Fans of Camp David - The Presidential Retreat

Fans of Camp David - The Presidential Retreat Page for all fans, friends, and those who have served at historic Camp David the Presidential Retreat. Presidential Retreat.

Learn more about Camp David at our Amazon store:
https://amzn.to/3SDHT6R We welcome you and your comments to the page for Fans of Camp David - The Presidential Retreat. This site intends to inform and engage with the fans, friends, past service members, entities, or interested persons of Camp David - The Presidential Retreat. You are encouraged to submit comments, questions, and concerns,

but please note this is a moderated online discussion site and not a public forum. Once posted, Fans of Camp David - The Presidential Retreat reserves the right to delete submissions that contain vulgar language, personal attacks of any kind, or comments we deem to be offensive or disparaging. Further, Fans of Camp David - The Presidential Retreat also reserves the right to delete comments that:
• Contain spam, advertising, solicitations or include links to other sites;
• Are clearly off topic or disruptive;
• Are obscene, vulgar, or sexually explicit. This includes masked words (***), acronyms, and abbreviations;
• Are chain letters, pyramid schemes, or fraudulent or deceptive messages;
• Promote particular services, products, or political organizations or campaigns;
• Infringe on copyrights or trademarks;
• Advocate illegal activity;
• Violate any policies of Fans of Camp David - The Presidential Retreat.
• Contain conspiracy theories, false information, blatant lies, or off topic.
• Disrespectful comments about the current or any past presidents, political parties or politicians. This is a page to learn, share and respectfully discuss the history and significance of Camp David and related topics.
• Disrespectful comments towards other members
• Offenders of the above will be banned

Please note that the comments expressed on this site do not reflect the opinions and official position of Camp David or any entity of the United States Government.

---------------------------------------------------------

Camp David is the U.S. Located in Catoctin Mountain Park in Frederick County, Maryland, Camp David has offered Presidents an opportunity for solitude and tranquility, as well as an ideal place to host foreign leaders. Construction of the facility began in 1935 by the Work Projects Association as the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area Project and was opened as a camp site to federal government employees and their families three years later. President Franklin Roosevelt renamed the retreat Shangri La after the fictional Tibetan mountain kingdom in 1942. The buildings on the site, including the main lodge, were remodeled after the Roosevelt winter vacation home in Warm Springs, Georgia. In 1953 President Eisenhower renamed the retreat Camp David in honor of his father and grandson, both named David. Since 1942, Camp David has been used by every American president as place to relax among family and friends and to tend to business outside of Washington. Camp David has also been used extensively to host foreign dignitaries. Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain attended the first such meeting in May of 1943.

What now?At the close of World War II, there was some debate over the future of Shangri-La. Should it be returned to the...
08/27/2026

What now?
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 a letter to Maryland Governor Herbert R. O'Connor, President Truman wrote:
"I have decided because of the historical events of national and international interest now associated with the Catoctin Recreation Area that this property should be retained by the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior. This action is in accord with the position expressed by the late President Roosevelt before his death."

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.

On Valentines Day 1981,  President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan watched Dolly Parton in “9 to 5” at Camp David and...
08/27/2026

On Valentines Day 1981, President Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan watched Dolly Parton in “9 to 5” at Camp David and had this reflection of the memory…

Dwight D. Eisenhower's oil painting of one of the cottages at Camp David. Anyone know which cabin? Courtesy: David H. Ma...
08/26/2026

Dwight D. Eisenhower's oil painting of one of the cottages at Camp David. Anyone know which cabin?

Courtesy: David H. Marx, Shrewsbury, N.J

Shangri-La's (Camp David) part in WWII...Roosevelt's first day-long visit was on July 5, 1942, and he entertained the fi...
08/25/2026

Shangri-La's (Camp David) part in WWII...

Roosevelt's first day-long visit was on July 5, 1942, and he entertained the first guests on July 18-21, 1942. Throughout the war, Roosevelt had a number of important visitors at his mountain retreat. They included OSS director William Donovan, OSS instructor William Fairbairn, Supreme Justice William O. Douglas, Princess Martha of Norway, and Princess Juliana of the Netherlands. The most memorable visitor to the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area and the residents of Thurmont was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

The existence of the Presidential Retreat was a secret. However, Thurmont residents generally knew when the President was in town. Marines would line the roads and bridges and the President was seen traveling through Thurmont in a special limousine escorted by state police. FDR had use of the only armored car in the United States. The FBI had seized the vehicle from gangster Al Capone for tax evasion in 1932.

The camp was not used during the winter months and would remain closed from December to May. The President made 19 visits to his retreat during the summers of 1942 and 1943. Roosevelt spent a total of 64 days at Shangri-La during World War II.

The state of Maryland eventually received only half of the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area as promised under the original Federal Recreational Demonstration Area program. The northern half remained a unit of the National Park Service at the request of Harry Truman in 1952, in order to maintain a buffer around the Presidential Retreat.

Source: NPS

The camp used for the Presidential Retreat was initially intended for all federal employees.Camp Hi-Catoctin had been us...
08/24/2026

The camp used for the Presidential Retreat was initially intended for all federal employees.

Camp Hi-Catoctin had been used as a summer camp for federal employees as well as Boy Scout groups. Two-thirds of this camp was currently in use by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Upon seeing the camp, FDR was "very much pleased with the area" and asked the team in charge of recreation and land use to "proceed immediately with plans and estimates" for a presidential retreat. Final approval for the project was given on April 30, 1942. When Franklin Roosevelt looked at the spectacular view from his new mountain retreat he said that "this is Shangri-La."

08/23/2026
Celebrate America's 250th with these books about Camp David and American Presidents...
08/23/2026

Celebrate America's 250th with these books about Camp David and American Presidents...

Shop recommended products from Camp David The Presidential Retreat on www.amazon.com. Learn more about Camp David The Presidential Retreat's favorite products.

June 22, 1975 President Ford playing golf with his oldest son Mike Ford at Camp David.📸 Ford Presidential Library
08/18/2026

June 22, 1975 President Ford playing golf with his oldest son Mike Ford at Camp David.

📸 Ford Presidential Library

President Barack Obama hosted the G8 Summit in Laurel Cabin in 2012. Leaders from the UK, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy,...
08/17/2026

President Barack Obama hosted the G8 Summit in Laurel Cabin in 2012. Leaders from the UK, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, and France joined Obama at Camp David in 2012 to discuss the European debt crisis.

📸 Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

Address

Thurmont, MD
21783

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Fans of Camp David - The Presidential Retreat posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share