Pigeons, hiding in the archives 

“I was sentenced to be in charge of the pigeon program for a couple of years starting in 1959. It was then that I realized why the telephone got invented,” Ken commented, wryly.

When asked what the most interesting thing she’s uncovered in her work with the archives, Grace Lauer shared that “back in the days before satellite or cell phones, tripping groups would bring carrier pigeons with them on trips. They had aluminum cylinders that the counselors would put a message in and send the birds back to camp. They only had one or two chances to send a message.”

Ken Lippin, Warren counselor and photographer from 1959-62, began working on the Warren archives in 1995. He seconded Grace’s account of the pigeons, adding that when he was on staff at camp his least favorite job was cleaning out the pigeon coops. His favorite memory involved the public reveal of each pigeon’s message.

“A bird would arrive and I would remove a tiny message from the little aluminum capsule attached to the pigeon’s leg. Then I read the message in each of the dining halls — making a big production out of it. A lot of the messages involved pleas to send more toilet paper — mostly as a gag, I hoped. In the midst of all the fun, I had to feed the birds and clean the coop daily. The feeding part was fun.”

In John Rowe’s tapes recounting his time at Warren, he explained  how the pigeons connected campers in far-off places.

“Frequently, they [the pigeons] would go out in overnight canoe trips where they might be released on a particular day with a message. The pigeon crew would check the loft and when the particular pigeon came back they would remove then the message and read it in the first meal in the dining room. … I remember one year where the messages which came back from trips were all kept on file, and at the end of the year many were printed on a page of the Camp Warren “Trails.” They made an interesting reading collection.”

Grace was a YMCA Camp Warren camper for 10 years, a counselor-in-training, and later spent four years on the staff team (2016-19). She currently serves on the board of directors as the camp archivist, alongside her fellow historian, Ken, who spent a breathtaking 30 years in that role.

“History is inside everyone who has been to camp,” Grace said. But it takes someone — or in this case, two someones — to get them to retell it. Ken and Grace are those two people working hard to organize and catalogue the photos, videos and historical documents that have accumulated over the nearly 100 years of Camp Warren’s story-filled history.

Grace and Ken are working towards different goals, looking ahead to camp’s 100th anniversary in 2027.

For Ken, “the hundredth is the impetus to consolidate the history that’s been accumulating.” His goal is to sift through thousands of photographs and find topics of interest, such as buildings that are no longer there or activities the camp doesn’t do anymore. He also plans to get all of 
the photos cataloged.

While reflecting on the prep work that will need to be accomplished before that event, Ken laughed and emphasized that despite an 88th birthday in 2027, “I will attend the hundredth, even if I have to crawl up there.”

Grace, too, is eagerly preparing for this significant event and has a goal of putting together two books in time to incorporate them into the celebration. She hopes that the books can be used as a fundraising tool and serve as an official historical document of camp as we set a path to chart the next one hundred years of Warren.

Hours of work, thousands of photos scanned, a century of stories and memories at their fingertips.

In conversations over the summer, Ken and Grace gave us a sneak peak into the incredible photos and stories of the Camp Warren of yesteryear, telling little bits of that long story for the readers of Letters From Camp. Enjoy.

“The Camp Warren experience didn’t just happen. It was built over time by a lot of good people, and I think it is important that we retain the memory of this place.” — Ken

The returning campers put in at the far end of the lake, and the entire camp turns out to welcome them back. “I wouldn’t be who I am without Camp Warren. It instilled in me many of my values, and I experienced a level of belonging that I haven’t found anywhere else. And that camp culture does not survive without storytelling.” — Grace

“I think the Camp Warren experience makes us much more interesting people than we might otherwise have become. Camp changed my life in multiple ways, some of which I was not even conscious of for years. It creates a debt of gratitude. How do you define the Camp Warren spirit? You can’t. Anyone who has lived it knows it.” — Ken.

At right, you can see the difference especially in this face of [Jack Edie] in the photo. “Some of the most important memories I have of camp were learning to see the world through young eyes. The kids had a real sense of wonder at the Warren natural world at hand — whether it was their first glimpse of a bald eagle, standing together and watching a moose swim across the lake, or catching a sunfish on a fly they tied during a fishing activity on a rainy day.”  — Ken

“I had a ten year old camper who was gangly, and looked like the wind would blow him away. He couldn’t do much of anything involving physical coordination. He wanted to swim but couldn’t pass his swim test. Mostly, he lacked confidence. I managed to finally convince him he could pass his test.  I let it be known to everyone that he was going to go for it. Half the camp showed up to cheer him on. It was so hard, but he passed that test. Magic happens in character building.” — Ken

“Most of us didn’t appreciate John Rowe until several years after camp. His single-minded emphasis on the quality of experience for campers — everything at camp revolved around campers’ experience and making it the best it could be. In the process, we were having a ball. He communicated that vision in so many ways, unflinchingly, creating an environment of quality and learning and appreciation for so many things. He lived the example.” — Ken