History Of Wah-Tut-Ca
At the Wah-Tut-Ca Preservation Association, our mission is to preserve and promote the rich history of our historic youth camp on Northwood Lake, NH. We aim to foster community engagement, provide nature education, and support conservation efforts through fundraising and outreach programs. Our vision celebrates the camp's legacy and its role in nurturing youth and nature.
The land for Wah-Tut-Ca was purchased in February 1936 by the Lowell MA Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Originally two parcels, totaling 180 acres, were purchased for $6,000, ($144,000 in today’s dollars). The land had no buildings or infrastructure to support a camp. Over the course of 17 months buildings from their old Camp Chadwick, (Dunstable MA) were disassembled and rebuilt at the new site in Northwood. The Camp opened on July 4, 1937.
The camp operated as the Greater Lowell Boy Scout Camp until January 1999. The Council was then merged with the Yankee Clipper Council and in 2015 became owned by the Spirit Of Adventure Council. After merging, Wah-Tut-Ca was the best attended camp in both those councils.
In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Wah-Tut-Ca was closed. With the National BSA Bankrupties and declining membership, the Spirit of Adventure Council decided to end its summer camp programs for Scout Troops.
That year, a group of camp alumni formed Lantern Light Camps and began reshaping the facilities and programs to meet the needs of today's youth. In 2021, a five-year exclusive lease was signed between Lantern Light Camps and The Spirit of Adventure Council.
Lantern Light Camps invested over $1,000,000 in tenant improvements and business capital. Lantern Light partners with organizations like the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Children, the New Hampshire DHHS Kinship Navigators Program, and Granite United Way to bring the gift of camp to underserved communities. In 2026, Lantern Light was recognized by the readers of the Manchester Union Leader as the #1 summer camp in New Hampshire.
