Our Story
Camp Hebron was founded in 1957 by a group of Lancaster County Mennonites who shared a vision for a camping ministry for under-served children from Harrisburg and surrounding areas. Camp was intended to be an outdoor fun experience for city children, and was an opportunity to share the Good News of God’s Love.
The program also appealed to children and youth from rural Lancaster County, and in the early '60s Camp Hebron became a nurturing place for city and country children to become friends, to play and worship together.
In the decades since, the facility has grown and expanded to include several unique camping and retreat areas, including an all-in-one retreat center, motel-style rooms, bunk cabins, rustic shelters, several cottages and a scenic campground. Today Camp Hebron serves churches, groups, families and campers from regions such as Harrisburg, Lancaster, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and beyond.
Through all the change, one thing has remained consistent: Camp Hebron is a place where people connect with God, with nature, and with each other.
1957: Ten men follow a shared vision of starting a camp, and purchase 315 acres of land.
1958: The first summer of camp is hosted in six newly built cabins.
1959: Pine Lodge and five additional cabins are constructed.
1961: Camp continues to grow with the building of Breezewood Inn.
1962: The first canoe trips are run, in addition to the building of Fern Glade as staff housing.
1964: Mountainview Lake, a 4.5-acre manmade lake, is built in what is now the campground.
1973: As facilities and camping opportunities grow, Sylvan View is built to accommodate adult ministries.
1983: Twelve cabins and key program areas are renovated.
1983: Horsemanship camps begin.
1984: Sports camps begin.
1987: Offsite adventure trips become a key part of programming.
1994: Family camp is run out of the campground.
1995: The low ropes course is expanded, and the horse barn renovated as the Wranglers-in-Training program starts.
1997: On the 40th anniversary of Camp Hebron, the Hemlock Center is built, and Moms and Tots runs for its first year.
2004: A focus on ladies' ministry leads to the creation of teas and scrapbooking events.
2005: The Brookside Knoll kitchen burns down, and a fifth family camp is added to the summer schedule.
2007: On Camp Hebron's 50th anniversary, four shelters are built up by Breezewood, and the Women's Retreat is launched.