History

Camp Denison, formerly a thirty-six acre campground for inner-city youth, was located in the Towns of Georgetown and Boxford on the shores of Baldpate Pond. The Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses Inc. Denison House sponsered multi-lingual, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural programs for outdoor recreation and conservation, emphasizing quality of life and the habitat. As many as 2000 campers per season would attend annually and one area was developed for handicapped children which could operate throughout the year.

In June of 1997, the voters of Georgetown unanimously approved authorizing an expenditure for purchase of the Camp Denison property. The Boxford Board of Selectmen voted approval of Georgetown's purchase of the ten acres located in Boxford.

The Town of Georgetown acquired the property from the owners, Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, Inc., on February 25, 1998.

Camp Denison was purchased to preserve historic facilities of a once inner city camp, and to provide the public a high quality conservation and passive recreational facility.

Hundreds of hours have been put in at the camp by many dedicated persons supporting the Town's purchase of the property. There were also many committed to volunteering their services to maintain Camp Denison including much of the labor, skills and equipment needed to implement the necessary repairs.

Today Camp Denison is thirty-six acres of conservation land located in the Town of Georgetown, MA. Camp Denison is open to the public during daylight hours for the purpose of providing quality passive recreational and environmental experiences.

Great Hall Lodge

Great Hall lodge is situated overlooking Baldpate Pond and used for a variety of scheduled special permit group activities. During 1934, Georgetown's Alfred Tidd Builders began the process of constructing the "Great Lodge" at Camp Denison. It is a tribute to his skills that the rustic lodge remains today in remarkably the same condition as the day it was built. The historic lodge is built around a large chimney that contains two large natural stone fireplaces. Tables and benches are available to accommodate up to 100 people. The lower level contains the smaller four season Smokey's Den room and a great place for small group meetings and activities.