By James Kent
Just 10 minutes north of Rutland, tucked into the hills of Pittsford, Camp Sangamon offers a summer camp experience that feels like it stepped out of a storybook—treehouses, blacksmithing, sailboats on a shared pond, and cabins dating back to the 1950s. Since 1922, boys from across the country have spent their summers on this land. However, what many local families may not realize is that Sangamon wants—and works hard—to make camp accessible to Vermont kids.
“We work to get Vermonters here,” said Jed Byrom, director of Camp Sangamon and a fourth-generation steward of the camp. “We all know you are not making what you would make if you didn’t live in Vermont. I am not making what I would if I had a camp outside New York City… but we are willfully wanting Vermonters here, and that means scholarships.”
Boys typically begin their Sangamon experience around age 8, although, in past decades, it wasn’t unusual to have 6-year-olds in for full summers. Today, campers come for two or three-week sessions (some stay the entire summer), and local families often hesitate when they see the sticker price online. Jed encourages families not to be discouraged.
“When you look at analytics,” said Byrom, “people get to the dates and rates page, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I can’t afford that.’ But the message is: you can afford it. Contact us. Let’s work something out.”
Much of the camp’s operation is funded by out-of-state tuition, with many families coming from all over the country, and a significant number are from Brooklyn, New York. “Brooklyn is our biggest,” noted Byrom. “At any given time, like 40% of our camp is from Brooklyn—it’s probably like a 5 square mile area.”
That out-of-state support allows Sangamon to subsidize local campers. “There are very few local kids who don’t cover their cost,” said Byrom. “But there aren’t many who are paying us our full tuition.”
Camp Sangamon isn’t just about affordability—it’s about freedom, independence, and immersion in hands-on, off-screen adventures. The camp offers boys the chance to try things that might be unavailable or unimaginable at home, such as forging metal in a blacksmith’s shop, woodworking, sailing, weaving, archery, and building projects that last for generations.
One Vermont parent traded labor for tuition by hand-hewing logs to build a cabin. A woodworker from Lincoln built the camp’s now-iconic treehouse during the pandemic. “It’s a rubber room for childhood,” said Byrom, describing how kids here experience freedom within a safe, watchful structure. “They’re going to be moving around on their own, and I don’t have to worry about where they’re going or what could happen to them.”
Campers choose their activities each day and are encouraged to explore something new. “Every kid here gets told: during your time here, you need to do something you’ve never done before,” said Byrom. “Don’t care what it is. But that’s part of going through life—you should adventure.”
The camp resists modern pressures to over-document or micromanage kids’ experiences.
“We don’t send daily pictures of your kid,” said Byrom. “We take photos at the end of the year. During the summer, kids want to be away from their parents.”
It’s this old-school approach—mixed with creative updates like the new treehouse, a restored barn, and an international exchange program—that keeps alumni and their children returning. That includes many of the staff. Counselor Sterling Lewis, for example, first came to Sangamon from Brooklyn at age 10 and has returned almost every year since except for commitments which prevented him from counseling last summer and 2020, when the camp was closed due to Covid.”
Still, despite more than a century of history and a strong word-of-mouth network, Byrom admits Sangamon has an ongoing challenge: “Three-quarters of Rutland has no idea we exist.”
The camp shares a pond with its sister camp for girls, Betsey Cox, founded by Byrom’s great aunt, the indomitable Jean Smith Davies (1927-2018), an alumna of Middlebury College, who founded Camp Betsey Cox in 1953. Today, weekly social events bring the boys and girls together for dances and shared traditions, but each camp maintains its own unique culture.
Sangamon is open this summer from June 22 to Aug. 16, with flexible two and three-week programs. Local families interested in exploring the camp’s programs or scholarships should contact Darcey Wijsenbeek, the assistant director, through the website: campsangamon.com.
“If you want your son to have an amazing, unforgettable, adventurous summer camp experience,” said Byrom, “reach out. We’ll make it work.” He stressed that Sangamon’s opening session, beginning June 22, has openings, and he’d love to fill those spots with local Vermonters.
For more information on Camp Sangamon, visit: campsangamon.com.
For more information on Camp Betsey Cox, Visit: campbetseycox.com.
