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Camp Kinderland Records

Call Number

TAM.439

Date

1924-2014, inclusive

Creator

Camp "Kinderland" (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) (Role: Donor)
Falk, Huey (Role: Donor)
Itzkowitz, Fay (Role: Donor)

Extent

30.2 Linear Feet in 3 film cans, record cartons, 36 manuscript boxes, 2 half manuscript boxes, 1 card box, and 5 flat boxes
1 websites
62 videocassettes (vhs)
6 sound discs (cd)
4 dvd-r disks
2 sound tape reels
3 film reels
6 audiocassettes
10 videocassettes (vhs-c)
6 videocassettes (hi8)
14.6 Gigabytes in 62 files

Language of Materials

Most of the collection is in English, but a few materials are in Yiddish.

Abstract

Camp Kinderland was founded on Sylvan Lake in Hopewell Junction, NY in 1923 by members of the Workmen's Circle who worked in the organization's New York City schools. The camp's founders sought to create a summer youth camp that would not only provide a recreational escape for the children of working people from the tenements of New York City, but also one whose culture would encourage and foster a commitment to socially progressive activism and the embracing of a rich Jewish secular tradition. The camp's founders, including some activists in the Communist Party, were associated with the left wing of the Workermen's Circle. From 1930 the Camp operated under the auspices of a branch of the International Workers order. In the 1950s, under the pressure of New York State "anti-subversive" investigations, it was incorporated independently. The collection contains administrative records (including legal and financial records, property and maintenance files, registration and membership records), files relating to Camp Kinderland's cultural programs both in and out of season, publicity materials, oral histories, and photographic and audiovisual materials.

Historical Note

Camp Kinderland was founded on Sylvan Lake in Hopewell Junction, NY in 1923 by members of The Workmen's Circle who worked in the organization's New York City Schools. The camp's founders sought to create a summer youth camp that would not only provide a recreational escape for the children of working people from the tenements of New York City, but also encourage and foster a commitment to socially progressive activism and the embracing of a rich Jewish secular tradition. Responding to a growing demand from parents of campers and other visitors, many of whom had already taken to sleeping on dining-hall floors, Kinderland would quickly establish an adult wing, Camp Lakeland.

Both the youth and adult camps provide summer recreation opportunities found at most camps. Recreational activities include swimming, hiking, camping and outdoor sports, as well as cultural activities such as music, drama, dance and the arts. The camp's culture is both officially and informally grounded in the Jewish tradition of progressive activism, with its core values of peace, social justice, activism, civil rights, Yiddishkeit, and friendship.

From less than one hundred campers in its first year, Camp Kinderland grew quickly, and by 1933 close to 500 children filled over thirty bungalows and tent groupings. In 1930, the leftist wing of the Workmen's Circle, along with Camp Kinderland, split off to form the International Worker's Order (IWO). The Camp was formally sponsored by the Jewish People's Fraternal Order of the IWO. Although New York State declared the IWO a "Communist-allied" organization in 1954 and revoked its charter, Camp Kinderland was able to continue by incorporating independently. Kinderland did come under scrutiny from the FBI as a Communist-affiliated organization, and its manager, David Greene, was called to testify before the House Committee on Unamerican Activites in 1955.

In 1971, after years of increasing county taxes and declining numbers of campers, the board and directors sold the Camp's property in Hopewell Junction and relocated to a rented property in Fitchville, Connecticut. After five years of renting sites for the Camp in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New York, Kinderland purchased property in 1976 in Tolland, Massachusetts. In the same year camp was re-incorporated by the state of NY, with offices at 1 Union Square in Manhattan. Among the prominent participants in the Camp's cultural program have been Paul Robeson and Pete Seeger, and notable alumni include Chesa Boudin, Jules Dassin, Max Kellerman, Spencer Ackerman and Marisa Tomei.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into 13 series:

Series I: Administrative Records, 1925-2006
Series II: Financial Records, 1934-1996
Series III: Property and Maintenance Records, 1933-1999
Series IV: Registration and Membership Office Records, 1953-2008
Series V: Cultural Programs, 1937-2003
Series VI: Publicity, 1947-2007
Series VII: Off-Season Programs, 1957-2009
Series VIII: 2013 Accession of Camp Kinderland Records
Series IX: Photographic Materials, 1924-2010
Series X: Audiovisual Materials, 1951-2005
Series XI: Objects, 1954-1999
Series XII: Archived Website
Series XIII: 2017 Accretion, 1937-2014

Files are arranged alphabetically within Series I-VIII; chronologically within Series IX; and chronologically by box number within Series X-XI, with the exception of Series XIII which has not been arranged by an archivist.

Scope and Contents

The collection contains administrative records (including financial records, property and maintenance records, registration and membership records), and records relating to Camp Kinderland's cultural programs both in and out of season, publicity materials, oral histories, and photographic and audiovisual materials. These materials document the the founding, incorporation history, physical plant, staffing and day to day operations of Camp Kinderland, at its various locations. The Camp's underlying political commitments, values and cultural programs are also documented. A number of files illustrate the Camp's reunions, and the continuing ties it maintained with several generations of former campers.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use materials in the collection in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date; Camp Kinderland Records; TAM 439; Box number; Folder number; or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.

Location of Materials

Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please request materials at least two business days prior to your research visit to coordinate access.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Materials were donated by Camp Kinderland in 2008; additional materials were donated by Huey Falk in 2011 and by Fay Itzkowitz in 2013 and 2017. The accession numbers associated with these gifts are 2008.024, 2008.025, 2011.110, 2013.028, and 2018.001.

Custodial History

Archived website was migrated from the California Digital Library's Web Archiving Service to the Internet Archive's Archive-It Service in November 2015. The link to California Digital Library was removed in October 2017.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Due to the fragile nature of the original materials, researchers must use the digitized versions of the glass negatives in Boxes 44-47.

Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures

Access to audiovisual materials in this collection is available through digitized access copies. Researchers may view an item's original container, but the media themselves are not available for playback because of preservation concerns. Materials that have already been digitized are noted in the collection's finding aid and can be requested in our reading room. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact special.collections@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Due to technical or privacy issues, archived websites may not be exact copies of the original website at the time of the web crawl. Certain file types will not be captured dependent on how they are embedded in the site. Other parts of websites that the crawler has difficulty capturing includes Javascript, streaming content, database-driven content, and highly interactive content. Full-Text searches of archived websites are available at https://archive-it.org/organizations/567.

Born-Digital Access Policies and Procedures

Advance notice is required for the use of computer records. Original physical digital media is restricted. An access terminal for born-digital materials in the collection is available by appointment for reading room viewing and listening only. Researchers may view an item's original container and/or carrier, but the physical carriers themselves are not available for use because of preservation concerns.

Collection processed by

Alexander Bloom and Michael Beebe, 2009.

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-09-13 10:19:32 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid is in English

Processing Information

Photographs separated from this collection during processing were established as a separate collection, the Camp Kinderland Photographs (PHOTOS 267). In 2014, the photograph collection was reincorporated into the Camp Kinderland Records (TAM 439). In 2014, the archived websites were added as Series X. In 2018 an accretion from late 2017 was accessioned, rehoused, and intellectually incorporated into the collection as Series XI, in accordance with the collection's existing series structure. In 2022, the entire collection was rehoused, resulting in additional series and folders, interfiling of materials, and the rearrangement of other folders; any new materials have been intellectually incorporated into the finding aid.

1 of 2 audio reels (1/4 inch) in box 41, Barcode 31142067192479, was identified as moldy on November 22, 2022. This item is currently isolated from other items by housing it in a polyethylene bag with a desiccated board and RH monitor strip. If this strip indicates an RH greater than 50%, the Preservation Department should be contacted ASAP. Do not open this packaging without contacting the Preservation Department.

Revisions to this Guide

2013: Series VIII added by Heather Mulliner.
2014: Glass Plate Negatives described by Nicole Greenhouse.
January 2018: Record updated by Rachel Searcy to reflect 2017 accretion.
January 2020: Updated by Kelly Haydon to state some audiovisual materials have been digitized and are accessible to patrons.

Repository

Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012