Memories of Camp Herrick, West Alton, New Hampshire

Camp Herrick, 1957

from the "Memories of Camp Herrick" website

If you grew up in Beverly, Massachusetts in the 1950s, especially if had a brother, father, family member or friend who belonged to Boy Scout Troop 2, you might have heard of Camp Herrick in West Alton, New Hampshire.  If not, perhaps there is a youth camp or scout camp in your family history with similar memories to you.  

Camp Herrick was owned and operated by the Dane Street Church in Beverly, the sponsors of  Boy Scout Troop 2.  My Dad was a member of the troop and of the church, even though his parents weren’t members.  The Dane Street Church was Congregational, and my grandparents were Baptists, then Seventh Day Adventists, and finally joined the Mormon Church when they retired and removed to California.  I think my father found fellowship and friendship at the Dane Street Church, and was a great friend of the minister there, the Reverend Bob Little.  Years later, when I was in the first grade, we moved 70 miles away to Holden, Massachusetts and found out that Rev. Little was the pastor of the First Congregational Church in Holden. 

I remember my Dad’s friends had very fond memories of Troop 2 and their summers at Camp Herrick.  

When I was very little my Dad and his friends would rent out a cabin at Camp Herrick, off season when the scouts weren’t there.  Several families would to spend the weekend together sleeping in bunks.  We were all very small children, and all the parents were young married couples.  I suppose it was a fun, inexpensive vacation, with lots of memories for the Dads. 

Photos of my Mom and Amelia McKenney

at Camp Herrick in the 1960s

Packing up the car, or unpacking?

Look how young they are! 

I don’t remember much about the Camp except for the bunk houses and the outhouses (always a fascinating memory of Boy Scout and Girl Scout camps).  I remember hiking to Lake Winnipesaukee (it seemed like a hike to me!).   Since I was just a little girl, I remember some odd things like the night it rained and pots from the mess hall were all over our bunk house to catch the drips. Since we were all bunking together in one big room I remember one Dad, Mr. Rose, was a world class snorer.  Most of my memories revolve around photos and slides of Camp Herrick.

Years later I remember my Dad driving around the lake trying to find Camp Herrick, but it had been sold by the church, and the land was abandoned.  My Dad, Jack Wilkinson, was from the Beverly High School class of 1953, and he passed away on 7 August 2002. 

It was fun for me to find a website online about Camp Herrick.  This website was built by former Boy Scouts, and is jam packed with photos, stories and memories.  It also has lists of campers by name, and some staff, and contact lists of men including an “In Memoriam” list.  Unfortunately, this website was last updated in 2011.  I hope the webmaster, William Nisbet from Beverly High School class of 1960, is still alive, or still well enough to keep up this wonderful place for memories. 

This letter is from the Camp Herrick Website, written by Dick Hemenway.

It reminds me of that song "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah, Here I am at Camp Grenada"

I wish I knew if my Dad had written home from Camp Herrick, and if Grammy saved the letters.

Dear Mom

I miss you very much    I

have decided that I cannot stay

two weeks.  I must go home with

you sunday.  I will pay 

the other 18 dollars back to you

out of my money I earn cutting

lawns and weeding.  If you do

not take me I will walk home.

This is not the kind of life for me.

I can not stay.  I will die if

I stay.  Today is Tuesday.  I have

not had much time to write. We

are going roller scakling

this after noon.  It is very

rainey. Please please write

I count the days, till I see you

Genealogical Information:

Camp Herrick was named for Carl Emery Herrick (1890 – 1962), the first scoutmaster of Troop 2, which was founded on 19 February 1915 at the Dane Street Church in Beverly.  I knew I had many Herricks in my family tree, so I looked up Carl’s genealogy.  I was surprised to see I was more closely related to him through the BEADLE, STONE and TUCK families than through the HERRICK family.

Carl Emery Herrick's Obituary

from the 4 January 1962 Boston Record American page 7

via GenealogyBank.com 

Generation 1:   Carl Emery Herrick, born 2 July 1890 in Deering, Maine, died January 1962 in Beverly, Massachusetts, married on 10 October 1911 in Beverly to Mollie Bell, the daughter of Arthur S. Bell and Mary E. Patch. 

Generation 2: Edward Everett Herrick, born 3 August 1839 in Beverly, died 15 November 1910 in Beverly, married second to Eva Wright Merrill, daughter of William Allen Merrill and Martha Nelson Emery.

Generation 3: Joshua Herrick, born 30 September 1797 in Beverly, married on 20 April 1823 in Beverly to Mary Ann Green.

Generation 4: Jonathan Herrick, born February 1775 in Beverly, died 24 October 1860 in Beverly; married on 20 March 1796 in Beverly to Lydia Wallis, daughter of Caleb Wallis and Rebecca Giles.  They were first cousins.

Generation 5: William Herrick, born 15 April 1736 in Beverly; married on 23 April 1759 in Beverly to Mary Wallis, the daughter of Daniel Wallis and Hannah Cressey.  She was born 18 September 1740 in Beverly.   Daniel Wallis’s mother was Sarah Stone, my 7^th great aunt, daughter of Nathaniel Stone and Remember Corning, my 8^th great grandparents.

Generation 6: William Herrick born 1709 in Beverly, died April 1783 in Beverly; married on 1 July 1731 to Mary Tuck, daughter of John Tuck and Sarah Shaw.  She was born 13 April 1710 in Beverly.  John Tuck is the son of John Tuck (1646-1722) and Rachel Unknown, my 9^th great grandparents.  (I descend from his brother, George Tuck (1678-1751).

Generation 7: Henry Herrick, baptized on 25 August 1672 in Beverly, died 28 September 1747 in Beverly; married on 23 July 1694 in Salem to Susanna Beadle, daughter of Samuel Beadle and Hannah Lemon (my 8^th great grandparents, I descend from her brother Lemon Beadle (1680 – 1717).  She was born 20 April 1676 in Salem and died 1749 in Beverly. (If you think this name is funny, they passed it on to their grandchild, son of William Herrick and Mary Tuck was named Lemmon Herrick)

Generation 8:  Zachary Herrick, born 25 December 1636 in Salem, died 1695, married about 1653 to Mary Dodge, daughter of Richard Dodge and Edith Brayne.  She died on 18 August 1710 in Beverly.  I descend from Zachary's brother, Henry Herrick. 

Generation 9: Henry Herrick, born 16 August 1604 in Loughborough, Leicester, England and died 20 July 1671, Beverly, Massachusetts; married about 1630 to Editha Laskin, daughter of Hugh Laskin and Alice Unknown.  She was born about 1613 in England and died 1677 in Beverly, Massachusetts. (Henry and Edith are my 11th great grandparents, I descend from their son, Henry Herrick (1640 -1702)

For more information:

The unofficial Camp Herrick Boy Scout Camp Website  http://campherrick.wfnisbet.com/

Camp Herrick blog (abandoned 2006)   http://campherrick.blogspot.com/

This page has a nice biography of Rev. Little  http://campherrick.wfnisbet.com/danestreet.html

The website for the Dane Street Church, Beverly, Massachusetts  http://www.danestchurch.org/

Troop 2 is still active, and approaching their 100^th anniversary !     http://www.troop2beverly.com/

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Memories of Camp Herrick, West Alton, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 9, 2014, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/memories-of-camp-herrick-west-alton-new.html:  accessed [access date]).