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Camp Perry was named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the victorious American Commander who defeated the British in 1813 in the Battle of Lake Erie. The Ohio Legislature officially names the Camp on May 1, 1908.
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CAMP PERRY, Ohio – Camp Perry has been a staple in the lives of many shooters, spectators and families over numerous generations. Since 1908, world travelers have made the small post in Northwest Ohio a destination. They have walked its paths, driven its roads and stayed in its facilities. With all of that traffic and wear over time, there are bound to be places in need of repair among the site, and the facilitators of Camp Perry have been busy over the past year restoring and improving the grounds on which so many have walked.
“We’re organized, we’ve identified all of these projects and we’re going at everything systematically,” said LTC Barbara Herrington-Clemens, base operations supervisor for Camp Perry.
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The Camp Perry Lodging and Conference Center is run by the Adjutant General's Department, State of Ohio. For more information, visit
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Barracks HVAC and Roof Replacement
To the relief of many, one of the most important improvements was the air conditioning replacement in the barracks of Building 2146. The $400,000 renovation completed in February 2013 will not only cause hot air to shift out of the building, but may also shift some annual visitors accustomed to staying in certain areas of the post.
“It’s a transitional year. It seems like the right thing to do.”
Above the rooms, penetrations for the old heating system showed above the failing roofline. Since the old system would have to be replaced to make way for the new system, the decision was made to go ahead and also replace the roof – a $209,625 renovation, completed along with the new HVAC installation.
“It didn’t make sense to repair one thing and then go back to fix the roof, so we went ahead and bundled both projects,” LTC Herrington-Clemens added.
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The brick Post Chapel was officially opened and dedicated by Captain Roy H. Cox on Sunday, August 8, 1943.
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Post Chapel HVAC Upgrade
Another popular building now equipped with proper heating and air conditioning is the Post Chapel. The $60,000 project was completed in October 2012 and included the removal of the boiler that once provided heat for the small chapel. Removal of a half-ton of coal abandoned near the old coal vent had to be removed to make room for this progress. The chapel will be cool for churchgoers on hot summer days, thanks to the latest, and hidden, duct work.
The duct work was added in between the large wooden beams where the roof pitches so that it isn’t noticeable to those inside the chapel. The concealed ducts not only help with air flow, but also allow the beauty of the original structure to flow through too.
“It’s wonderful. We’re trying to maintain the history of the place. We’re in the process of getting a thorough analysis of how best to preserve it,” LTC Herrington-Clemens announced happily.
The chapel also underwent a $7,500 bathroom renovation in July 2012 and is scheduled for a complete masonry tuck-point and interior painting in the near future, as well as a new front door.
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The theatre was built of wire-cut brick and has a seating capacity of 1,000. Architect Harry C. Holbrook of Columbus, Ohio drew the plans for the building which was completed by the WPA in June 1938 at an approximate cost of $70,000.
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Hough Theatre Roof Repair
An additional hotspot for visitors to Camp Perry throughout the year is Hough Theatre in Building 2. The theatre is known for its historical significance, having been a part of Camp Perry tradition since 1938, but, to others on site, the theatre has been known as somewhat of a leaky nuisance.
LTC Herrington-Clemens recalled that during one presentation, water came pouring down from the ceiling onto the stairs where people were walking. Despite funny looks from Generals entering the theatre, she did her best to mop up as much of the puddle as possible. She even had to place garbage cans on the stage during the program to capture the dripping water.
“It had to be on our list of projects. It got really bad.”
A $198,405 theatre roof repair was completed in March 2013. The contractor conducting the repair said the tuck point in the brick construction needed to be fixed to at least the level of the roof where the leaking occurred. Unfortunately, tuck points could not be repaired along the entire building because of the money received from Federal funds.
“When you get money from the government, it has to be expensed for the purpose that was stated. We said we needed to fix the roof, but the roof couldn’t be fixed without fixing the tuck point to that point or it would still have leaked, so that’s a problem we ran into,” explained LTC Herrington-Clemens.
The rest of the building is being professionally assessed this year to set priorities for projects and repairs when funds become available.
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This building was constructed for use by the Adjutant General of Ohio and his staff. Completed June 1938, at an approximate cost of $33,000 the building contains 14 rooms, a fire station, basement, and attic. The building now contains offices for the Camp Commander.
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Building 1 Renovations
A service that has always been provided on post is within the ID Card Office in Building 1, where retired military can get their ID’s updated and redone.
To schedule an appointment for military IDs, contact Brenda Hawk
at 419-635-4021, ext. 6234. But, before the $14,240 office renovation finished in July of 2012, getting a new ID was almost like sending retired officers back to basic training.
“It used to be that you’d come in and crawl from one office into another office, essentially, because of the layout. But now we have a proper ID Card Office to schedule appointments,” said LTC Herrington-Clemens, as she smiled. “That’s a service we can provide during the National Matches now as long as appointments are made in advance.”
Building 1 was also supplied with a backup generator in February 2013 for $68,640. The upgrade wasn’t just important for the power in Building 1, but also for all of the surrounding offices.
“The D-Mark for all communications comes through Building 1, so when we lost power in that building in the past, everyone was dead. Then we had to have someone come out and reset all of the systems. If we weren’t here and we didn’t know we had to reset the systems, someone had to be called,” LTC Herrington-Clemens explained. “So, the backup generator is really important. Now we are assured that our communications are maintained.”
Historical Lights Restoration – Phase II
Phase II of the Historical Lights project was completed in March 2013 at a cost of $121,000. All of the lights on Niagara Road, on the main entrance of Camp Perry, were completed up to CMP Headquarters to allow for safer travel for vehicles and pedestrians, as well as to maintain the historical appearance of the post.
Additional Phases for repair of more of these historic lights around post are being reviewed and will be accomplished as funding becomes available.
Though maintenance and repair are essential, they are only a very small part of what preserves Camp Perry. There are also countless memories created by those who visit year after year and the legacies of those who conserve the place that many will continue to visit for years to come.
“We are only the custodians of this place,” said LTC Herrington-Clemens as she smiled. “When we are gone, someone else will take our place and they will do the very best they can and what they know is right and instill that in others, and hopefully it keeps going from there.”
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