In the summer of 1861, educator Frederick Gunn organized a camp for boys and girls at his boarding school, marking the beginning of the American summer camp tradition.
According to Michael Smith, summer camp has always involved 'adults projecting their own ambivalence about modern life onto children,' influenced by rapid industrialization after the Civil War.
As families moved from rural areas to crowded cities, concerns grew over the repercussions of urbanization on children’s character; adults believed time in nature could restore their heritage.
The Gunnery Camp's success, remembered as 'a jocund ten days,' demonstrates the historical context of summer camps as functions of societal concerns for children's development.
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