4 hours ago
Last Updated:July 07, 2025, 19:44 IST
Texas floods: Camp Mystic is a nondenominational Christian summer camp for girls in western Kerr County
Camp Mystic is located at a dangerous confluence of the South Fork Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek, where flood waters converged. (AP)
Texas Floods: Camp Mystic in Texas lost at least “27 campers and counsellors" following the floods in the Guadalupe River.
Texas has already seen multiple dangerous flooding events this year, and the United States overall saw a record number of flash flood emergencies last year.
WHERE IS CAMP MYSTIC?
Camp Mystic is a nondenominational Christian summer camp for girls in western Kerr County. The camp is located at a dangerous confluence of the South Fork Guadalupe River and Cypress Creek, where flood waters converged.
Camp Mystic has two sites, both of which overlap with either the floodway or areas the federal government has determined have a 1% or 0.2% annual chance of flooding.
Camp Mystic has three sessions each summer, offering classic summer camp activities including archery, canoeing, arts and crafts, horseback riding and a variety of sports, Reuters report.
Ten minutes north on the South Fork is Camp La Junta, a boys camp. Some of Camp La Junta’s property also coincides with areas known to flood, though several of its buildings are located in the lower-risk zone, or outside the flood zones entirely. Everyone at Camp La Junta has been safe and accounted for, the camp announced Friday.
ESTABLISHED IN 1926, FOOTBALL CONNECTION
It was established in 1926 by The University of Texas coach “Doc" Stewart, , who coached the Texas Longhorns football squad from 1923-1926 and, according to a UT historian, is the coach under whom the team first appeared in its iconic burnt orange and white uniforms.
Camp Mystic had one eight-week session from the beginning until 1942. After World War II Camp Mystic began offering two sessions, and later added a two week third session in 1983.
Agnes Stacy, fondly called “Ag," became familiar with Camp Mystic in 1933 when she sent her daughter Anne to Mystic. The next year, Ag attended Mystic herself as a director. In 1939, she and her husband, “Pop" Stacy, decided to purchase the camp. They began many of the traditions which are still followed by Mystic’s campers.
Ag & Pop, with their two children, Anne Stacy Eastland Spears and William Gillespie Stacy Jr., kept Mystic in continuous operation, except for the years 1943-45, when it was leased by the federal government as a rehabilitation and recovery camp for army air corps veterans of World War II.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank C. Harrison, affectionately called “Iney and Frank," were brought to Mystic in December of 1948 by Ag.
The current Owners and Executive Directors of Camp Mystic are Dick and Tweety Eastland, who have been at Mystic since 1974. They are the third generation to manage Mystic, which has been in the family since 1939. Both Dick and Tweety attended The University of Texas in Austin. After they married and graduated from college, Dick, who is Ag’s grandson, and Tweety decided to make their home at Mystic. For many years they worked alongside Iney and Frank Harrison, learning the traditions and operations of the camp. In the Mystic spirit, their goals are to boost every camper’s self-confidence and to nurture the development of their individual characters. Dick & Tweety continue to keep the Mystic traditions thriving.
WHAT DO CAMPERS DO HERE?
Devotionals are held on Sunday mornings along the banks of the beautiful Guadalupe River. Campers and counselors join together to sing songs, listen to scripture, discover ways to grow spiritually, and learn to apply these lessons to their daily life at camp and back home. Vespers services are held every Sunday evening on Chapel Hill and are designed to appeal to the spiritual life of every camper.
Catholic Mass is also offered on Saturday evenings to those campers who wish to attend. Once a term, Mystic offers a sunrise Holy Communion service on Chapel Hill.
Over the years, Camp Mystic became overly popular — it even hosted the daughter of former US President Lyndon B. Johnson.
With Agency Inputs
At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ...Read More
At the news desk for 17 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing special copies ...
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News explainers Texas Floods: Christian Summer Camp Mystic That Lost 27 Has Links To Football & Ex-US President
