Tar Heel Travels Camp Bryan Time stands still inside this wildlife paradise near the Croatan forest By Bill F. Hensley

John McAlister Jr. has been coming to Camp Bryan since 1952.

Unless you are an avid outdoorsman and nature lover, chances are you never heard of Camp Bryan. And that’s too bad because the secluded haven near Havelock is a special place, one of North Carolina’s hidden jewels that has changed little over its more than 100 years of existence.

For the record, the camp is a unique private hunting and fishing club that occupies nearly 11,000 pristine acres in Carteret and Craven counties, adjoining the Croatan National Forest. It is a wildlife paradise with a long, colorful and distinguished history.

The club, known officially as Camp Bryan Farms Inc., dates to 1898. It was formed by a small group of dedicated outdoorsmen who sought to preserve and enjoy the unique property in its natural state. Maj. James Augustus Bryan, a former Confederate officer, owned a total of 57,428 acres in three counties. An enthusiastic hunter and fisherman, he extended recreational rights to his friends, who readily accepted an invitation. The first hunting and fishing “club” was organized just before the turn of the 20th Century and was headed by George Nicoll, a wealthy Bostonian who had moved to New Bern for health reasons.

Camp Bryan prospered from the beginning and survived two world wars. It achieved widespread national recognition in the l930s and ’40s when Frank Stevens, a northerner whose family controlled the concession stands at several major league baseball parks, brought in as guests future Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Charlie Keller and Christy Mathewson, along with New York Yankees executive Ed Barrow, for extended hunting expeditions.

Other notable visitors included broadcaster John Kiernan, humorist Irvin S. Cobb and cartoonist Bud Fisher, creator of the popular Mutt and Jeff series. Baseball great Ted Williams — a renowned fishing authority — was a frequent guest when he was stationed at nearby Cherry Point during the Korean War.

In 1947, 40 prominent North Carolina business leaders bought nearly 11,000 acres from Bryan’s heirs for $6 per acre and formed the club that exists today. The large camp includes two lakes —1,542-acre Lake Ellis Simon and 491-acre Little Lake — and there are 18 miles of unpaved roads. Today, there are only 36 members from around the state, making Camp Bryan one of the state’s most exclusive clubs.

Louis Maxwell of Goldsboro is a longtime member. “I especially enjoy the drawing for duck blinds in season, the exchange of information, the swapping of blinds, and the friendly — but competitive — kibitzing. You would think that the U.S. Senate was in session. It’s a hoot.”

John McAlister Jr. of Charlotte agrees. “I wouldn’t take anything for the privilege of hunting and fishing this great place. I have been coming here since 1952, and this is my idea of heaven. My children and grandchildren learned to hunt and fish here.” McAlister makes the 272-mile trip from Charlotte about twice a month and owns one of the 33 mostly rustic cottages that are scattered around a central compound on the shores of the larger, swamp-like lake.

For the angler, there is bass, bream, catfish, bullheads, perch and pickerel in the shallow, grassy waters of the cypress-filled lake. Hunters, in season, can choose from deer, bear, ducks, turkeys and doves. Alligators are plentiful in the marshy land that surrounds the lake.

Records show that the largest bass caught at Camp Bryan weighed 13 pounds, 10 ounces; the largest deer was a 190-pound, 13-pointer; and the largest bear exceeded 600 pounds.

“There is a variety of wildlife and waterfowl all over the property,” Maxwell says. “We are never surprised at the things we see.”

There are 13 duck blinds on the lake and 85 deer stands on the spacious but heavily forested land of pines, oaks, cypress, hickory and dogwood trees, generously draped in Spanish moss.

Some of the nation’s finest duck hunting — for mallards, black, redheads, pintail, teal, ring-necks and wood ducks — is held twice weekly, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, in season. Massive osprey nests and wood duck boxes are commonplace around the lake. Bald eagles are plentiful, and herons and cormorants live peacefully in this remote environment.

“The club is strict in adhering to sound conservation methods, and existing hunting and fishing laws are carefully observed,” McAlister says. “Violations of any kind are just not accepted. Our members won’t tolerate abuse of game laws.”

There is a rustic clubhouse, with a large fireplace, and a dining area. On the walls are mounted deer heads, record-breaking fish, a large turkey, a bear, along with yellowing pictures and clippings of Babe Ruth and Ted Williams and other celebrities who have enjoyed the casual lifestyle. Home-cooked, family-style meals are served as the occasion requires, and tales of the “one that got away,” or a successful duck hunting day on the lake are numerous.

“The quiet beauty and serenity of Camp Bryan are addictive,” McAlister says. “The place has changed little in the more than 50 years I have been coming. I like that. When I come through the main gate, it’s like coming into another world.”

Not surprisingly, there is little turnover in membership. The members pay annual dues to cover the costs of two fulltime employees, taxes, insurance and the various operational expenses of maintaining a large, active property. “It’s the best money I spend,” McAlister says.

That it has. This is one of those rare places where time stands still and a busy world revolves around it.


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