FOHI News

Collecting Pieces of the Past for Generations to Come

As a project of Friends of Hog Island, the Hog Island History Project (HIHP) has targeted the Audubon Camp’s 75th anniversary in 2011 for the release of a comprehensive history of Hog Island.

With the working title Mother Church: A History of the Hog Island Audubon Camp — from an expression borrowed from first Camp director Carl Buchheister — historian Tom Schaefer is gathering books, articles, stories, and memorabilia from the last century to use in the writing of the anticipated monograph of Hog Island.

The History Project seeks to tell the story of Hog Island through the voices of those who have been moved during time spent there, from Mabel and David Todd, through Millicent and Walter Bingham, and on to the myriad staff and campers of the Audubon Camp.

To date, the History Project has collected picture postcards from the Point Breeze Inn; island photographs from the Todd Bingham family archive; and recorded interviews with Bart and Ginny Cadbury, Dur and Peggy Morton, Art Borror, and Joe Johansen. The Project also has a variety of archival tapes, including Millicent Todd Bingham’s presentation to campers in 1950 and a variety of recordings by Carl Buchheister.

The HIHP needs:

  • Clear photographs of campers, field trips, and activities on the island. Any season would be welcome, but the older the better.
  • Stories of people who were impacted by their island time. Written stories welcome, or personal interview can be scheduled.
  • Data on significant contributions in science and the humanities that grew from experience on Hog Island.

How to contribute

History Project chair Tom Schaefer will travel to collect interviews from significant island contributors. He is also serving as a clearinghouse for photographs, stories, articles, and memorabilia. Contact him with questions, ideas, suggestions, and physical contributions.