{"nrhp_refnum":"04000064","name":"Luzerne County Fresh Air Camp","other_names":["Ferrwood Music Camp"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Middle Rd., approx. 0.25 mi. NE of jct. of Middle Rd. and PA 3021","address_restricted":false,"city":"Butler Township","county":"Luzerne County","state":"PA","lat":41.01210195650003,"lon":-75.99512260761938,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-02-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Health/Medicine"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former fresh air camp for children on a 17.8-acre plot on Middle Road in Butler Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with a 1927 wood frame dormitory, a circa 1935 dining room/kitchen building, a 1927 pump house, and later circa 1980 structures. It was later used as a music camp.","why_significant":"The camp is argued to be significant under Criterion A in Health/Medicine for its role in the regional campaign against tuberculosis, through a program of outdoor rest, sun treatment, nutrition and medical screening for undernourished children. The period of significance is 1927 to 1953. The nomination states the camp retains its historical integrity.","narrative":"Wood frame buildings on a 17.8-acre rural site in Butler Township mark a children's health camp built by Luzerne County in 1927. The vernacular dormitory, built that year, has a center meeting room with a stone fireplace and wings for boys and girls, while a dining room and kitchen building followed around 1935. Operated by the Wyoming Valley Tuberculosis Society, the camp admitted undernourished children, predisposed to tuberculosis, for three-week or four-week summer sessions. Each child received a physical examination, tuberculin testing and x-rays, followed by calisthenics, sun treatment, rest periods and large amounts of milk. Attendance rose from sixty-seven children in 1927 to one hundred a year in the 1930s. The camp reflects a regional crusade against tuberculosis that relied on health education and fresh air in place of sanatorium care. Later use as a music camp began in 1969.","period_of_significance":"1927-1953","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"No Style (vernacular wood frame)","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Used as a music camp (Ferrwood Music Camp) since 1969 under county lease; the camp closed as a fresh air camp, with the closing date undocumented.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.203846-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/04000064.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000064/89bea1ccab-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000064/89bea1ccab-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"JERRYE &amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LUZERNE_COUNTY_FRESH_AIR_CAMP;_LUZERNE_COUNTY,_PA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE &amp;amp; ROY KLOTZ, M.D.</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LUZERNE_COUNTY_FRESH_AIR_CAMP;_LUZERNE_COUNTY,_PA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994871","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luzerne_County_Fresh_Air_Camp","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6706574"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/luzerne-county/luzerne-county-fresh-air-camp-04000064/"}