"A Miracle had happened. The Camp was ours. It belonged to us. It had a name, a good name, owned by a man who loved God and His Church, and was greatly esteemed by his fellow men." This phrase found in the Particular Synod of Albany's minutes, May 1954, summarizes the feeling found throughout the Synod upon the purchase of the Anthony Farrell Great Camp situated on Sacandaga Lake in Speculator, NY in February of 1954. The name of Lewis M. Fowler would be memorialized here because of his steady love for his God and church and his wishes that his estate money be used to help youth. But this was not just some pipe dream that had materialized on a whim. It was the result of lots of hard work, planning, and vision.

Camping had been part of the ministry found in the Albany Synod for a number of years. The individual Classes had run camping programs for their Senior and Junior High youth. These camps organized by pastors and became essentially a family affair staffed by spouses and adult friends and church members. These camping weeks started in 1934 with a youth conference at Burden Lake, NY. A paragraph in the PSA Annual Report, 1935, says how this camp was received:

"No references have been made to the Burden Lake summer conference in any of the reports, which is disappointing in view of the fact that we know positively that there is a lively interest by pastors and young people in this recent and new venture by the Church in this area. Many individual youths as well as Churches are already feeling and experiencing the valuable influences of this conference; and it is fully expected that this, the second year, will show gains in every respect over the first year."

Camping had grown in popularity by 1950 in the Synod. Particularly for those in the Classes of Montgomery, the idea of a camp owned by the Albany Synod was stewing in the minds of many. Two pastors in particular wished to see this idea through to its fruition. "Cornelius Dykhuizen of Canajoharie, and Chester Chilton of Fort Plain were among the first to become enthused over the possibility of owning this camp." Having camped with children for many years and seeing the rewards in the eyes of the children and adults who helped they were convinced of the value a camp would have for their Classes.

This having to camp at the convenience of others and a growing need led Dykhuizen and Chilton to begin looking for a suitable location. While at Pathfinder, Mrs. Dorothy Jenner, the nurse for the week, overheard the pastors talking and said she knew of a place near Speculator that would make a wonderful camp. She thought the Classes could purchase it for around $60,000. This was the spark the flame fire needed and what happened before the 1953 Synod meeting is the stuff that legends are made of. The pastors contacted Mr. Graham Olmstead the owner of the property for sale on Sacandaga Lake, Speculator. Chilton, who was to be chairperson of the drive to raise the $40,000 necessary for the camp, visited the site in February 1953 along with Rev. Dykhuisen, Rev. Jim Benes, and Rev. Ernest Crounse. The following is Ernie Crounse's reflections recorded in 1965 of that day:

"Having picked up Mr. Olmstead in Northville, we came on up to Moffitt Beach which is adjoining the property we wanted to look at and that was as near as we could get to the property itself. So we parked the car off the road and started down through the snowdrifts, just about as high as a man could walk through without snowshoes, without skies, without dogsled, without a snowmobile such as we have today, but we went on foot. The wind was blowing a gale, through the woods, across the lake piling the drifts higher. The winds were bitterly cold that day and we trekked down through the woods of Moffitt's Beach, across the boundary line into the property owned by Mr. Olmstead at the time and came to the caretaker's cottage which was nearest to Moffitt's Beach. There we found the haven of a warm fire - getting out of the cold, began to warm up a bit and to appraise the property, after a short stopover at the caretaker's cottage. As I remember, we went on foot to some of the buildings on the property... We looked at it - thought about our situation - talked it over and started back. We were quite impressed even though it was February. We were impressed with the fact that this could make a nice camp ground in the summer time."

The crew fell in love with the place. It wasn't as though it was the only place they had scouted and it wasn't without its problems. The fact that it was (and still is) so far removed from any of the Reformed Churches was a problem. Would people be willing to travel that far on roads that were less than well groomed? Also, additional buildings would have to be built in order to make it a summer camp. A dining hall/kitchen and boy's residence would both have to be built which would cost a projected $22,000 more. After scouting approximately a dozen sites, the search committee decided on the Olmstead property as being the best suited for the PSA's needs. A down payment of $1,000 was made on August 29, 1953 towards a purchase price of $25,000. The purchase included 9 buildings, 165 acres of land, and 1,000' of lakefront. No other significant amount of money had been raised to meet this price, let alone the needed additions to operate.

Chilton began writing letters, "shots in the dark", to people whom he thought might be interested in such a project as this. One of those letters was written to the widow of Mr. Lewis Fowler of St Johnsville, NY. Her husband had died in February of 1951 and a fund had been set up as a memorial to him. Apparently he had a very strong love for children and the money was meant to be used to help children and especially those in the St. Johnsville area. Originally a town pool was going to be built with the funds but "that purpose had fallen by the wayside for one reason of another". She decided that Lewis would have liked the money to go to this project. He was a Christian and member of the St. Johnsville Reformed Church, but in addition to that, he had grown up in Piseco, a small town about eight miles from where the camp was to be. Chilton was elated that something like this would happen to, but he was wise enough to check to see if the money truly could be used for this purpose. People of various faiths had given the money and after some discussion it was agreed that they be called and given the chance to withdraw their donation. Of the $40,000 originally in the fund, $35,000 remained to be used toward the purchase of the property. The check was presented on February 6, 1954.

The camp was now the Synod's. There was still much work to be done on it before it could open. A Board of Director's was elected consisting of one minister and one lay person from each classis along with two at large members and the Men's and Women's Synodical Youth Counselors. A purpose statement was drafted: "to provide camping and conference facilities for the people of the RCA, Albany Synod, and such others as the Board of Director's may approve." The first projects to be done were to build a dining hall and boy's residence (Pine Lodge) before the 1954 camping season. In an earlier report, Cornelius Dykhuisen sums up best the task: "Again may I remind you that this is no ordinary job. This will take lots of work and will cause plenty of worries. But with God's help it will be one of the most blessed projects that our Synod will have taken on in all of its long worthwhile history." "Share your responsibilities and you will share its benefits" was one slogan used. "It's hardly fair to expect the other fellow to carry the load while you reap the benefits -- let's ALL PULL THE LOAD TOGETHER." was another.

Opening date was scheduled for July 12, 1954 and there was much to be done. Rev. Louis Chisman was elected chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee which was to be of utmost importance the first few years. Rev Herm Luben was chairman of the Program Committee. His was the design that existed until 1976 when William Faulkner would become Director. Luben's design was an obvious one in relation to his previous experience with camping. Leaders ("directors") were chosen for the various weeks. Most of these were pastors though one woman made the list in 1954: Mrs. George Sluyter. The Reverend Floyd Nagel had the dubious honor of being the director of the first camp ever run at Fowler. Once the program committee chose directors, it became the director's responsibility to recruit volunteer counselors, a nurse, and to design their own programming materials. The camp hired a summer manager, kitchen staff, and waterfront personal. This is the exact situation the Classes had faced in running their own programs, so this system stayed in place, transported as it was to its new location in the Adirondacks. Many of the long-term pastors in the Albany Synod still look back on that design with bittersweet memories.

As the opening date approached, a dedication service was scheduled for July 11. It was to be complete with a "massed choir" where music was sent out ahead of time. A large crowd came out to the dedication, though no numbers were recorded. Various men's groups came up that spring to clear and burn off brush, paint, and renovate buildings. It was by all appearances truly to be a Synod camp as groups came from all over to help. One man, instrumental in the early days, was Harry Spencer. He is remembered as working constantly to get the brush cleared around the dining hall as it was being built. The work was completed one day before camp opened! A short message from L. Boutelle, secretary of the Board, is the only remaining official record of Spencer's efforts: "I, personally, know of the many hours you spent at Camp Fowler and I am very pleased to be able to send you the sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks of the Board." Perhaps a more vivid memorial is the fact that the largest original building was ultimately named after Spencer.

The demands of operating a camp were made obvious to the Board after the first season and it was voted in November 1954 to hire Rev. Louis Chisman as "Executive Secretary". Many things began to happen now. The Classes of Rochester announced that they too would participate in the 1955 camping season and no longer run their own program. The Incorporation Papers of Fowler read: we "desire to form a corporation for the purpose of organizing and maintaining mission schools and Sunday schools and of acquiring property therefore." Brochures for both youth and adult camps were printed and "Meet the Master" was ultimately decided on as the theme (as opposed to the earlier chosen: "Life, Liberty, and Happiness in Christ Jesus). Participating ministers were asked to be allowed excused Sunday absence from their home church so they could fulfill their obligations to the program.

With the completion of the first major building program and functioning committees, Fowler was grounded well. Its course had been set and few things would alter that course in the ensuing years. There were additions: cabin areas were built through donations and memorial funds to accommodate campers, a beautiful chapel was built in 1961 in honor of Rev. Raymond Clee of First Reformed Albany, and a Conference Retreat House was built in 1964 to hold retreats year round at Fowler.

Much has happened at Fowler over the more than forty years since the first campers arrived. It remains a much-loved "affectional center" within the Albany Synod. Each summer close to 1,000 youth camp for a week, over 150 adults volunteer as counselors and other areas, and more than 20 staff are hired for programming, kitchen, and maintenance. Fowler plays an important role in the children's and youth ministries in many of the Albany Synod churches and is instrumental in equipping adults for ministry in their local churches as well.

When you walk around Fowler, remember how it is that this place came to be. Enjoy the idiosyncrasies of a system that combines paid and volunteer staff of all ages in an intensive weeklong journey in Christian living. And marvel at the faithfulness of a God who is praised in word and deed through the ministry at Fowler Camp and Retreat Center.