Starting in 1938, Covenant Churches from the region (then called the Middle East Conference) began planning and holding summer camps by renting Camp Fitch, Camp Findlay, and Camp Caledon on Lake Erie. Tents were erected, and campers really "camped," a tradition much different than that of today's campers. This arrangement worked well for a number of years, but the need to have a camp of their own soon became evident.
In 1946 a committee was formed consisting of three persons from each of the three regions making up the Conference at the time. These nine gentlemen, from different backgrounds and experiences, became affectionately known as the "Nine Old Men," a reference to the US Supreme Court during Truman's presidency. They were charged with the responsibility of finding a suitable site for a permanent camp. A search was conducted throughout western PA. and Chautauqua county, NY. The present property was found through an ad in the Pittsburgh Press, 26 acres of "meadow" that gently sloped toward the northeastern shore of Lake Chautauqua