Our Buildings Make Overnight Camp Experiences Possible

Camp Magruder has hosted hundreds of thousands of campers for overnight retreats, outdoor school, and summer camp since 1945. Our sleeping lodges hold over 270 beds total, but sleeping is not the only thing going on there. Friendships are built and strengthened, meaningful conversations take place, and memories are forged that rush back anytime a former guest steps foot in that building again. 

Smith & Herron Are Two of Our Oldest Lodges, and It's Showing. 

The Smith and Herron Lodges have been with Camp Magruder since 1947--just two years after the camp began. Many wonderful experiences have been had over the years there, but they are showing great wear from those years. Walls, floors, and bathrooms have deteriorated, creating serious concern for their sustainability. The 30-year-old furnace in Herron Lodge has gone out and couldn't be replaced until these major renovations occur leaving it without heat for the last 2 years.  We are beginning work now to avoid irreversible deterioration. Contractors are at work now stripping the walls, floors, and ceilings so we can build back a stronger, more modern interior.

We Have Exciting Plans to Renovate These Buildings 

While we remove the Smith & Herron walls and floors for repair, we will completely reshape the floor plan of the building, creating 9 rooms, each with sleeping for 4-6 people, each with its own bathroom, similar to rooming at Edwards Lodge. The breezeway between the two buildings will be enclosed and become a central meeting space but will have large windows to retain the breezeway feel so many love. We will retain one kitchen space with oven, fridge, sink, and cabinet space.  The work to renovate has begun, and we plan to be celebrating the completion of the new Smith & Herron building by the time Outdoor School students return in March 2026.

Your Participation Helps Bring a Year-Long Campaign to a Close

This project will cost $450,000-$500,000, and we are confident we can raise the funds necessary with the support we have from so many. So far, we have raised about $315,000 with donations, grants, and pledges. During this Giving Season, we hope to bolster these efforts by getting a start on raising $15,000 from individual donors by the end of the year.

The work has already begun in Smith and Herron to strip out the deteriorating parts of the interior, and your gift will help ensure we can finish all our plans for this project. Reaching our entire fundraising goal will ensure we can cover unforeseen costs, replace the aging roof, and place a deck outside the west door for people to continue to gather outdoors. 

Your gifts will help the building better serve modern guest groups, leadership members, and people with additional needs, making camp lodging more accommodating to wider ranges of people, which will allow Camp Magruder to more reliably host groups we have not been able to comfortably house before. 

Contact

If you have any questions about giving or sharing this campaign on social media, contact  Claire Land at (503) 802-9222 and claire@umoi.org or Troy Taylor at 503-355-2310 and troy@campmagruder.org