From Our Archives: A Legacy of Summer Camp

Rose Gruening founded Camp Moodna in 1907, launching a 118 year legacy of providing high quality summer camp programs at Grand St. Settlement. From Mountainville, New York, to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, to the Lower East Side and Brooklyn, Grand Street’s summer programs for neighborhood youth have shifted with the times to provide much-needed enrichment to young New Yorkers.

The Early Years

Rose Gruening began working with children at Madison House on the Lower East Side just after graduating from Vassar College. Through this experience, Rose realized that the children of working families and immigrants arriving in New York City were in desperate need. Families struggled with child care and children were overwhelmed by sickness.

As the story goes, Rose Gruening learned New York City was disposing of used horse-drawn trolley cars. Rather than let them go to waste, she asked if she could have them. The answer was yes, but the caveat was that she had to pick them up that day. With grit and determination, Rose Gruening got the trolley cars moved upstate to form the first bunks, offices, and buildings of the camp.

The newly founded Camp Moodna in Mountainville, New York would allow children to rehabilitate their health in the fresh air and take a financial burden off of the shoulders of working parents who could take on extra hours or save money while the children were away.

Camp Moodna, Mountainville, NY
1907-1955

Rose Gruening died in 1934, but her legacy at Camp Moodna continued as the camp grew to provide 1,200 children from the Lower East Side a place to go every summer for recreation, education, and health. The camp began to resemble a more traditional sleep-away camp with bunks, a mess hall, and an infirmary. Camp Moodna's services included physical and dental check-ups to ensure that any ongoing ailments that campers had could be addressed.

In 1955, Hurricane Diane struck the Poconos and the Hudson Valley region of New York. The storm caused widespread flooding which led to Camp Moodna being forced to be evacuated by the cadets at Westpoint. The damage done by the storm was too great and it forced Grand St. Settlement to sell the land and relocate to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Camp Moodna, East Stroudsburg, PA
1955-1973

Camp Moodna’s facilities and capacity improved with the move to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Campers enjoyed newer bunks, tennis courts, and a swimming pool.

After nearly 20 years of operation, Grand St. Settlement was forced into a difficult decision. The headquarters located at 293 Rivington Street had fallen into disrepair and was no longer fit for programs. To expand our impact within New York City, the Board of Directors led by President John Furth made the decision to sell Camp Moodna and use the funds to partner with the New York City Housing Authority to build a community center located at 80 Pitt St.

Shifting to Day Camp
1974-Present

Grand Street was officially out of the sleepaway camp business, but the daycamps, which had been operating for decades, had become a staple for working families in need of child care over the summer.

Today, Grand St. Settlement's youth programs provide high-quality summer camp programs rooted in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) for over 2,000 participants every year. The legacy launched by Rose Gruening 118 years ago continues to thrive and provide opportunities for the next generation of New Yorkers to grow and learn.