YMCA of Metropolitan Hartford Inc history

DOWNTOWN YMCA Hartford saw its first structure built in 1892.

YMCA CAMP JEWELL was founded in 1901 with the first camp site at Tunxis Island in the Long Island Sound.

Charles A. Jewell, for whom the camp is named, and other YMCA supporters, the camp moved in 1902 to the shores of Lake Swanzey, New Hampshire.

In 1918, The Hartford County YMCA began serving children in 12 cities of the then poor rural areas.

The County Y established YMCA Camp Woodstock in 1922.

Indian Valley traces its modern roots back to the organization of the Tolland County YMCA in October 1925 in Rockville.

EAST HARTFORD YMCA programs began on a sporadic basis as far back as 1926.

Hi-Y clubs were the first formal program in 1935.

The camp received heavy damage during a hurricane in 1938, but was rebuilt.

The Industrial Management Club was established in 1939 and gave mid-level and line managers of the many manufacturing firms in Hartford a place for continuing education and socialization.

The first branch office was built in 1944 thanks to a donation from Miss Edith Howard.

TRI-TOWN YMCA Branch was formed in 1949 as the South Regional YMCA. Programs began thanks to a grant from the Community Chest, now known as the United Way of the Capital Area.

In 1953, Greater Hartford YMCA General Secretary Francis E. Gray raised a then-record $565,000 for the purchase and construction of Camp Jewell and the YMCA Outdoor Center on 500 acres of land overlooking Triangle Lake in Colebrook, Connecticut.

The current building on Main Street was built in a joint capital campaign with the YWCA and was dedicated on October 26, 1958.

YMCA Camp Chase was established in 1962 under the name “Holiday Ridge Day Camp”. Back then the camp experience was much more rustic than it is today.

Girls and women were accepted as associate members by a vote of the Board of Directors in 1963.

The name was changed in 1999 to reflect its increased role in all three of its service communities: Wethersfield, Newington and Rocky Hill. It was dedicated and opened in January 1964.

In 1977 the branch established its first emergency shelter, Jewell House, for teenagers.

The main building and an adjacent child care center were expanded and renovated thanks to a Metropolitan Capital Campaign in 1987.

In 1991, the name of the outdoor facility was changed to Camp Chase YMCA to honor the generosity of the Chase Family.

The name was changed in 1999 to reflect its increased role in all three of its service communities: Wethersfield, Newington and Rocky Hill.

The camp celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2001 with the opening of Centennial Lodge.

In 2004 the Wheeler Regional Family YMCA underwent another major renovation and expansion.

The Wilson-Gray YMCA in the North End of Hartford opened in 2009.

In November 2015, the YMCA at the XL Center closed its doors and the new Downtown YMCA, located at 90 State House Square, opened.

HALE YMCA YOUTH FAMILY CENTER opened on February 27, 2016 and is named for Betty and Newell Hale, whose vision for a pool in the Northeast corner of Connecticut, combined with their generosity and commitment to the area, made the branch possible.