A Brief History of the Camp Arcadia Archives Program
During one summer on staff, Ryan McKenna found a handful of old boxes hidden in a closet beneath a staircase at Camp. Ryan took it upon himself to organize the boxes and purchase new containers for their content. It turned out that the boxes were full of old Camp Arcadia photo albums.
Inspired by his findings, Ryan spent his winter break from school in Traverse City writing a proposal to start a historical archives department at Camp Arcadia, to which Camp agreed. In 2000, he began working part-time in Archives while also working at the Arcadia Bluffs.
In the early years of Camp Arcadia Archives, the department operated out of the Navy Room in the Assembly. After the Wigwam was remodeled in 2003, Camp created a designated space for Archives, and Ryan and the team soon made it their own by adding in climate control to store artifacts.
Since starting the Archives Department 24 years ago, Ryan’s proudest achievements are the strong volunteer base that drives Camp’s archival work and the establishment of a permanent, secure, climate-controlled storage room. “That’s key to every archives.” He is also proud of the many exhibits over the years, including the Model T Interactive and, most recently, the restoration of Camp’s oldest artifact: The Assembly Cupola.
Running Camp’s Archives is a huge undertaking which includes collecting, organizing, and preserving artifacts—even those that seem irrelevant to him personally. “Just because it’s not my memory doesn’t mean it isn’t someone else’s.” Seeing the look on someone’s face when an artifact he saved prompts a memory makes holding on to the little things worth it. “I enjoy preserving our history and presenting, but what I enjoy most is how it connects us. We all have a story.”
Taken from a 2022 blog post highlighting Ryan McKenna's work in anticipation of the 100th Anniversary Celebrations. Read the full article here.
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