD E. QUIRK (1924-1994)
A minister and a counselor; a raconteur and an entertainer; a story-teller and witty tour guide, but above all else, Howard E. Quirk was passionate about people. “The heartbeat of Frost Valley” as described by long-time Executive Director, Halbe Brown
CLARA HASBROUCK
Seventeen-year member of Frost Valley’s Board of Trustees, she promulgated the commitment to the Castle’s preservation and its permanent use for schoolchildren and summer campers as a living-learning lab for encountering local social history.
FRANK KETCHAM
An original member of Frost Valley’s Board of Trustees, he played a critical role in Wawayanda’s move to Frost Valley in 1958, and forged the Westfield Y/Wawayanda connection.
JOHN KETCHAM
Camper turned staff member, in 1975 John wrote computer programs to aid accounting practices. He developed a specialty camp for kids focusing on computers and for at least one two-week session taught the children himself.
DR. IRA GREIFER ( -2014)
Co-founded The Ruth Gottscho Kidney Center in 1974-75 with Halbe Brown, and Eva Gottscho.
ROBERT OHAUS (1919-2004)
Known as “Mr. Y,” Bob was deeply passionate about the Y movement and it’s values. He served as a quietly forceful, innovative trustee for decades, and through his work in Westfield Bob was a strong proponent of Wawayanda’s move to the Forstmann estate in New York.
HENRY HIRD (1884-1983)
Founder of Camp Henry Hird, originally the girls camp founded in 1962, now the older group of Frost Valley summer campers.
CARL HESS (1926-1979) AND MARIE HESS (1929-2015)
Great pioneers of Frost Valley, instrumental in creating a unique, nurturing, accepting and educational place where anyone, through effort, could experience it as home. No job in support of children and families was too small or too messy for Carl & Marie.
SUMNER DUDLEY (1854-1897)
Initiated a literary society for children and eventually convinced YMCA leaders to support his summertime “rambling tours” that brought children into the wilderness.
CATHY MCFARLAND HARVEY
A trailblazer in the cause of equal opportunity, Cathy McFarland Harvey has been instrumental in the creation and growth of Frost Valley’s various partnerships with organizations in Newark.
BILL & EVA DEVLIN
A dedicated couple, Bill founded and developed Frost Valley’s Environmental Education Program, a historic achievement and Eva almost single-handedly worked to improve the image of Frost Valley by voluntarily restoring the Frost Valley Castle
HUNTER W. CORBIN
A dedicated trustee and Vice Chair of the Build Strong capital campaign committee, Hunter Corbin was a driving force in the success of Frost Valley’s “Build Strong” capital campaign.
ROBERT B. HAINES
Led the initiative to modernize the trustees’ bylaws and led the Committee on Trustees with its chief mission of positive self-governance. Robert Haines also led the board’s endowment subcommittee and saw that fund pass the $10 million mark a few years ago.
CHARLES J. “CHUCK” AND JOY WHITE
Charles White served as co-designer, planner, financial advisor, and general contractor for Margetts Lodge, the dialysis center, the replacement dining hall, Geyer Hall, and the first cabin-lodges. Joy White presided over the Wellness Center shifting its focus to prevention, education, fitness, self-examination, healthy diet, and ample rest for the staff.
BEVERLY GROSS SUTTON
Pioneered the culture and values of “Camp Wawayanda for Girls” (as it was first called) and then “Camp Henry Hird.”
JAMES “JIM” MARION
Served as Frost Valley’s Environmental Education Program Director from 1976-1990. Jim Marion pioneered many of the programs that still inspire generations of students and visitors to this day, such as The WOW (Wonders of Winter Program), Project Adventure, and the Maple Sugaring Program.
TED B. HILTON
A trustee for over forty years, Ted Hilton is a staunch supporter of Frost Valley’s Environmental Education Program. He was also instrumental in brokering the partnership between the Tison family and Frost Valley.
CHARLES & MARIE KREMER
Created a legacy of practicality and generosity that lives on through family and staff members who they have inspired through the years. Charles worked on the maintenance crew and Marie first worked as a chef, and then for many years as the office manager. The Kremer family have collectively committed over 110 years of service to further Frost Valley’s mission.
Read more about Charles and Marie
JOHN LEDLIE
During his impressive career spanning more than four decades, Ledlie was a pioneer forging the burgeoning path to what would become modern-day camping best practices.
HENRY “BUD” COX
Long-time camper turned staff turned legend, Bud Cox, founded the Adventure Camp program and so much more. For his historic engagement with every level of program and project at Camp Wawayanda and Frost Valley across eight decades – Bud Cox has been inducted into the Frost Valley YMCA Hall of Fame.
JAMES “JIM” VAUGHAN
Jim’s work at Frost Valley has enabled him to have a positive impact on kids and families for nearly 30 years as a Board Member and volunteer. For his consistent devotion to the aim of serving every child and every family, James Vaughan has been inducted into the Frost Valley YMCA Hall of Fame.
