Special offer

Yard Sale at Camp Wyldewood, Searcy AR. And look at the kids at camp!

By
Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Advantage

My mail today was so relevant.  I opened the envelope and this invitation fell out.  It was relevant because just a day or two ago my blog buddy Anita Hart Fuller, who grew up in Searcy AR and still has a love for this town, had sent me photos of some scenes from camp at this very same Camp Wyldewood.  Camp Wyldewood is located just North of Searcy and has been visited by Searcy children along with children from lots of other towns for as many years as I can remember.  I believe I sent my kids to it at least once.

This brochure makes me wonder what they're going to be selling at this yard sale.

Camp Wyldewood yard sale

Here's a photo with happy kids arriving at camping.  I think Anita is one and she says that Eloise Bleidt, Ann Strother and Clydell Neal are others.  Girls at Camp Wyldewood

She says the next one is of Clydell Neal, who still lives in Searcy AR.

Clydell Neal at Camp Wyldewood

This one is inside the dining hall.  Look at those hanging light bulbs.

Camp Wyldewood yard sale

And what is camp if you have no swimming pool?  Here it is in the 50's when the girls were at camp.

Camp Wyldewood yard sale

And finally, the kids have to eat and the kitchen is pictured. 

Camp Wyldewood kitchen

Thanks, Anita, for sharing these old photos!!

Comments (16)

Michael Bergin
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - ABR - SRES - Alexandria, VA
Northern Virginia Real Estate

Barbara, it looks like they are shutting it down or they will be doing a giant remodel. Please keep us informed about this magical place.

Aug 19, 2010 03:21 PM
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Perhaps a preview of Squirrel Out Of Hell Two would be in order. I can arrange to preform for a modest fee. Wheatloaf, cousin of vacationing Godson, Nutsy

Aug 19, 2010 04:23 PM
Anonymous
Harold Gene Sullivan

I worked one summer as a counselor there, about 1950.  This brought back memories.

The camp was right next to B-Rock, an old quarry where my family would go for evening picnics and 22 shooting.

Aug 19, 2010 05:41 PM
#3
Charles Edwards Bentonville
Coldwell Banker Harris McHaney & Faucette 479-253-3796 - Bentonville, AR
AR REALTOR, Bentonville Real Estate Agent and Broker

Wonderful. I think lots of happy memories were made at Camp Wyldewood. I loved going to camp as a kid. Ours was Camp Wakuta in Freedom, NH.

Aug 20, 2010 12:20 AM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Michael, it almost reads that way, doesn't it?  I need to investigate further.

Wheatloaf, you might be bad for impressionable young campers.......

Harold Gene, B-Rock could be a blog subject.  I used to take my kids out there to play but I admonished them NEVER to climb on that straight-down ladder of steps that looked so scary.  Remember those?  Wonder if they are still there?  Wish I had a picture of those things.  I, personally, couldn't bear looking at them because I'm not comfortable with heights.  The kids, naturally, confessed lated to disobeying me and climbed those things.

Charles, wonder if kids still go to camp and sleep in un-airconditioned huts?

 

Aug 20, 2010 01:24 AM
Don Thompson
Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

 

Here's Paula's story about Camp Wildewood.

Camp Wyldewood - 1948

I do not remember how I came to go to Camp Wyldewood, but I'm sure that my parents thought it would be a neat thing to do. So, after completing the 7th grade, I got ready to attend my first summer camp. It was 1948 and the camp had just opened, so I was a charter camper. I did not realize until later what a wonderful experience it was. The good news was that it was not too far away, so it was a short trip. And you know another thing was that we did not have a car at the time so, again, I do not know how I got there. But my good friends Pat and Johnice Young, were going, and I have an idea that was one of the selling points.

As I recall, there were not too many campers that first year. There was only one cabin for the girls, and one or two for the boys. I do believe that some did sleep in the lodge hall. The cabins had the smell of newly milled wood (almost as good as new car leather) and the bunk beds were a new experience. I slept on the top bunk.

The lodge hall was the dining area and some other activities were performed there.. Of course we had Bible classes, lots of singing and swimming. With all the woods around, it was a great nature place, and it was so peaceful..... Since there was no pool, we were bused to Harding's pool for the activity. However, there was a lot of concern about Polio and, after the first or second day, we started swimming in the Little Red River, just a hop, skip and a jump from camp. It was really fun.

Wonder if there were polio bugs in the river??? Being new and out in the woods, it meant that there were a few changes from home, like no indoor plumbing, so we had outdoor potties and showers. Man, was that water cold! I do believe if we had to take showers with cold water these days that folks would not use so much.

I am sure you remember some camp experiences and how you make new friends and then, when it is time to leave, you had to go, and you cry and promise to write. The picture shows Pat and Johnice Young. Johnice is top left, Pat is top center and I'm lower right in the picture, taken by our camp counselor. The rest of the girls were from other towns and I don't remember their names.

Camp Wyldewood is a Christian camp sponsored by the Church of Christ. Read about it at http://www.campwyldewood.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back from the Mediterranean.

 

Aug 20, 2010 04:31 AM
Anonymous
Anita Fuller

Great memory, Paula....good pic. also.   My memory is that even though the camp where I was a counselor was only one week (and maybe even just 5 days)....by the last night some of us were STARVING for a hamburger.  We got with some of the other counselors who promised to do our work for us, and we set off, walking into town.  I remember we went in the Rialto Theater, walked up and down the aisles seeing any of our friends who might be there.  DO NOT REMEMBER if we got the hamburgers, but I do remember, vividly that when walking back to the camp, the camp director, Dr. John Lee Dykes passed by in his car.....saw us, took us back to camp and gave us an admonishing I will NEVER forget.

At camp most kids have nicknames.  As Clydell Neal and I had the same favorite movie star (favorite movie starts were big in those days)...we called each other "Doris"....for Doris Day.   If I saw Cyldell on the street today I would probably say "Hi, Doris".

Aug 20, 2010 06:08 AM
#7
Anonymous
Harold Gene Sullivan

I remember the steep steps very well, seems that they were really narrow just when they got to be the steepest.  I use to know the exact number of steps but can recall now.  They went from the river up to the water works.  Searcy got their water from the, in those days, muddy Little Red River.  I marveled when I looked into the pools at the water works and saw all the "things" settling out of the water that we were going to drink.  They put something in it that made all the gunk ball up and fall to the bottom.

Aug 20, 2010 08:31 AM
#8
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Barbara,

Wheatloaf is a great performer but, even at half rate, he is $5000 bucks a show.

Aug 20, 2010 09:33 AM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Don and Paula, welcome back!  I guess you'll be around Arkansas long enough to wash clothes and then be off again!  Paula, that was a beautiful memory that you wrote.  I enjoyed it and so will everyone else.  Harding still owns Wyldewood and I need to go out there just to see what is going on at the sale. 

Anita, you little sneak!!  LOL  Today's kids couldn't even dream of walking as far as you all walked.  It's a long way to town from Wyldewood if you are afoot.  But what a fun memory!  As your kids grew up you could have said, "I walked 5 miles to get a hamburger!" 

Harold Gene, wonder if Anita (bold little devil that she was) ever did those steps?  I still wish I had a picture of those things.

Wheatloaf, thanks but no thanks.....I'll wait for Nutsy who performs for free for me.

Aug 20, 2010 10:19 AM
Charles Edwards Bentonville
Coldwell Banker Harris McHaney & Faucette 479-253-3796 - Bentonville, AR
AR REALTOR, Bentonville Real Estate Agent and Broker

Barbara, In New Hampshire where we went to camp there was absolutley no need for air conditioning. I grew up across the border in Maine and if it was 85 we thought we were dyng from the heat.

Great blog and some terrific comments.

Aug 20, 2010 01:11 PM
Anonymous
Sherry Person

These are great pictures.

I went to Camp Tahkodah 2 summers and loved it.

I wish someone would submit pictures of it.

It is now a Church of Christ camp, but it wasn't when I was there in the fifties.

Aug 21, 2010 05:49 AM
#12
Steven L. Smith
King of the House Home Inspection, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham WA Home Inspector

Barbara,

You probably made a good decision to pass on paying 5K to Wheat. He is pretty busy right now.

Aug 21, 2010 02:04 PM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Charles, with your background, you have to be suffering badly with this AR heat.  It is awful!!

Sherry, you may have pictures of that camp.  Dig in and see and we can blog them.

Steven, don't tell Wheatmeatloaf but he will never be as desirable as Nutsy..........

Aug 21, 2010 03:04 PM
Don Thompson
Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

Hello from Bella Vista, AR.

Here's some scenes of Bee Rock from the 1919 Galloway College year book currently on eBay for $1950.

Scenes From Little Red River

Aug 24, 2010 02:07 AM
Barbara S. Duncan
RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR
GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Don, thanks.  Are we going to bid against each other for that book?  LOL  I still want a picture of that straight up ladder that scared me to death.  Surely you can find one for this blog.

Aug 24, 2010 04:55 AM