Camp Swoneky

Camp SWONEKY had its beginnings in 1912 at another site called Camp Glendale. That camp was opened for underprivileged children, 6 to 12 years of age, who were referred to the Army by the social agencies of Hamilton County, Ohio. The camp was developed with limited accommodations for eating and sleeping, and ten-day camping periods we offered to a hundred children at a time. The original Camp Glendale purchase was two acres with a swimming pool and enlarged facilities.
In 1958 under the leadership of Brigadier William E. Chamberlain, the Divisional Commander, and other key camping pioneers, the Army bought a new camp six miles east of Lebanon in Warren County, Ohio. The new Camp SWONEKY thus replaced Camp Glendale which had been used for the previous 46 years. The new camp then took its name from the acronym for the Division, Southwest Ohio-Northeast Kentucky. Camp SWONEKY, like most Salvation Army and Christian camping programs grew from small beginnings.