Camp David
Camp David is a 125-acre presidential retreat located approximately 60 miles north of Washington, D.C., in Maryland. Officially known as Naval Support Facility Thurmont, the site features more than twenty cabins, recreational amenities, and essential facilities like a health clinic and a helipad for the Marine One helicopter. Serving as a sanctuary for the president and their family, it provides a respite from the pressures of political life and has also been a venue for diplomatic discussions and negotiations. Established in the 1940s and originally named Hi-Catoctin, the retreat was repurposed for presidential use during Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, who initially named it "Shangri-La."
Over the years, Camp David has hosted significant events, such as the historic 1978 Camp David Summit, which led to the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. Each president has shaped the retreat's legacy differently; for instance, Eisenhower renamed it Camp David in honor of his grandson, while others have made various upgrades and hosted family events there. Despite its popularity, not all presidents have utilized Camp David frequently, with some preferring alternative locations to unwind. Overall, Camp David remains an iconic site in American history, recognized for its dual role as a private getaway and a strategic meeting place for vital discussions.
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Camp David
Camp David is a 125-acre presidential retreat located about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Washington, DC, in Maryland. The camp is actually a naval installation and is officially called Naval Support Facility Thurmont. More than twenty cabins and other facilities are located within the camp, including a health clinic, a fire department, a gym, a chapel, and a helipad and hangar to hold the Marine One helicopter when the president is there. There are also mess halls and sleeping barracks for the sailors and marines who live there year-round. Recreational facilities include a hot tub, a swimming pool, and a one-hole golf course with several tee spots set at different locations. The camp serves as a relaxation spot for the president, the vice president, and their families to unwind and escape the pressures of Washington, DC. In addition, it has served as a place where presidents entertain visiting foreign heads of state. It is not all fun and games, though, as the site has seen negotiations and other work sessions over the years.
Background
Camp David is located in Catoctin Mountain Park in Frederick County, Maryland. It has been used as a presidential retreat since the 1940s. The camp, originally called Hi-Catoctin, was built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) between 1936 and 1939 as a retreat for federal employees and their families. The project, which the WPA called the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area Project, was built near Thurmont, Maryland, as a way to demonstrate how parks and other recreational areas could be created from land once used for agricultural purposes. The camp's location 1,800 feet (546 meters) above sea level on a forested mountainside made it a cool escape from hot and humid Washington, DC, summers.
After the United States entered World War II, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's doctors urged him to find a place close to Washington where he could relax and unwind. The president suffered from a paralytic illness diagnosed at the time as polio (though some modern research suggests his symptoms may be better matched to Guillain-Barré syndrome), and his doctors wanted him to be able to escape the heat of Washington, DC. The president toured two sites in the Catoctin Mountains and settled on the Hi-Catoctin camp. The location was ultimately determined to be a secure and secluded spot that would be ideal for presidential retreats and was transformed by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps into a military installation.
Roosevelt gave instructions on how he wanted buildings at Hi-Catoctin to be remodeled and requested that a main lodge be constructed to model his winter vacation home in Warm Springs, Georgia. He renamed the camp "Shangri-La," after the fictional paradise in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by James Milton. Roosevelt's first official presidential visit to the new retreat was a three-day trip in July 1942. Later in the 1950s, President Dwight Eisenhower renamed Shangri-La to its present name, Camp David, after his grandson. He explained his decision by saying the name Shangri-La was "just a little fancy for a Kansas farm boy." In addition, Eisenhower renamed the main lodge of the camp to "Aspen," a nod to his wife, Mamie, who grew up in Colorado.
Overview
Camp David has seen many changes and many firsts over the years. In addition to the name change by Eisenhower, President Richard Nixon had several new buildings constructed at the site. Many other modern conveniences and amenities have been added, including a skeet shooting range and a bowling alley. Eisenhower hosted the first Cabinet meeting to take place at Camp David, while during President George H. W. Bush's time in office, the camp hosted its first wedding when his daughter Dorothy married Bobby Koch. The camp has been a spot for presidents to host foreign heads of state and meet with advisers on important current events, such as ongoing conflicts or natural disasters. President George W. Bush met with his advisers there in the days after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks to gather intelligence and determine how the United States would respond. President Obama hosted the G8 leader summit at Camp David in 2012.
The presidential retreat served as the spot for what became known as the Camp David Summit, a 1978 meeting between Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin. Hosted by President Jimmy Carter, the leaders of the rival nations met for tense discussions over the course of thirteen days at the retreat. It was the first time a US president had met personally with foreign leaders in the United States for the purpose of brokering a peace deal between the feuding countries. Egypt and Israel had been at odds for decades, but at the end of the summit at Camp David, the leaders of the two rival nations signed what became known as the Camp David Accords on September 17, 1978. The accords served as the groundwork for a permanent peace deal between the nations, which was ultimately reached and signed a few months later in March 1979.
From the beginning, Camp David has served as a well-used retreat for America's presidents, and many even allowed White House staffers and Cabinet members to use the facility when they were not there. President Ronald Reagan spent a significant amount of time there, taking several trips to go horseback riding and work in the woodworking shop at the camp. President George W. Bush also was a frequent visitor, spending hundreds of days there over his two terms in office. Not every president has had such a fondness for Camp David, however. President Harry Truman, for example, did not visit very often because his wife, Bess, thought the retreat was boring, and President Gerald Ford was known for infrequent visits. President Donald Trump faced criticism for his lack of use of the camp. Despite taking office in January 2017, his first trip there was not until June of that year when he, his wife Melania, and their son Barron, took a trip there over Father's Day weekend. Trump chose instead to pay more visits to his luxury resorts in New Jersey and Florida when he needed to get away, making frequent trips to each during his first term in office. President Joe Biden's family retreated to Camp David after a disappointing debate performance in 2024 and used the retreat to discuss future plans.
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