NPS Park History

Content for this section is taken directly from the National Park Service Administrative History Update for Catoctin Mountain Park.

With the birth of  Recreational Demonstration Areas (RDAs), parks like Catoctin were constructed to provide camping areas for children’s groups and the public to hike, swim, play, and enjoy the natural environment . In the 1930s, land was purchased for the creation of a productive recreation area. Beginning in 1935, the Catoctin RDA was under construction by both the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corp CCC and on November 14, 1936, the northern portion of the park was transferred to the National Park Service. Catoctin, however, was unique among these RDAs for several reasons. In particular, the dual factors of its close proximity to Washington, D.C. and the deeply personal connection that FDR had to helping the disabled have set Catoctin apart historically. Only a few hours’ drive from the nation’s capital, the park had been a destination for wealthy politicians and businessmen – Roosevelt included – since long before the infamous stock market crash. Roosevelt particularly loved the landscape and environment of Catoctin and, inspired by his own personal battle with polio, helped to envision the space as a refuge for disabled children.

CCC crews played a major role in the rustic building program in the many eastern parks. Prince William Forest Park and Catoctin Park of the National Capital Parks system, as well as Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway were the scene of much CCC building activity. In 1936, construction began at Catoctin with the creation of Camp Misty Mount, which was completed in 1937 and designated specifically as the permanent campground of the Maryland League of Crippled Children (MLCC), now called the League for People with Disabilities.  After one year in the camp, though, the mountainous landscape proved too difficult for the limited mobility of the children, and the MLCC requested that another camp be built, designed around accessibility. Planning for this new campground began immediately, and in 1938 construction was completed on Camp Greentop, complete with entry ramps, paved walkways, and a more level and condensed overall layout. The camp is still used by the organization today.

Camp Misty Mount was completed at a cost of $5,843. Covering 30 acres within the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area, it was the first of three group camps completed to help people from the cities of Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington D.C. experience a mountain environment. 

On June 25, 1937, an open house was held by project officials to show off the camp to visitors. Sixty-four campers from The Maryland League for Crippled Children in Baltimore arrived on July 1st and were the first campers to experience Camp Misty Mount. 

In 1938, after the MLCC moved to Camp Greentop, the Salvation Army leased Camp Misty Mount that summer and for the following four seasons. So, how did Camp Misty Mount get its name? It is said that Mrs. Lt. Col. Harold Stout, the first camp director for the Salvation Army and whose cabin faced the mountains, noted how every morning when she awoke and went to the window, heavy mist covered the mountain top. From that point forward, she referred to it as Camp Misty Mount and the name stuck.