At Camp Sangamon, a camper can head to the woodshop, spend some time building a birdhouse, then decide halfway through a period that the weaving studio is calling. A quick cleanup, and they’re off to the next great thing. For director Jed Byrom, that small moment captures a larger philosophy: give children room to make decisions, and fulfillment will follow.
On neighboring hillsides in Pittsford, Vermont, Sangamon and its sister camp, Betsey Cox, have put that philosophy into practice for generations. Both offer rustic cabins, waterfront activities, creative exploration, and a summer community where children have a real say in how they spend their days.
The family connection reaches back to 1922, when Eleanor and Leone Smith founded Camp Sangamon. Their daughter, Jean Smith Davies, later established Betsey Cox, bringing the principles of the camp where she grew up to a new community for girls. Family still runs through the leadership of both camps, both by blood and through the extended family the camp community has become. Today, siblings Jed and Devri Byrom, great-grandchildren of Eleanor and Leone, carry the work forward. Devri codirects Betsey Cox with their mother, Lorrie, the camp’s second director. Jed has directed Sangamon for about twenty years, having gradually taken over from their father, Mike, who led the camp from 1981 to 2006 and died in the spring of 2026. A strong team of educators devoted to outdoor work supports the directors, the staff, and the work of helping young people grow each summer.
Choice takes slightly different forms at the two camps, though both offer a wide range of activities. At Betsey Cox, staff share their activity plans after meals, and campers choose activities in hour-long blocks in the morning and afternoon. Sangamon uses similar blocks of time, but campers can move between activities within a block as their interests lead them. Neither camp asks children to map out their days in advance. Decisions are made after announcements at meals, and advance sign-ups are rare.
For some, the draw is horseback riding, kayaking, or other active outdoor pursuits. Others gravitate toward the arts, the farm, or, at Sangamon, blacksmithing or mountain biking. A camper might pursue a specific skill or simply enjoy experimenting with a range of activities. Campers are encouraged to try something new during their stay, but the final choice is always theirs.
At both camps some campers enjoy setting goals and checking off advanced skills at a few activities they choose. Others thrive on exploring and gaining new experiences in a much broader way. We celebrate both paths.
The setting encourages living close to the natural world. Cabins have neither electricity nor running water, with hot water showers and flush toilets in nearby wash houses. Campers leave their devices behind for the length of their stay. Days unfold in the forests and pastures and on the water. At family-style meals, everyone comes together to trade stories from the day. At Betsey Cox, breakfast ends with a “morning inspiration,” such as a poem or a question to set minds working, and Sangamon has a similar morning reading. Evenings bring quiet games, active group games, talent shows, campfires, music, and night skies full of stars some campers have never seen so clearly.
Counselors help campers navigate their freedom. At both camps, breakfast and morning cabin cleanup include practical questions: What’s your plan? Do you know how to get there? Would you like someone to go with you?
Everyone also contributes to the work of the community. Campers sweep, clear tables, tidy cabins, and help care for shared spaces. Older participants can learn practical skills ranging from outdoor cooking to maintaining the camp itself. Rather than making beds and sweeping floors for campers, staff teach them how to do it themselves.
“There’s a whole range of things you take from community and a whole range of things you need to give to it,” Jed says. “The community we build each summer echoes into people’s futures, and we see cabin groups gather decades later, both at camp and away. The devotion to our space and our ideals is wonderful to watch.”
Betsey Cox serves girls and nonbinary campers ages nine to fourteen, while Sangamon serves boys and nonbinary campers ages eight to fourteen. After their camper years, participants at both camps can move into three-year high school leadership programs. These include opportunities to mentor younger campers and a second-year travel component that takes participants beyond Vermont, to places like Morocco, Bolivia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Peru. International staff bring that wider perspective into everyday camp life, too, giving American kids a rare chance to spend formative summers alongside people from all over the world.
For prospective families, the process starts with a conversation. Both camps speak personally with parents before accepting an enrollment, though families can hold a spot with a pre-registration. These conversations help families consider fit and session length. Financial assistance from the camps and the Vermont Campership Fund helps make attendance possible for campers regardless of economic circumstances.
The camps remain deliberately small. Devri recalls her mother’s guiding principle: “I never want to get so big that I can’t know everyone’s name.”
That scale makes room for relationships built over many summers, and for children to discover what they can do when the next decision belongs to them.
