The Camp Capers Story

Some places are more than bricks and mortar. For the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, that place is Camp Capers, which one bishop called the diocese’s true cathedral.The Camp Capers Story is the history of the diocesan camp and conference center near Waring, Texas. It begins with the land itself: the limestone hills, the Guadalupe River, and the people who gathered on this ground for thousands of years before the first cabin was built. It then follows the vision of Bishop William T. Capers, the leadership of Rev. (later Bishop) Everett H. Jones, the search for a site, and the purchase of the Negley Farm. A polio epidemic delayed the opening from 1946, and the camp welcomed its first campers in 1947.From there the book moves decade by decade, from the early years through the 1950s, the changes of the 1960s and 1970s, the economic pressures of the 1980s, the rebuilding and celebration of the 1990s, and the new millennium. Along the way it recounts the floods of 1978 and 1987, the growth of the facilities, the programs that have filled its summers, and the work of the Diocesan Department of Camps and Conferences.Written for the camp’s 75th anniversary, the book draws on church records, The Church News, interviews, and many personal testimonials. It also includes reflections from retired bishops, dozens of historic photographs, and a bibliography for further reading.Above all, it is the story of people: counselors, cooks, clergy, volunteers, and thousands of campers who found friendship, belonging, and faith at camp.Author Tom Lee is a retired Texas State District Judge, a graduate of Texas A&M University and St. Mary’s University School of Law, and a member of the Historical Commission of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. The book was edited by Catherine Blanton Markette, with contributions from Paula Allen, Bishop David Reed, and Stacy Dowdy.A must-read for Camp Capers alumni, Episcopalians, Texas Hill Country history lovers, and anyone who has ever felt at home at summer camp.