Camp Jack Wright--More information

Information for Camp Jack Wright (Scout-owned)

Camp address	Contact Information
12632 Confederate Parkway @ Tannehill State Park McCalla, AL 35111 Forecast for this area (at weather.com)	Greater Alabama Council Council contact information Contact email Website

Map using camp address (sometimes accurate)	Map using coordinates: (always accurate) Lat: 33.17062676768033, Lon: -87.0001550628764
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Comments for Camp Jack Wright

Greater Alabama Council
B.S.A.
Camp Jack Wright

Camp Jack Wright is owned and operated by the Greater Alabama Council. It is located in the Roupes Valley, adjacent to Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park. The valley is in the Alabama natural region known as the Ridge and Valley province. This section of the state is the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains. Camp Jack Wright’s hallmark is its rugged natural beauty. The camp is nestled in and on several sandstone ridges dominated by a forest of Chestnut Oak, White Oak, Black Oak, Southern Red Oak, Hickory species and a few assorted Pines. Wildlife is plentiful, including deer and turkey. All of this combined with the area’s abundant history, make Camp Jack Wright a great location for traditional Boy Scout camping.

Facilities / Resources
Camp Jack Wright is 40 acres contiguous to the 1500-acre Tannehill State Park. Together they form a 1540-acre nature and historical preserve, perfect for camping, hiking and other recreational activities. Camp Jack Wright is a primitive area ideal for weekend camping year-round. The camp has been designed for “low impact” camping to preserve the natural esthetics of the property. There are four troop sites; each site has a latrine, picnic table and fire ring. The camp has a central parking / activity area where there is also an activity pavilion. Water may be obtained at spigots near the pavilion. Garbage is disposed of at the Tannehill trash dumpster. Access to Camp Jack Wright is from Tannehill State Park.

Reservations
Reservations are required and can be made by contacting the Greater Alabama Council Service Center nearest you. Do not contact Tannehill State Park regarding Camp Jack Wright reservations. The cost is one dollar per Scout / Scouter per night (payable to the Tannehill Park Ranger at gate on check-in). The Ranger will issue a key and give directions to camp. Note: March through November there is no camping permitted on the third weekend of the month.

Camp Jack Wright Patch
In an effort to promote the camp and to establish a camp identity, the Camp Jack Wright committee developed a patch for camp. It is provided at no charge to Scouts and their leaders who complete the following requirements:
1. Camp a minimum of one night at camp.
2. Do an approved service project.
3. Hike the Benton-Burridge Nature Trail.
4. Have the above three requirements confirmed by Scoutmaster.
The Scoutmaster may obtain the patches at the Tannehill Park store, by presenting the cashier the completed service project form.

Land Acquisition
Scout Troops were camping at Tannehill during the 1950s and 1960s. Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park opened in 1969. During the 1970s as the park was being developed, Scout Troops conducted numerous service projects to assist. In fact, Farley Field is named after Ed Farley. Mr. Farley was a Bessemer District Scouter who spearheaded its development, utilizing Scouts and their leaders as volunteer laborers. As the park grew and visitation increased to about 400,000 a year, Scout Troops were often denied access. There did not seem to be a solution to this dilemma. Then unsolicited, Mr. Jack Wright approached Mr. Mike Krawcheck with a very generous offer. Mr. Wright proposed giving the Boy Scouts 32 acres to establish a permanent Scout Camp at Tannehill. Mr. Krawcheck presented the proposal to the Council leadership and in time the gift was graciously accepted. As the Tannehill Scout Camp Development Committee began its work, the Chairman Mr. Zack Cross, asked Mr. Krawcheck to locate the owner of 8 acres that were connected to the Scout property. If this property could be obtained it would enhance the use of the Scout Camp. After an exhaustive search, Mr. Krawcheck found that the 8 acres belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Floyd E. Benton, who live in California. Mr. Krawcheck shared with the Bentons the plans for the Scout Camp. After proper consideration, the Bentons, who had always hoped the property could benefit youth, gave the 8 acres to the Boy Scouts. This completed the land acquisition. The generosity of these two families is very much appreciated and will benefit many generations of Scouts to come.

Camp Development
The council Scout Executive asked Mr. Zack Cross to chair, recruit, and lead a Tannehill Scout Camp Development Committee. He charged Mr. Cross with the responsibility of getting the camp ready for Scout usage. This was to be accomplished at no cost to the council; it was explained that there was no money in the council budget for a new camp. The committee enthusiastically set about its work; first a camp master plan was established. There was no road that went into the camp property; they had one installed. Volunteers built picnic tables, latrines, a pavilion, laid out and cleared Troop sites. They also laid a water line that started at the Tapawingo Bridge at Farley Field and ended near the activity pavilion at Camp Jack Wright. Volunteers designated and cleared a path for the nature trail and identified and marked tree species. Finally an entrance gate and flagpole were installed and the camp was ready. In addition to the facility development, periodically forester managed controlled burns are conducted. These minimize brush and allow fire dependent small native plants (wildflowers) to re-emerge. The Tannehill Scout Camp Development Committee named the camp: Camp Jack Wright, and the nature trail: Benton-Burridge Nature Trail, after the families who were the camp’s benefactors. Camp Jack Wright was dedicated on May 4, 1997.

History Sampler
The site where the Tannehill blast furnaces are located was no accident. Roupes Creek provided waterpower, charcoal was made from the trees in the forest, limestone and most important, rich deposits of brown iron ore were nearby.

In 1830 Daniel Hillman was the first to build a forge at the site. Later Ninian Tannehill took over the forge and during 1859-1863 three tall natural block furnaces were built. Tannehill Furnaces was one of 15 Alabama furnaces that supplied pig iron to the Confederacy. Tannehill had a daily capacity of 20 tons. This all came to an end on March 31, 1865, when three companies of the Eighth Iowa cavalry commanded by Capt. William A. Sutherland, as part of Union Maj. General James H. Wilson’s Alabama raid, attacked the Tannehill facility and left it in ruin and inoperative.

“Solemnly the old furnace speaks of the heavy ways of toil, long since dead, that our fathers had before us. Majestic in the forest, yet ruling no more, it has a burdened, solitary heart… The very shadows seem to sleep, even as the stones; and the drowsy sun rays circling them are but the brushing wings of evanescent dreams.”

--Ethel Armes
(The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama, 1910)

Epilogue
Upon entering Tannehill a visitor gets a sense of history. It is easy to imagine the first pioneers arriving at Roupes Valley with all that they owned piled on a mule or ox drawn wagon; the early Ironmasters sweaty and covered in grime from the heat of their furnaces in blast for the first time; and years later the furnaces operating at a feverish pace to produce pig iron for the Confederate arsenals at Selma, Alabama and Rome, Georgia. A section of the road from Farley Field to the Camp Jack Wright gate is on the Old Bucksville Stage Road. What a superb setting for a Scout Camp! The Greater Alabama Council is fortunate to have such a unique resource. If the Camp Jack Wright Committee can answer any questions or be of assistance in making plans for a trip to Camp Jack Wright, contact your local Scout Service Center. They will be happy to tell you how to contact one of the committee members. Welcome to Camp Jack Wright!

Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park
www.tannehill.org

A great activity for Troops that are camping at Camp Jack Wright is to hike the state park, Shirley Real Environmental Trail. The trail is approximately one mile long and its entrance is next to the Camp Jack Wright gate (after entering the trail gate, take the right fork). The trail terminus is at Roupes Creek and the Civil War era Tannehill blast furnaces.

Respectfully submitted by: Rob Turner, CJW Committee-March 5, 2003
Revised: October 29, 2003
rpt

(posted on Oct 31,2003)

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