Johnsonburg History
Natural History — Our Land and Who Inhabits It
Johnsonburg Presbyterian Center, a 300-acre Camp and Conference Facility, is located in northern Warren County, New Jersey. It includes a mix of mature forests, wetlands, meadows, and a 16-acre glacially formed lake. It is an island of preserved land that is the home of a host of endangered flora, fauna, and ecosystems. The camp also includes a profusion of outcroppings of Kittatinny Limestone/Dolomite, which enhances the site's unique character.
Johnsonburg’s woodlands include a diverse mix of hardwoods. In its oldest section, trees in the age range of 95 to 125 years old, we find red, black, and white oaks, white ash, tulip poplar, and a mix of hickories. These mature stands shade an understory rich in herbaceous species of many types, along with a diversity of mushrooms and other non-green plants. The woodland areas have been managed as part of a plan that includes occasional harvest of timber products, reduction of invasive species, and improvement of the timber stand for wildlife. Protection of ecologically sensitive areas and use of open space for recreational purposes are also a part of this plan. Johnsonburg’s woodlands are included in New Jersey’s Forest Stewardship program. Access to the undisturbed sections of the camp have been maintained through an extensive system of nature trails.
The property includes a diverse population of wildlife, both in the wetlands and upland forests. Black bear, whitetail deer, turkey, an abundance of songbirds, osprey, great blue heron, barred owl, etc., are seen on the campsite with frequency. Several federally endangered species have been identified on the site, including both the Bog Turtle and Bobcat.
How We Came To Be
Throughout the years, the Presbyterian Churches in New Jersey have valued summer camp and year-round retreat ministries as ways of enhancing the faith development of young people and adults. Just as Jesus sought time apart from the routine of daily life for prayer and Sabbath time, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Presbyterians have endeavored to enrich their personal and congregational lives by seeking new experiences that promise renewal and enrichment.
In 1953, the Synod of New Jersey established a corporation that, for more than fifty years, has provided faith-enhancing programs at various locations around the state. While the settings have changed, one foundational message has remained consistent: Presbyterian summer camping accepts kids where they are in their faith journeys. In 1963, the brochure for Echo Hills, one of the sites Presbyterians used, states: “There is always something that’s fun to do at Echo Hills and plenty of good friends with whom to share it. Living in the fellowship of a tent or cabin group, under the leadership of an understanding counselor, campers develop a deeper appreciation and consideration for others. Pervading the entire camping experience is a deepening spiritual awareness. God becomes more real and his world more beautiful and exciting.
Most of us are familiar with the camping programs that began at Johnsonburg in 1960. But over the years, the camp and retreat programs were held at various sites throughout the state. From l949 until the early 70?s, the Synod of New Jersey ran programs at Island Heights Camp, located on Barnegat Bay. In 1950, Island Heights saw 674 Junior Campers spent a week at camp seeking to discover and do God's will. Blair Conferences, held at Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ, helped Senior Highs focus on: mission and the church, study of the gospel of John, and sex in the Christian life. In the mid-1950s, junior-aged campers met at Camp Dennis, a rustic site owned by Old First Presbyterian Church in Newark, and located in Stillwater, N.J. Echo Hills Camp, used by Presbyterians from 1959 to 1963, was located in Stanton Station, NJ, and accommodated 120 boys and 80 girls.
During the 1950s, leaders of the Synod of New Jersey sought to unify camp and conference activities at one site and began to look in earnest. In 1959, they struck a deal with Stevens Institute of Technology to purchase 415 acres in northwest New Jersey -- the current Johnsonburg Presbyterian Center site. The Synod paid Stevens $25,000 in cash directly, and then gave Stevens an additional piece of property worth $155,000 adjacent to the Stevens campus. In summary, Johnsonburg cost $180,000 in 1959. The June 24, 1960 minutes of the corporation reported: The Dedication Ceremony of the Johnsonburg Campsite will be held on June, 26 at 4 P.M. on the high ground at the entrance to camp. This was just prior to the opening of Johannesburg's first summer camping season.
Johnsonburg has been in continuous operation serving the seven New Jersey presbyteries for forty-four years, and during this time has served an estimated half-million people. This summer, Johnsonburg will serve another 1700 campers, 100 staff, and 100 volunteers.