On May 21, the Freedom Historical Society held an opening reception for its 2026 exhibit, "Summer Camps of Freedom," at the Margie Allard House and Barn. Bugle calls and campfire songs played in the background. Lauren Stoddard, a volunteer who built the Camp Huckins display and went to Huckins herself, stood in front of it with Camp Director Heather Kiley and talked about her summers there. Kiley told the Conway Daily Sun that the camp is "gearing up" for its 100th anniversary in 2027.
Most people in town know the camps as a July-and-August event: buses on Ossipee Lake Road, bugles carrying across the water. The exhibit and this fall's calendar show something else. All five of Freedom's active camps run a second season, and that season is where they deal with the town most directly. In 2026 that second season went on the record three times, in the museum, at a zoning board hearing and on the camps' own fall schedules.
Twenty-One Camps, Five Still Running
The Historical Society counts 21 camps in Freedom since 1899, and five are still active: Calumet, Cody, Huckins, Luethi-Peterson and Robin Hood. This year's exhibit covers those five plus two legacy camps, Cragged Mountain Farm and Wakuta. Co-President Kyle Thomas says the story continues in 2027 with the 14 other camps that once operated in town. That makes this year and next a two-part account of all 21.
Co-President Roberta MacCarthy gave the clearest reason the exhibit matters to people who live here. "Many current residents of Freedom were first introduced to the town through a local summer camp experience," she said, and she described the camps as "a foundational part of our community."
Here is how the five active camps compare, using what each one says about itself:
| Camp | Started | Where | Off-season presence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calumet | Founded 1925 in Canaan, in Freedom since 1939 | North shore of Lake Ossipee | Retreats, family and adult programs, quilting weekends, groups and congregations using the grounds, Harvest Weekend and PumpkinFest |
| Cody | Established 1926 | Ossipee Lake | Year-round private tours, weddings, conferences and retreats |
| Huckins | First campers summer 1928 | Lake Ossipee | Carroll County YMCA programs, school ropes course in spring and fall, self-guided tours |
| Luethi-Peterson | Founded 1949 | Freedom | Summer session only in the published schedule |
| Robin Hood | Founded 1927, first season 1928 | Lake Ossipee | Family camp program |
Luethi-Peterson is the one camp whose year still fits inside the summer. Its 2026 Freedom session for ages 9 to 14 ran July 7 through August 1. At the exhibit, its display is a world map with pins marking where campers and counselors come from, and visitors can add pins for their own hometowns.
Calumet Opens the Barn Pavilion on October 10
Calumet has the longest record on its waterfront. Organized camping at the site started in early July 1902 under the name Camp Ossipee, which ran until 1938. Calumet, founded in 1925 in Canaan, moved its program to Freedom in the summer of 1939. Calumet's year now includes retreats, family and adult programs, quilting weekends, and congregations and other groups using its facilities.
The most local event on its fall calendar is next weekend. Harvest Weekend runs October 9 through 12, 2026. PumpkinFest is on Saturday, October 10, from 1 to 3 p.m. Day guests carve pumpkins in what Calumet calls its "beautiful new pavilion beside the barn on Ossipee Lake Road." Dinner is $22 for adults and $11 for youth, and children 6 and under eat free.
There is one catch. Calumet's PumpkinFest page asked day guests and dinner guests to contact Alice in the registration office by October 2. That date has passed, so call before you go rather than assuming there's still a seat at dinner.
Huckins Works Through the Carroll County YMCA
Huckins reaches people who live here through the Carroll County YMCA. Its ropes course hosts area schools in spring and fall, and YMCA staff help with local activities including soccer coaching and ski instruction. Squeaky Sneakers, the YMCA's program for toddlers and caregivers, usually runs in fall, winter and spring. The camp's page still refers to Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 enrollment, so check the current schedule directly.
The Historical Society's 2026 programs describe Huckins as a community partner. Its Community Programs Director runs youth, family and individual programs around Carroll County, and the camp welcomes groups in spring and fall. If you're curious about the grounds, Huckins offers self-guided tours outside camp season. You need to sign up in advance, and tours can be canceled.
The Zoning Board Put Camp Cody's Off-Season on the Record
The camps' second season has also come before Freedom's land-use boards. Camp Cody, established in 1926 on Ossipee Lake, has two off-season businesses alongside its summer program. White Mountain Weddings advertises weddings for up to 500 people, and Lake Ossipee Conference Center/NH Retreat Center hosts conferences and retreats. In late August, Freedom's Zoning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to uphold Zoning Officer Bryan Fontaine's decision that Camp Cody's wedding and conference businesses are "grandfathered" uses, according to an Ossipee Lake Alliance report dated August 26, 2026.
The ruling turns on the year 1987. Neither use is otherwise permitted on the property, but Section 901 of the town's Zoning Ordinance lets a prohibited use continue as a non-conforming use if it predates the adoption of zoning in 1987. Executive Director Philip Ross testified that off-season events, including weddings, conferences and scout activities, took place before 1987. He also said the camp provides year-round employment in Freedom. Select Board Chair Les Babb told the board that he looked into similar complaints in 2000 and 2001, when he was zoning officer, and concluded that weddings had taken place at Camp Cody before 1987.
The appeal came from two abutting owners. They said traffic, noise and trespassing had increased and should have been addressed through town approvals. The report also notes that in March, state environmental records show the camp tripled its Dining Hall septic system from 5,000 to 15,000 gallons. The application cited commercial use while camp is out of session, including a 250-person restaurant. The zoning officer's approval was stamped for septic setbacks only. The board issued no findings of fact. After the hearing, one of the abutting owners said, "This is all about accountability, not about trying to shut down these two businesses."
Whatever you make of the outcome, the hearing created a public record of Camp Cody's off-season events going back decades. That record includes testimony from the camp's director, its employees and a former zoning officer, and the board voted unanimously to let those uses continue.
Three Open Days Left at the Museum
The exhibit is the easiest place to see all five camps side by side, and it is about to close for the season. The Historical Society is open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. "through October 12," according to the Conway Daily Sun. October 12 is a Monday, so these are the remaining regular days on that schedule:
- Saturday, October 3, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 7, 10 a.m. to noon
- Saturday, October 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the same afternoon as Calumet's PumpkinFest
Hours can change, so confirm with the Freedom Historical Society before you drive to 28 Old Portland Road. The displays include photos, news clippings, T-shirts and hats, digital slideshows and some interactive pieces. The Cragged Mountain Farm display has a photo album with paper and pens so visitors can identify people they recognize. For the nation's 250th anniversary, the museum is also showing stories of early Freedom settlers who served in the Revolutionary War. A third exhibit covers the Freedom Club of Boston, a social network for several generations of people with deep ties to Freedom who did not live here full time.
Two Centennials in August 2027
Next summer is a big one for two of the camps. Robin Hood was founded in 1927, opened its first season in 1928 and has posted a 100th reunion weekend for alumni from August 27 to 29, 2027. Its facilities page says it has built three new cabins in the last four years. Huckins dates its first campers to the summer of 1928 and has scheduled its centennial kick-off for Saturday, August 28, 2027. The two celebrations overlap on the same late-August weekend on Lake Ossipee, about a year after the Historical Society starts telling the story of the town's other 14 camps.
If a summer at one of these camps is how you first got to know Freedom, and you're now thinking about a year-round place near Ossipee Lake, the team at Pinkham Real Estate knows these lake roads in every season. Contact our team to start your Mount Washington Valley search.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.