Pee Dee Area Council
CAMP COKER
[[1]] Camp Coker is a Boy Scout Camp located just outside Society Hill, [South Carolina], in the beautiful Sandhills region of the state. Camp Coker is the jewel in Scouting's crown in the Southeast Region. Fully accredited, Camp Coker offers programs and activities including COPE, Aquatics, Canoeing, Rowing, Sailing, Kayaking, Handicrafts, Rifle Shooting, Shotgun Shooting, Archery, Ecology and Environmental Science, Fishing, Natural Sciences, Scoutcraft, and Trailblazers (emphasis on Tenderfoot-to-First Class skills). Camp Coker is a year-round facility. In addition to the Boy Scout summer camp program held June to August each year, Camp Coker host a variety of events, from unit camping opportunities to training courses, Council events, District events, and Order of the Arrow functions.
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CAMP COKER HISTORY
Camp Pee Dee
According to the 1941 Camp Coker bulletin the question of how the site for Camp Coker was chosen is answered by a story about a good pot of fish stew. The bulletin recounts that a group of men from Darlington were out looking for a site to be used by the boy scouts for camping. The year was 1928 and the Scout Council was founded in July of that year with William E. Czarnitski as the first Scout Executive. The men traveled to a grist mill dam on Spot Mill Creek in Society Hill, SC. They had come for a fish stew but later decided that the land looked ideal for the camp site they had been searching for.
Soon after the trip buildings were constructed as the site was developed. The original camp was built on 80 acres and called Camp Pee Dee after the name of the council. The name Pee Dee is the name of an Indian tribe from the area as well as a regional name for this part of the state. The Pee Dee River flows just miles from the camp.
The camp was located on the site of an old plantation. Spot Mill Creek runs through the heart of this site. In the 19th century a dam was built, probably by slaves, to form a pond for a grist mill. Turpentine was also extracted from some of the tall pine trees on the land. (Tyson 1995)
In the original camp there were several buildings. The boys stayed in one of six screened-in cabins, each housing eight campers with four sets of bunk beds. The cabins were given names after famous Native American tribes such as Apache, Sioux, Iroquois, Cherokee, Navajo and Seminoles. In addition, there was one cabin for the cooks. The camp director, W. E. Czarnitski, also had a cabin near the entrance to camp that served as an office. The cabins were screened in with canvas that could be dropped down in case of rain. They also had a front porch that extended out a couple of feet.
The other original buildings at Camp Pee Dee were the dining hall and the handicraft lodge. The dining hall was built by men from Darlington in 1929. It was erected on a hill overlooking the cabins. It was built on stilts and the entrance was on the east side. Water came up to the dining hall from an electric pump located near the road. This dining hall was used until 1951 when it was torn down to make way for the new dining hall.
The Handicraft Lodge was located just below the cabins on a hill. Many projects were completed in the Handicraft Lodge. Among those that the boys worked on were leather vests, along with sets of bows and arrows.
Camp Pee Dee opened officially on July 1, 1929. Boys from Darlington, Sumter and Bennettsville were the first to use the camp with a total of about 40 boys in camp. The flag pole was located on a hill above the dining hall and the cabins. The boys assembled outside their cabins for flag ceremonies. The swimming area was located right off of the dam. A pier was constructed for use and a platform was built in the water for diving.
The camp newspaper, called the Pine Needles, reports a lot of the activities that were going on in camp. Morning inspections were conducted by Sgt. Murrel Rose of Fort Jackson with the Cherokee Cabin and the boys from Sumter being five-time winners. The paper reports there were no cases of homesickness although staff members Marion Yates and Dana Crosland were cited for love sickness. The best fisherman of the season was C. C. Griffen of Troop 14 in Bennettsville. He was responsible for landing three big jackfish in one day and causing a big stir in camp during the second week. A whole host of weekly individual awards were given out including biggest grouch, biggest eater, sloppiest Scout, funniest Scout, and the biggest "sheik" to name a few.
Camp Pee Dee Become Camp Coker
By the summer of 1932-33 the name of the council camp was changed from Camp Pee Dee to Camp Coker. The camp was now named after Charles Westfield Coker who was a prominent businessman. The lake at Camp Coker is named Lake Westwood in honor of Charles Westfield Coker and Joseph Norwood. Joseph Norwood was a developer who took the 2000 acre Cox Plantation and subdivided it into lots in the year 1915. On of those lots of 80 acres was the original land for the camp. (Tyson 2001)
Improvements on the camp followed at a steady rate. A map made in 1940 shows that among the new editions was a first aid lodge, the long house, a campfire ring, and a bridge to the island in the lake. The camp latrines were given affectionate names. Wilbert Bernshouse recalls that in 1943 they were called Egypt because, "that’s where the pyramids are". In 1944 he recalls them being called linen closets because everyone took there sheets their.
Camp Coker has gone through a number of different stages of growth from the original buildings in the summer of 1929 to what the camp looks like today. Many activities that boys at Camp Pee Dee enjoyed like swimming, archery, and handicraft making are still the foundation for the modern Camp Coker. Although the activities are similar, the buildings have changed. By using old photographs and maps it is possible to construct a sort of historical tour of Camp Coker.
There have been several waves of construction at Camp Coker. There are also three corresponding types of architecture that can be seen at camp. These waves were the original construction, development in the early 1950s and development between 1962-1963. There are some buildings at camp today which do not fall into these waves. Among these buildings are the old winter cabin, the shooting sports buildings, and the Shaw Training Center.
Bill Stallworth, who became scout executive in 1951, initiated the construction of several buildings at camp. The style of architecture used was basically concrete block. The current dining hall was among these buildings. It was constructed of concrete block and had a front porch. A storage building now called the warehouse was built east of the dining hall. Directly beside it was the new latrine and wash house which was the central shower for all boys at camp. This structure now serves as a paint shed.
A string of buildings was built along the road adjacent to the winter cabin. Among these additions was a trading post, health lodge and director’s cabin. A new dock was built at the waterfront along with a bridge leading to the swimming area from the central part of camp. Many troop camp sites were improved. A caretaker’s house was built prior to camp in 1951. (Hartsville Messenger, June 1951)
The camp was changed significantly during 1953 when Order of the Arrow members built a sand causeway across the lake just below the new parade ground and the hill the dining hall is on. A small bridge linked the causeway to the shore to allow for canoes to travel underneath. This really opened up the west side of camp for camping and later development.
The swimming area at camp during the 1950s featured a "T Dock" and had the canoes docked on the waterfront. A unique diving platform was also located a little further out from the dock.
1960's
The 1962-63 Construction at Camp Stallworth helped organize another big capital funds campaign for the camp in the early 1960s. He called on Pee Dee companies and private donors to pledge money and adopt a campsite or building to improve camp. All this was possible because attendance at camp was up with all of the baby boomers reaching scout age. Overall membership in scouting was up and Stallworth was able to harness this growth and use it to really create the modern Camp Coker.
Construction at camp took place during the winter of 1962-1963. Everything from the parking lot to the island got changed during this period. A front lawn was created with flag poles and a stone sign built to make the entrance into camp impressive. The parking lot was moved to above the lawn. A welcome shelter with men’s and women’s toilet facilities was built on the lawn. It was later named Stallworth Lodge in honor of Mr. Stallworth who was the driving force behind the campaign.
The style of architecture used for the new buildings was board and batten. A new changing house was built right up from the waterfront. Stallworth had a lifeguard tower built in the swimming area based on one he had seen at another camp. A new boat house with concrete boat docks for both sail boats and row boats was constructed. The dining hall also got a new side porch on its south side. Central shower facilities were built on each side of the lake.
The other major phase of the construction was the development of the modern campsites. The Belk Foundation, of Belk department store fame, financed a new camp site on the island and the name of the island was changed to Belk Island.
Many of the new campsites were on the west side of the lake. The new Burlington campsite was named after its donor, Burlington industries which had a big plant in Society Hill. Cayce campsite was supported by the Cayce family of Florence in honor of Frank Cayce who died of a parachute accident while at the Citadel. Prior to this the site was just called lake side. John Holliday of Galavants Ferry was a long time council supporter and Holliday campsite was named after him. (Tyson 1995)
This was the last major renovation of Camp Coker. Almost all of the things built by Stallworth and the supporters of the campaign in the early 1960s remain. Some buildings have been added in the thirty plus years following the camp redevelopment plan. Most of them were donated by families in honor of someone.
Later Construction at Camp
The shooting sports program area of camp has been developed over the last 25+ years. The Hackett Rifle Range was built in 1974 in honor of Harley B. Hackett of Florence who was a former Santee Lodge member. He was shot down while flying a mission in Southeastern Asia in 1968. The Doug Sprague archery building was built in 1986. He had been on camp staff five summers and was killed in a robbery. His father Bill Sprague, who was Chairman of the Council Camping Committee, had it built.
The Shaw Training Center was built in honor of Charlie Shaw in 1988. This modern building has several bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a kitchen and a large meeting room. Often times this is used as the site of district committee meetings and other functions. Camp staffers who have nicknamed the building the "Camp Coker Hilton".
The Copenhaver family of Hartsville donated money for a new campsite and renovated the camp chapel in 1983. The campsite is located to the right of the causeway just down from the rifle range. It also included a new screened in shelter.
In 1990 Henry Moree of Society Hill donated money for a campsite in his name which was built above Holliday campsite. In 1986 Moree purchased the most of the property across the main road from camp and constructed a hunting preserve and motocross racetrack on the land.. The motocross still holds races on occasion much to the aggravation of peace and quiet lovers at camp.
Camp Coker has seen many new improvements over the last five years. Santee Lodge is responsible for a new toilet house located between the Dining Hall and Council Ring. This facility was badly needed because at the time there were no good restroom facilities near the dining hall. The only toilet in the dining hall was reserved for the cooks and it got aggravated when flushed too many times. The lodge received a matching grant from the National Order of the Arrow to assist in its construction.
The lodge also paid for the first component of the newly developed C.O.P.E. course at camp by funding the zip line tower. At the time the council was in a rush to get the course underway to meet a deadline for new and stricter regulations. The lodge executive committee agreed to pay several thousand dollars to have the main poles used in the tower treated. Later the zipline and other components of the C.O.P.E. course were added.
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