Johnsonburg Memories
For 25 summers, the Stevens Engineering Camp, in the beautiful highlands of northwestern New Jersey, gathered first-year students for several weeks of surveying, drafting, outdoor sports and friendship. Stevens men (there were no undergraduate women then) attended this camp near tiny Johnsonburg from 1930 to 1955, deploying topographic maps, level circuits and transits deep in the woods, while enjoying swimming in a nearby lake, baseball and horseshoe tournaments. There were escapes to the Johnsonburg Inn and moonlit walks home. “Johnsonburg” was, above all, a time to bond — a buoying of class spirit.
– Beth Kissinger
1. Camp Hat
A camper from the Class of 1937 sported this gray camp hat during his stay in 1934.
2. Poster
Students created this poster to commemorate a banquet held on August 8, 1930, to honor inaugural campers of the Class of 1933. Campers, trustees, alumni and Stevens’ then-President Harvey N. Davis attended, many signing the poster.
3. Newspaper
The camp published its own newspaper — the TranSIT — produced weekly by the students. The TranSIT delivered mostly gossip, sports, editorials and caricatures.
4. Jacket
Class of ’41 campers and others signed this jacket circa 1938, adding their Greek letters and Disney characters. The jacket, owned by the late Zenia Lolas Eckel, was donated to Stevens by her daughter, Debra Eckel Walsh, in 2018.
5. Snapshots
Snapshots from camp life: Class of ’38ers dressed for a day of surveying in 1935 and, below, campers enjoy a dip in a nearby lake.
6. Postcards
The late James Braxton ’37 sent these camp postcards home to his parents in Jersey City, New Jersey. Braxton later had an illustrious engineering career, founding his own Chicago-based engineering firm and marching for civil rights with Martin Luther King, Jr.
Collage Photo: Michael Marquand
Historic Photos and Items: Archives & Special Collections, Samuel C. Williams Library