Locke Mountain Camp (1941-1943)

Year(s) Operated: 1941-1943
Location: Coleman Falls, VA

Following the abandonment of Camp Tye Brook in 1940, Piedmont Area Council negotiated the temporary use of several properties in Central and Southside Virginia. From 1941 through 1943, H. E. DeWitt of Lynchburg made available the former Camp Chilarna property on Locke Mountain just west of the city. Chilarna was a private girls’ camp operated by Stella Camden during the 1930s, and featured a beautiful lake overlooked by a dwelling house and a row of camp cabins. In 1943, the theme of the summer was “Toughen Up and Buckle Down,” and a newspaper article reported that the camp staff intended to “toughen up the youths” so that they would be able to live up to the Scout Motto of “Be Prepared.” Activities that summer included an obstacle course, pre-ranger training, overnight hike, archery, woodwork, and water carnivals.