Welcome to our tour of the presidential retreat now know as Camp David. Here you will learn of the development, operation and objectives of the camp. We will share information on what you would have seen if you had walked through the camp in 1943. We will point out some of the changes that have been made since. Please keep in mind that Camp David has always been and is presently closed to the public. Cameras are not permitted. Most of the photographs posted here are official White House photos collected from the Presidential Libraries. Some are taken from the official White House web site.
Enjoy your trip. Visitors to Camp David are limited to the personal guests of the President and to the crew which has been assigned. To put it bluntly this is likely the only tour of Camp David you will ever have.
Two events combine to establish the presidential mountain retreat. They were the Great Depression of the early 30s and World War Two.
Rampant unemployment and economic chaos gripped the entire country. Two of many efforts to revitalize the nation were the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Projects of America (WPA). One of their many projects was the improvement of federal and state lands and parks.
The Catoctin Mountain park was established by purchasing 10,816 acres of clear cut forest and eroded non-productive mountain farm land. The CCC and WPA combined their efforts to reestablish the timber land and construct usable recreational facilities.
Four organized camps were constructed within the Catoctin Mountain park, Camp #1 (Misty Mount), Camp#2 (Greentop), Camp #3 (Hi-Catoctin) and Camp #4 housed the CCC troops.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt had used the presidential yacht, the USS Potomac, to escape the oppresive heat of summertime Washington D.C. After the United States entered World War Two it was no longer safe to send the Potomac to sea. German submarines attacked and sank US Shipping within sight of the US coastline.
President FDR directed the countryside around Washington be searched for an area that would be feasible as a retreat. After a brief search, Camp #3 (Hi-Catoctin), which was used by federal employees and their families, was selected