Brown Ledge Camp was established in 1926 by Harry and Marjorie Brown and run by the couple for its first 30 years. In the early 1960s, their daughter, Barbara Winslow, took on the role and served as the camp’s Director for the next 23 years.
During that time, Barbara recognized the need to institute a mechanism for the perpetuation of Brown Ledge. As such, in the late 1970s, with her encouragement, a group of current and former staff members founded the BL Perpetuators, Inc. for the express purpose of purchasing and continuing the operation of camp.
When Barbara stepped down as the Director of Brown Ledge in 1983, she appointed Bill and Kathy Neilsen to take her position as co-Directors of the camp. For more than 35 years the Neilsens upheld the traditions established by the Brown family while steering camp successfully into the 21st Century. When Bill and Kathy retired in 2018, the Board of Directors of the Brown Ledge Foundation conducted a search for our 4th director and welcomed Abby Lovshin-Smith to the role she holds today.
In 1997, BL Perpetuators, Inc. donated their shares to create the Brown Ledge Foundation. The Foundation is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization whose express purpose is to perpetuate Brown Ledge Camp. Through foresight, love, and thoughtfulness Brown Ledge alumni have ensured that camp is well-positioned to continue offering a quality program, with a unique philosophy, in a beautiful location for another 90 years.
