05/09/12

Frontenac Methodist Campus, Old Frontenac, MN

Please contact me for more information on how to help in identifying the names of ministers and counselors at each camp at Frontenac. 

Records of registrations of each camp do not seem to be in the Archives at the Conference office.  Where were they kept?  We need those lists if someone has them to identify photos.

Most of the Photos are in the Archives at MN United Methodist Conference Office.  No identification are  given as to which Mankato, Winona, or St. Paul Districts Camps.

From my father's black books, (Rev Frank DeCourcy) I have been able to recreate Winona/SE (1942-1947) and Mankato/SW (1948-1957) District camp dates/timeline for both Intermediate/Jr High and Sr High Camp.  So more help is needed on identifying other district dates.  They are not in the Conference journals also did not find them in the archives.

There are postcards, Staff pictures of the working crew.  Ironically the pay records do not list waitresses names.  I worked there the summer of 1956 and those who did, waitress, are not listed.  So we need help there also.

Please E mail Annette Towler   with your stories.

We are looking for pictures, postcards (most are in the archives), programs, news stories, artifacts of Frontenac.

Stories of 'Mom' & 'Pop' Wagner

came in 1939 as Camp Custodians & Culinary Servies. , until retirement in 1958.

The former inn,  became the hotel, (LakeView) dining room, Sweet Shop in the basement in the 40's with the white round tables and chairs, & the kitchen/with the potato porch.

5 small cottages, can you name them??

Grapevine                                               Virginia

Pine (2 story) to a one story,  Reineke

(named after Elizabeth Reineke and her Father, Rev. Ernest C. Reineke)

Popular                                          Fern

a former Bar      Assembly Hall/Chapel before 1952 and upstairs boys dorm

The Stable known to us as Benjamin Hall (1943,  boys dorm)

named for Dr. Walter Benjamin of Pipestone, MN

later Pepin Hall (1946)  and its lower level 'Sweet Shop'

1952, the new Chapel was Built

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3,000 students attended during the year of 1950

40 years of 6 weeks of camps each year, comes to 240 sessions of Junior and Senior Hi Youth for three districts. 

Estimating with a minimum of 100 students per camp session, we are talking about 24,000 youth and many more touched by our religious experience at Old Frontenac Methodist Campus.