Parks seeks to revitalize Camp Woodlee
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But it is his affiliation with the 4H Club that is the motivation for his current project, the renewal of Camp Woodlee here in Warren County.
Camp Woodlee has had a long association with 4-H Club, according to Parks, who has been coming to the camp for over 50 years. Parks was a 4-H All Star and former State Big Chief, and now the former camper has recently taken over as camp caretaker, an unpaid position, in an effort to renovate the camp and its buildings and encourage people to use the facility again.
Parks says the history of the camp goes back well over a half century.
‘It actually goes back prior to WWII,” Parks said. ‘The camp does not, but the concept does. And that is because of the close, almost family-like relationship between the older ag-extension leaders here, Fred W. Colby being the one I’ll start with, and then a few years later, Hobert Massey.
‘They had a bond with many of the farm folks, showing them new ways, improved ways, of health and hygiene, how to plow on contours and plant and possibly think about nursery stock.”
Parks said this was particularly evident in the Irving College community and the good will generated by these efforts played a big part later on in the Woodlee family’s decision to donate the land for the camp. At the time, in the early 1940s, there was talk of establishing a new district 4-H Club camp, and Colby felt Warren County would be a good location. Soon the Woodlees were involved.
‘The Woodlees, in ’49, began trying to give the land,” Parks said. ‘The gentleman who had the idea was E.K. senior, and in the late ’40s he was getting in real bad health. His oldest son, O.C. Sr., was the one that actually consummated the gift of the original 27 acres in memory of and memorializing his father, E.K.”
Parks said the Woodlees wanted to give the land if it could be used for educating young people. Eventually another 14 acres or so was donated by O.C. Woodlee’s family after his death, bringing the total to over 41 acres.
Camp Woodlee did eventually become a district 4-H Club camp, and Parks said it’s heyday began in the 1950s and continued into the 60’s, though it pretty much ended when campers were moved to other camps in the area.
‘It was 1954 through 1965,” Parks said. ‘The junior campers were moved from here to Crossville in ’62. Senior camp and state camp continued here in ’62, ’63, ’64 and ’65, and then no more.”
Camp Woodlee continued to see some use over the years, but never to the extent of the period when it was an official 4-H camp. Parks was instrumental in helping form a Camp Woodlee Alumni Association, which has been in existence for 35 years now, and has worked to try and keep the camp going.
After a visit to the camp earlier this year, Parks felt the facility he had grown to love over the years was rapidly deteriorating and decided to try and do something about it.
In order to do this, he has formed a group called Camp Woodlee Friends which is dedicated to bringing the camp back to usable condition. The organization will be working under the oversight and with the cooperation of the Camp Woodlee Board of Trust. Annual dues for the group will be $40, but donations above that amount are needed and would be greatly appreciated. All dues and donations are tax deductible and will be used to renovate the camp.
Donation checks should be made out to Camp Woodlee General Fund, and mailed to: Charles Curtis, Sec.-Treas. c/o P.O. Box 313, Columbia, TN. 38401.
For more information visit the group’s Web site at www.CampWoodlee.com, or contact Steve Parks at (931) 692-2020 or by e-mail at [email protected].