FLC for Boys Begins
Forest Lake Camp for Boys opened in 1926, the year after Harold T. Confer, Athletic Director at Freeport High School on Long Island, bought the first 200 acres around Forest Lake. He saw that the land, lake and mountains would be an ideal setting for young people to spend the summer.
At that time, the property included a farmhouse and an historic inn that used to be on the stagecoach route from Chestertown to Saratoga Springs. While the camp has grown and modernized in many ways over the years, the original farmhouse and old inn are still here.
In 1954 Harold’s son Philip took over, he and his wife Sally ran the summer camp for the next 32 years. Their son Gary took up the reins in 1986. During Phil’s tenure, the summer camp bought an additional 200 acres on the other side of Forest Lake, completely protecting the shoreline from development and giving ample space for hiking trails, overnight camping trips, and other outdoor activities.
Girls Camp Arrives
1990 was a historic year for FLC, as it was the inaugural year of Forest Lake Camp for Girls. Girls Camp was founded at the impetus of Alumni who wanted their daughters to have the same life-expanding opportunities they had enjoyed in their youth. Now, years later, it’s hard to imagine a time before Forest Lake Camp for Girls!
From that time, Girls Camp has grown to be equal in size to boys camp and with the opening of a new Girls Cabin for the summer of 2019, the two camps will be exactly equal in size.
The Ownership
Forest Lake Camp is owned by the Blanck and Kelly families. Geoff Blanck was a second generation camper in the 1970’s and 1980’s along with his brother Rob whose father, Bob, was an FLC camper, CIT and counselor in the 50’s and 60’s. Geoff’s two daughters are now the third generation of his family to attend FLC and his wife Shalagh runs the Camp Store where you’ll find her during just about every changeover day.
Tobin Kelly was a long time camper, counselor and Head Counselor at Camp Tohkomeupog in New Hampshire from the late 70s through the Mid 90s. Tobin’s daughter now attends Forest Lake Camp and you’ll often find his wife Margaret volunteering around camp during the summer.
