The Fellowship Story - A Camp in Three Days

Excerpts from "The Story of Camp Fellowship" by Harry B. Fraser, January, 1971
            At a meeting of the Education Committee in the Clinton First Church early in 1947, I was asked to look for a possible campsite on Lake Greenwood.  After many days of looking and inquiring I realized that I did not know enough about the property ownership around the lake, and what property might be available.  I then went to Rev. James Overholser, pastor of the Greenwood First Church, to get him to help me out along this line.  He called one of his deacons, who was familiar with the property around the lake.   This deacon told him of a certain piece of land owned by Henry Williams and his two sisters; and this property was for sale.  We called Foster McCaslan, who knew these people, and knew where the property was located.  The three of us went to see the property that day and found it to be the four (3 ¾) acres which form the point of land on the lake that is now part of our camp.
            Because Presbytery was scheduled to meet the next day in Providence Church in Lowndesville we went that afternoon to see Henry Williams.  We found that they were asking $2500.00 for the property.  We had heard that they had bought it to build a night club there, but the people who owned homes on the lake had gotten out an injunction against it.  We knew the price was too high for us, but after talking awhile and explaining what we wanted to use it for he offered to sell it for $1100.00.  He called his sister who lived in Greenwood (the other sister lived in Columbia) and she agreed to sell it for that price.  To seal the agreement we got an option on it for $50.00.  We were all set then to present the proposition to Presbytery the next day.
            At the meeting of Presbytery the matter of buying the land and building a camp was presented.  After many questions, much discussion and some opposition, the Presbytery voted to buy it and to set about raising $10,000 to build the camp.  Some brethren in Presbytery felt that the amount requested was too much to spend on a camp for just two weeks in the summer.  They were assured, however, that the camp was for a year-round-program.  With these matters settled in Presbytery, we secured a deed to the land on April 25, 1947, and began making plans for buildings that would be best suited for the needs of the camp...                  [READ MORE]