Ascension School Camp and Conference Center began in 1882 with a gift of 100 acres from Samuel Gaither French to establish a ladies boarding school. The school officially opened on September 4,1884 with 40 boarding pupils and 25 day students supervised by 6 teachers. The Ascension Episcopal School for Girls flourished until a cold morning on July 29, 1892, when a fire in the fireplace got away and burned the school to the ground, leaving only the carriage house (currently Morris Hall). The land lay fallow until June 1924 when then Bishop William Remington decided to open a summer camp for the people of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon. The summer camp has run continually since then, this past summer being the 81th season.

     The first camping season (1924) consisted of one 10-day session with 24 participants at a fee of $10. In 2004, there were 6 one-week sessions with 300 participants at a fee of $200. The accommodations of the first camp were tents, a few rustic cabins, and the former carriage house (Morris Hall), which had been converted into a kitchen and dining hall. The camp’s current housing consists of two dorm complexes built in 1966 with 100 beds. Founders Hall also was built in 1966; it has a full commercial kitchen, dining hall with a capacity of 150, library and offices. French Hall, built around 1930, houses performing arts programs and meetings with a capacity of 250. Paddock Hall is currently the craft center; it started as a church in the nearby town of Union and served for a time as the camp’s dining hall, until Founders was built.

              The heart of the camp has always been and still is the Ascension Chapel. Built in1876, it is listed on the national historic registry, as is its accompanying rectory, Barton House. In 1998, Ascension School stepped into another path in development with the building of Kimsey Commons, a state-of-the-art, adult conference center. Kimsey Commons is a self-

contained unit for upscale conferencing for up to 50 people, with housing for 22 in double occupancy rooms with private baths. The dining hall and kitchen can serve up to 50. Kimsey Commons has evolved as the next phase of year round camping and conferencing, which we have offered successfully for the past 7 years.  

  Mission Statement: The Mission of Ascension School Camp and Conference Center is to provide a place apart for all God's children to gather and to share, to be refreshed by the joy of God's creation, nurtured in the bounty of holy love, and challenged to the ministry of Christ's Gospel.