How to Open a Homestead Campground

Enlarge Image Image Gallery A view towards the shore of the two acre swimming hole Joe Taylor made on his homestead campground. PHOTO: ALDEN STAHR

Sixteen years ago, Joe Taylor, his wife Amy, and their four sons opened up their land to a few campers. Today, Camp Taylor has 84 campsites . . . and the family has a thriving home business!

Since I've lived on his "homestead campground" for the last eight years, I've had plenty of chances to talk with Mr. Taylor about the ins and outs of opening a campground. And Joe tells me that you can start as small as you wish (as he did — for instance — with just a few picnic tables, garbage pails, and an outhouse) and then let your campground grow until it's as big as you can manage.

How It Happened

In 1953 — when Joe bought his 137 acres of northwestern New Jersey woods — he had no intention of starting a campground. He just wanted some recreational acreage for his family and friends. But as taxes (inevitably) increased, the new landowner had to make his property pay ... or lose it.

At first, the Taylors leased their land during hunting season, and took in about $400, but that wasn't nearly enough. So, Joe's next thought was to build a bungalow colony, but he ran into trouble with local building codes (which required a minimum of 1,250 square feet for any dwelling) and decided that such a project wouldn't pay off.

It was at that point that the landowner chopped down enough trees to make space for a few campsites, built several picnic tables, provided garbage cans, constructed a two-holer outhouse . . . and opened his campground.

In order to make the place more attractive to his guests, Joe Taylor's next move was to create a lake. Although he had a full-time job and was moonlighting at another besides, this determined man cleared all the trees for the two-acre lake site with an axe!

First, the Headaches

Originally the pond was stocked and fishing was permitted . . . but the Taylors soon discovered that many of their younger campers carried bait in glass jars, which led to broken glass and cut feet. Joe learned that — if he were to continue granting fishing privilege — he'd have to add an expensive rider to his insurance policy, too. Therefore fishing is no longer allowed at the camp, although it's available in many nearby lakes and streams.

Then — in an attempt to bring in some extra money — the Taylors decided to buy several boats and rent them to campers . . . a move which led to more problems! It seems that some youngsters liked to joust in the small craft and break oars ... while other campers complained that the boaters interfered with the swimmers. Now there's only one boat kept on hand, for emergencies.

Sometime later (and still trying to improve his campground) Joe built a hefty dock out of used utility poles and new planks. Its diving boards, however, tended to break . . . and that presented the possibility of broken limbs. The problem was solved with the construction of a 12-foot-high jumping and diving platform, and relative peace prevails on the waterfront . . . though supervision of activities is still necessary to curb roughhousing.