Camp Isola Bella
Summer Camp for the Deaf Community
Since 1962, Camp Isola Bella has been home to the American School for the Deaf’s summer camp. Today the camp continues to welcome deaf children and hearing children with deaf family members.
In the 19th century farmers chopped down the trees on the island to make pasture land. Sheep called the island home until the Camp Riga Club in Bridgeport purchased it on July 5, 1892. Club members each owned a share in the property and could not purchase shares from one another. Only the last two surviving members would own the property. The Club enjoyed visiting the island aboard their steamboat Jessie and had many rowdy gatherings here.
By 1906 only two members remained, and John T. Alvord bought the remaining share from his compatriot. In 1912 he commissioned the stone tower to be built that emulates the towers on Isola Bella, Italy. Alvord’s niece Muriel Ward inherited the island in 1925. She installed the causeway in the 1930s, much to the dismay of the lake residents. Although the island is now accessible by car, the lack of water flow leads to an overabundance of vegetation in the water which must be cut back each year.
It is through her husband’s friendship with Dr. Edmund Burke Boatner, the headmaster for the American School for the Deaf, that she became enamored with the school. She was not only a strong supporter, but became the first woman on the board of directors in 1959. After her death, her husband honored her wishes and the property was donated to American School for the Deaf.
Credits and Sources:
Photos courtesy of:
Camp Isola Bella/ASD; CTPostcards.net.
