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Camp Mystic

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Coordinates: 30°00′33″N 99°22′13″W / 30.0091°N 99.3702°W / 30.0091; -99.3702
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Camp Mystic
Image from 1926 brochure
Camp Mystic is located in Texas
Camp Mystic
Camp Mystic is located in the United States
Camp Mystic
LocationKerr County, Texas, US
Coordinates30°00′33″N 99°22′13″W / 30.0091°N 99.3702°W / 30.0091; -99.3702
Previous namesStewart's Camp for Girls
Campus size725 acres (293 ha)
Established1926
Websitecampmystic.com

Camp Mystic is a private non-denominational Christian girls' summer camp in unincorporated Kerr County, Texas, US. It is set on a 725-acre (293 ha) campus consisting of two neighboring sites 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of Hunt, near the confluence of the South Fork Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek. The camp serves girls aged eight to seventeen.

The camp suffered heavy damage from the July 2025 Central Texas floods, with 27 confirmed fatalities, six more people missing, and buildings destroyed.

History

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Activities shown in brochure, 1920s

The camp was founded in 1926 by E. J. Stewart, under the name Stewart's Camp for Girls.[1] It offered a single eight-week session each summer.[2] In July 1932, the camp suffered a flash flood which washed away several cabins, but no fatalities were reported.[3][4] In 1937, the camp was purchased by the Stacy family, who have maintained ownership ever since.[1] Since 1939, the camp has been an all-girls camp.[5] By 1934[6] and until at least June 1942, the camp hosted a ten-day Aquatic School led by the Red Cross.[7][8] Although the camp is Christian,[9] some Jewish Texans also sent their children there, as there were no Jewish summer camps in the area in the 1930s.[10]

Landscape and buildings

The camp paused operations during World War II from 1943 to 1945,[1][11] when it functioned as a rest and relaxation site for soldiers, offering two six-week sessions.[12] Following the war, the camp began offering two sessions each summer.[2]

Inez and Frank Harrison, affectionately called "Iney and Frank," were brought to Mystic in December 1948 by then-owner Agnes "Ag" Stacy. They were directors of Mystic from 1948 until their retirement in 1987.[2]

The camp was impacted by flooding from the Guadalupe river in 1978, with a program director later recounting hauling over 100 campers in station wagons to higher ground with other staff in the dead of night.[13] The camp also faced flooding again in 1984.[14]

The camp offered two camp sessions a year until 1983, when a third session was added.[12] By 1996, a session at Camp Mystic cost $635 (equivalent to $1,273 in 2024).[15] In 2011, a 30-day session cost $4,300 (equivalent to $6,010 in 2024).[16]

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, camp leadership underwent a protracted family feud.[5][17] As of 2025, the camp was owned by Dick and Tweety Eastland.[18]

In the 2010s, the camp expanded from their original Guadalupe site to the new Cypress Lake site. This expansion included the construction of cabins, a dining hall, a chapel, and an archery range for the new site.[19]

2025 flooding

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Main article: July 2025 Central Texas floods

Background

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The camp was hosting 750 campers at the beginning of July 2025.[18] Per state regulations, the camp had emergency plans "in case of a disaster", which were approved by officials from the Texas Department of State Health Services on July 2.[20] However, as Texas does not approve or keep copies of emergency plans, and camps are only required to show they have one in place, the plan steps are unclear as of July 9. The camp was not accredited by the American Camp Association, which recommends that campers and staff members are trained how to respond to natural disasters.[13]

Between 2011 and 2020, FEMA re-shaped its Special Flood Hazard Area to exclude 30 camp buildings following appeals from the camp, possibly due to insurance or increased regulation concerns.[19] The Special Flood Hazard Area marks the region most at risk for once-in-a-century floods. In 2025, at least 12 camp structures were considered to be within the Special Flood Hazard Area, with more being partially within the area.[19]

Flooding and aftermath

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At 1:18 p.m. CDT on July 3, 2025, the National Weather Service office in San Antonio, Texas, issued a flood watch for Kerr County and other areas that would later be impacted by severe flooding.[21] At about 4:00 a.m. CDT on July 4, flash flooding began in Kerr County; officials were unable to issue evacuation orders due to the speed of events.[18] The river rose 26 feet (7.9 m) in about 45 minutes.[22] Later, it was reported that camp director Dick Eastland had received the flash flood warning early on 1:14 am, but took until 2:30 am, over an hour later, to begin evacuations. By then, the river was already rising rapidly.[23]

When the Guadalupe campsite flooded, campers took shelter on higher ground, where many of the older children were housed.[22] The Cypress Lake site of the camp did not have intense flooding.[24] By dawn, the campers at the Guadalupe site had no access to food, running water, or power;[22] Rescue efforts were under way by the afternoon of July 4,[22] with campers taken to an elementary school in Ingram used as a reunification center.[22]

As of July 9, 2025, 27 campers and counselors are known to have died in the flooding, and six were still missing.[25][26] Dick Eastland was among the dead;[27][28] his family posted on social media that he had died while trying to evacuate campers.[29] The camp's infrastructure was heavily damaged,[26] with cabins swept away by the water;[22] the Guadalupe site was reported as being "completely in ruin".[30]

Facilities and administration

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The camp is set on about 725 acres (293 ha) in unincorporated Kerr County, Texas, 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of the city of Hunt. The campus consists of two neighboring sites near the confluence of the South Fork Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek.[31][32][5][33] The camp serves girls aged eight to seventeen.[5]

The camp's recreation hall was built in the 1920s, using lumber from local cypress trees.[34]

As of 2018, the camp had 78 counselors.[12] In early July 2025, the camp had 108 staff.[20]

Activities and traditions

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As of 2018, the camp offered three sessions per summer: two 30-day sessions, and a 13-day session in early August.[12]

The camp offers a variety of outdoor activities, including archery, canoeing,[5] cheerleading, fishing,[34] horseback riding, lacrosse, and riflery,[35] and indoor activities, including cooking, journalism, and "beauty—including classes in politeness training and facials".[35] Upon arrival, campers choose their activities and are given individual schedules.[12] Campers are divided into two teams, the "Kiowa and Tonkawa 'tribes'",[12] who compete through sports and games over the course of each session.[36]

Campers do not have access to electronics and are encouraged to write letters home. Parents are offered a one-way email service to contact their children.[12]

Sundays are "reserved for praise and worship on the waterfront and vespers on Chapel Hill".[36]

Campers are assigned seats in the dining hall, but arrangements are changed every week.[12] Fried chicken is served every Sunday.[5] Blue Bell ice cream is offered for daily dessert after lunch.[36]

The camp maintains ties with the boys' camps Camp Stewart and Camp Vista, and campers visit Mystic for dances and "a program of skits".[12]

Alumni

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Some campers have been children or grandchildren of Texas governors Price Daniel, Dan Moody, and John Connally.[5][37] First Lady Laura Bush worked as a counselor at the camp while she was in college,[38] and Lady Bird Johnson attended events at the camp.[37]

Former campers

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Herring, Rebecca J. (December 1, 1994). "Camp Mystic: A Historic Summer Camp for Girls in Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Mystic History". Camp Mystic for Girls. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  3. ^ Burnett, Jonathan (April 2, 2008). Flash Floods in Texas. Texas A&M University Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-58544-590-5.
  4. ^ Baker Mike (July 11, 2025). "Texas Floods Often Threatened Camp Mystic". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 12, 2025. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Swartz, Mimi (July 2011). "The Not So Happy Campers". Texas Monthly.
  6. ^ Annual Report of the American National Red Cross. American National Red Cross. 1934. p. 98.
  7. ^ "Water-Safety Program". Beach & Pool. 14. Beach and Pool Publishing Corporation: 13. January 1940.
  8. ^ "Aquatic Schools". The Red Cross Courier. 21 (11). American National Red Cross: 8. May 1942.
  9. ^ "Camp Mystic for Girls". Camp Mystic. Camp Mystic is a private Christian summer camp for girls ... in Texas.
  10. ^ Feuer, Hannah (July 7, 2025). "For the Jewish community in central Texas, deadly flooding hits close to home". The Forward.
  11. ^ The Army Air Forces in World War II: Services around the world. Office of Air Force History. 1948. p. 551. ISBN 978-0-912799-03-2. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i Arnold, Bonnie (June 15, 2018). "Campers arrive in Kerr County, bring $32 million impact". hccommunityjournal.com. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Gerberg, Jon; Schuppe, Jon (July 9, 2025). "Texas officials approved Camp Mystic's operating plan days before the fatal floods". NBC News. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  14. ^ Tolan, Curt Devine, Casey (July 11, 2025). "Camp Mystic's owner warned of floods for decades. Then the river killed him". CNN. Retrieved July 12, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Mackintosh, Prudence (January 1, 1996). Just as We Were: A Narrow Slice of Texas Womanhood. University of Texas Press. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-292-75200-9.
  16. ^ Harwood-Baynes, Megan (July 8, 2025). "Generations of Texas elite in mourning over Camp Mystic tragedy". Sky News. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  17. ^ MacCormack, Zeke (2012). "Camp Mystic survives six year family feud". My San Antonio.
  18. ^ a b c "Camp Mystic, the century-old girls Christian summer camp deluged by the Texas flood". NBC News. July 5, 2025. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  19. ^ a b c "FEMA removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from 100-year flood map before expansion, records show". CNN. Associated Press. July 12, 2025. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic's emergency plans days before catastrophic flooding, records show". ABC News. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  21. ^ Daryl Herzmann. "KEWX Flood Watch #3". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  22. ^ a b c d e f Schoenbaum, Hannah; Vertuno, Jim (July 4, 2025). "Texas families plead for information on at least 23 girls missing from summer camp after floods". Associated Press. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  23. ^ Luscombe, Richard (July 14, 2025). "Texas camp leader waited over an hour after flood warning to evacuate". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  24. ^ Blakey, Katy (July 5, 2025). "'It didn't look like Camp Mystic anymore': Dallas teen describes evacuation, devastation". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  25. ^ Sundby, Alex (July 7, 2025). "Texas flooding victims include 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors, camp confirms". CBS News. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  26. ^ a b "More than 160 people still missing after deadly Texas floods". Sky News. July 9, 2025.
  27. ^ "Camp Mystic Director Dick Eastland among the dead in Guadalupe River flood". Texas Public Radio. July 5, 2025. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  28. ^ Rachel Wolf; Alexandra Koch (July 5, 2025). "Five deceased campers identified as death toll continues to rise after devastating Texas flood". Fox News. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  29. ^ Sottile, Zoe; Dewberry, Sarah; Lavandera, Ed (July 5, 2025). "How torrential flooding wrought tragedy at an almost century-old camp for girls in central Texas". CNN. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  30. ^ Helmore, Edward (July 9, 2025). "Texas's Camp Mystic was 'a place of joy'. Floods turned it into a site of great loss". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  31. ^ Geography Division (July 11, 2025). 2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP (INDEX): Kerr County, TX (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 28 (PDF p. 29/47). Retrieved July 11, 2025. Camp Mystic Way S
  32. ^ Rigdon, Renée; Fritz, Angela (July 7, 2025). "Children's camps in Texas were located in areas known to be at high risk of flooding". CNN. The camp is located at a dangerous confluence of the South Fork Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek, where flood waters converged.
  33. ^ Snider, Mike (July 5, 2025). "Where is Camp Mystic, the Christian girls camp hit by flooding in Texas?". The Arizona Republic.
  34. ^ a b "Camp Mystic in Texas, Where 20 Children Are Missing, Is Nearly a Century Old". The New York Times. July 4, 2025. Archived from the original on July 5, 2025. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  35. ^ a b "Best Summer Camps: Overnight Camps". Houstonia Magazine. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  36. ^ a b c Reynolds, Virginia (May 22, 2021). "Texas' Most Beloved Summer Camps — Storied Overnight Camps are a Tradition Like No Other for Generations of Texans". PaperCity Magazine. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  37. ^ a b Flahive, Paul (July 6, 2025). "Camp Mystic, now in ruins from Texas floods, was a pillar for generations of women". NPR. Retrieved July 6, 2025.
  38. ^ Gormley, Beatrice (May 11, 2010). Laura Bush: America's First Lady. Simon and Schuster. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-4391-1430-8.
  39. ^ a b Rodriguez, Paulina (July 7, 2025). "Inside Camp Mystic: The Elite Summer Camp Before the Flood". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  40. ^ "CNN anchor who attended Camp Mystic 'overwhelmed with emotion' visiting site of deadly Texas flood". The Independent. July 7, 2025.
  41. ^ Sullivan, George (1966). The Personal Story of Lynda & Luci Johnson. Popular Library. p. 39.
  42. ^ Martin, Mary (1976). My Heart Belongs. Warner Books. p. 163. ISBN 9780446893558.
  43. ^ Kaufman, David (July 12, 2016). Some Enchanted Evenings: The Glittering Life and Times of Mary Martin. Macmillan + ORM. ISBN 978-1-250-03176-1.
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