calsfoundation@cals.org
Camp Mitchell
Camp Mitchell is an event and retreat center run by the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas. It is located on Petit Jean Mountain near Morrilton (Conway County). The camp holds multiple summer camps run by the Episcopal Church and hosts retreats, business events, and private events in its cabins and lodges. Camp Mitchell has served the Episcopal community of Arkansas and others since it was established in June 1949.
The creation of the camp was a several-year process, beginning with the purchase of eighty acres of land in 1942 for $2,000. The diocese desired a permanent conference center and a space for youth events, and this need was reinforced in 1946 when a crude “Camp Mitchel” was held. Afterward, the forty-five campers officially requested that the diocese establish a permanent center.
This camping event was not a new practice to the Episcopal Church, which typically uses camping as a way to attract young people. The need for recruitment was seen as increasingly crucial with the advent of World War II. The Church even released a response to Adolf Hitler’s statement to the youth, “I need you,” with its own: “The Church needs you!”
The original eighty acres would not house the camp itself, as more land was purchased from the YMCA in 1946 for $10,000 by Bishop Richard Bland Mitchell. This land was more conveniently located along the cliff of Petit Jean Mountain. Mitchell was the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas and the namesake of this camp. With the land purchased, Bishop Mitchell sought funds to build a conference center. One of the first donations came from the Women’s Auxiliary, who donated its trust fund of $2,517. The Episcopal Churchmen’s Association contributed $17,500. Other help came in the form of “Hutments” from Camp Joseph T. Robinson that were purchased for $200, trucked up the mountain, and placed on concrete pilings to make up Cabins A through G. A dining room was built, and an infirmary was made out of two hutments. Two stone cabins were built, named “Newport” and “Christ Church” after their respective donors. The furnishings were government surplus; new mattresses came from Pine Bluff (Jefferson County), and kitchenware for the cafeteria came from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville (Washington County). Before air-conditioning was brought in, fans were donated from the Marion Hotel in Little Rock (Pulaski County). All these donations would total $32,548 by the time of the camp’s opening in June 1949.
Over the years, the work of the camp expanded from these beginnings to include various new cabins, lodges, and an open-air chapel that sits on the edge of the cliff. Camp Mitchell also accommodates other private events with spaces like Grace Lodge, Canterbury House, and Keller Dining Hall, which serves as an event space and cafeteria.
Camp Mitchell has continued to host around ten summer camps each year. These range from standard summer camps for kids from elementary to senior high school to specialized camp events like the Robert R. Brown Camp and Dick Johnston Children’s Camp; the Brown and Johnston camps serve adults with mental and physical disabilities and children with a current or formerly incarcerated parent or guardian, respectively. Camp Mitchell seeks to be an open and inclusive space for everyone, not just Episcopalians.
For additional information:
Camp Mitchell. https://www.campmitchell.org/ (accessed January 22, 2025).
Holman, Miranda. “Camp Mitchell: A Lifetime Experience.” AY Magazine, August 1, 2018. https://aboutrvmag.com/2018/08/01/camp-mitchell-a-lifetime-experience/ (accessed January 22, 2025).
McDonald, Margaret Simms. White Already to Harvest: The Episcopal Church in Arkansas, 1838–1971. Sewanee, TN: University Press of Sewanee, 1975.
Cole T. Hadden
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Comments
No comments on this entry yet.