A Visit to Hassmer Hill 2008

Last week I made the trip from my home in Virginia to my childhood home in Indiana, and from there I finally made the return trip to Versailles and Hassmer Hill. I was excited to get to the site that morning, so I didn't give much thought to my clothing....or insect repellent. I parked at the gate leading into Versailles State Park on Finks Road and began my walk. I had been told it was about 3/4 mile to the camp site, but it seemed to be at least a mile. The roadway was overgrown in most places with grass and weeds, especially once I had passed the little cemetery located on the right side about 1/4 mile into the park. As I walked the excitement helped to offset the unpleasantness of the insects that had been buzzing me. My study of satellite images helped me to be able to find the location, otherwise, I'm not sure I'd have known where to look. The little road that angles off to the right was badly overgrown, and there was no obvious sign of anything man made. I noticed on my way out that day that there was an iron object, about the size of an old washtub just at the place where the camp road diverged from Finks Road....maybe someone will remember it there. I have a feeling there may have once been a mailbox at that spot; it looked like a good place for one.

I was only ten or eleven when I had last been to the camp, just a year or two before it closed, so my recollection was a bit dim. The first thing I noticed was an area clear of trees to the right...maybe the size of a basketball court. There were plenty of weeds, but trees had not grown there. I suspect this was the location of either the old Hassmer home or the mess hall. To the left I crossed a small stone bridge that covered a ravine. Some may remember this little man made structure, but I didn't recall it. It is one of a very few signs that anyone had ever been in the area. Near the bridge I found a few other pieces of stone walls or foundations, but I have no idea what their original purposes were. After crossing the stone bridge there was an obvious clearing with no large trees but lots of very large weeds. This clearing I imagined to be the open field where we danced and gathered for activities in the evenings. In the middle of the clearing stands the most obvious and most modern remnant of the camp, a steel antenna tower about 30 to 40 feet high. I did not remember that tower, but maybe someone else can recall where it was located at the site. It may have been used for speakers at some point.

At this point I chose a direction and pushed through heavy brush hoping to find something else of the camp. Once I was in the more wooded areas the underbrush wasn't as heavy, and one could almost see that there had once been something on the site, but again, there were no obvious signs.....except the remains of a structure, maybe 20 ft by 10 ft. It appeared to have a cement foundation and the remains of the walls were laying atop the cement. It appeared to have a well underneath. The building was too small to be a cabin or bath house, so I wondered if maybe it was connected to the old pool in some way. I don't know why it was left when every other structure was totally destroyed and buried. I also found the remains of a well, and ONE very old, very rusted frame from a bed/cot. It was clearly one of the beds used in the sleeping cabins and was surrounded by some very old soda bottles. I took two of the bottles with me...maybe someone will recognize the brands: Dana and Charm/Cino. They both appeared to be from the Cincy area. The bed was really the only item I found that conclusively identified the site. I had hoped maybe some of the trees would have carving, but I saw no traces of that. I will continue this entry at a later date. Please send any scans of photos or stories to my email, Mrmiller21@yahoo.com.