Presidential Retreat adapted from The National Parks Service
Catoctin Mountain Park was originally land purchased by the government in 1936, to be developed into a recreational facility. The facility was to demonstrate how rough terrain
and eroded soil could be turned into productive land again. Camp Misty Mount was first used by the Maryland League for Crippled Children. After the first year, the League moved to
a second camp in 1938, Camp Greentop, because Camp Misty Mount's terrain was difficult to negotiate in a wheelchair. A third camp, Camp Hi-Catoctin, was completed in the winter
of 1938-1939 and was used for three years as a family camp for federal employees.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was accustomed to seeking relief from hot Washington, D. C. summers and relaxing on weekends aboard the presidential yacht Potomac or at Hyde
Park, NY. In 1942, the U. S. Secret Service were very concerned about the President's continued use of the Potomac World War II had brought an attack on Pearl Harbor and had
drawn German U-boats close in Atlantic waters. Presidential safety and Presidential health were concerns. The muggy climate of Washington, D. C. was considered detrimental to his
health, affecting his sinuses. A new retreat, a place to relax, within a 100 mile radius of Washington, D. C. and in the cool mountain air was sought. Several sites were considered, but
Camp Hi-Catoctin in the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area was selected after the President's first visit on April 22, 1942. A camp was already built on the site and the
estimated conversion cost was $18,650. It was also almost 10 degrees cooler than in Washington, D. C. The camp for federal employees' families became the camp of one federal
employee, the President of the United States. Roosevelt quickly renamed the camp "Shangri-La' from James Hilton's 1933 novel, Lost Horizon
At the close of World War II, there was some debate over the future of Shangri-La. Should it be returned to the National Park Service? Should it be maintained as a national shrine
or monument? Should it be transferred to the Maryland State Forest and Park System, as was the original plan of the demonstration area?
In 1952, Truman approved a compromise under which the land north of Maryland Route 77 would remain Catoctin Mountain Park operated by the National Park Service and the
land south of Maryland Route 77 would become Cunningham Falls State Park. The official transfer took effect in 1954. President Eisenhower renamed the retreat, after he took office
in 1953, "Camp David," after his grandson.
Camp David continues to serve as the Presidential Retreat today. It is a private, secluded place for recreation, contemplation, rest, and relaxation. Many historical events have
occurred at the Presidential Retreat: the planning of the Normandy invasion, Eisenhower-Khrushchev meetings, Camp David Accords with Menachem Begin of Israel and Anwar Sadat
of Egypt, discussions of the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam War discussions, and many other meetings with foreign dignitaries and guests. Maintaining the privacy and secluded atmosphere of
the retreat is an important role for Catoctin Mountain Park. The Presidential Retreat still remains within park boundaries, but is not open to the public. It is a place where Presidents
can relax, unwind, contemplate, entertain distinguished guests in an informal setting, and cope with the pressures of modern-day society.