Museum of Family Camping

The Museum of Family Camping was conceived by Roy Heise at the March 1990 meeting of the Eastern Conference on Camping Areas in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. The Museum opened its doors In the summer of 1993 in the old dining hall of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp located in Bear Brook State Park, Allenstown, New Hampshire. Wilbur LaPage from the State of New Hampshire, Parks and Recreation Division was instrumental in securing the use of the building for the Museum. Unfortunately, Roy Heise was not able to see his project open. The nucleus of the Museum’s collection was the camping memorabilia gathered by Roy during the years that he was active in Scouting, and with his wife Shirley from when  they opened the first private campground in New Hampshire (1956). Since its opening, the Museum has added over 1500 individual artifacts for either display or reference in its library. The Museum has a story to tell its visitors: The story of manufactured products used in camping, the story of families, groups, and individuals as they share the outdoors, the story of parks and campgrounds that welcome campers for recreation and fellowship.