Lisle is Paoli 1's campsite at Horseshoe. The campsite belongs to Horseshoe and is used by other troops when Paoli 1 is not in camp, but every single structure at the site is the product of Paoli 1 labor and financing. Camp Lisle is arguably the nicest campsite due to all the work that has been put into it. It is named after and in honor of Col. Clifton Lisle, the Troop's influential second Scoutmaster.
Lisle West[]
Lisle West is the heart of the campsite. All seven bunkhouses are in Lisle West. In order from the entryway and moving clockwise around the camp they are: Scoutmaster, Wolf, Lion, Staff, Color, Fox, and Eagle.
The bunkhouses are a unique open-air design. The five patrol bunkhouses have a small entry area, each with a picnic table, and then eight bunks, four on each side. If a patrol has more than eight scouts then metal spring bunks will be requested and placed in the bunkhouse as well. The staff pavilion is elongated with a massive open area in the front and a cramped area in the rear with eight bunks stacked tight together and separated into two "rooms". The Scoutmaster pavilion is shorter like the patrol pavilions. The front half of the structure is completely open and has a commanding view of the entire campsite. The rear is divided in half with two bunks and one desk on either side.
The bunkhouses surround a large common area where the Troop falls into formation and generally hangs out during siestas. In addition to the bunkhouses, Lisle West also has the site's Bulletin Board (between Fox Pavilion and the entryway), the Flagpole (between Staff and Color), a road to the latrine (between Wolf and the Scoutmaster) as well as a bridge to the latrine (between Wolf and Lion), and a bridge down to the firecircle (between Staff and Lion).
Lisle East and Bensing[]
Lisle is separated in two by a small creek. The area across the creek is "Lisle East" and is connected via two bridges and a driving path to "Lisle West". Originally only the latrine and the firecircle were in Lisle East but in 2011 a temporary Man Scout platform was built in between the two, tucked into the greenbriar. A more permanent structure was built to replace it in 2012, a project which was finished in 2013.
The Lisle latrine is much improved over most others. It comes standard with two toilets and a urinal but the toilet seats have been improved, interior paneling has been added, privacy curtains were installed as were magazine racks. Outside, the latrine has a water trough as well as a water fountain. A changing room/shower has also been built onto the latrine. In 2013 a landscaping project was also performed around the building both to conceal it, beautify the area, and to mask the smell with a large amount of wild mint.
Man Scouts in front of their pavilion in 2013 Horseshoe.
The Man Scout platform was designed to support one half of a GP Medium military tent like the ones in M*A*S*H. The Man Scouts had cots inside the tent rather than the bunks that the scouts have built into their pavilions. The 2012 building project was originally intended to provide a more permanent structure for the tent but ended up expanding into a completely new structure. The structure is a very large platform tucked in the more overgrown section of the camp. The platform had rafters but no permanent roof up to 2012. Because the ground is not level at this location, The platform was built with a sturdy rope fence along the perimeter on three sides, which was later replaced by fencing similar to those on the bunkhouses in camp. Due to the overall design of the platform, the Man Scouts began stringing hammocks instead of setting up cots and soon the new structure came to be known as "the Pirate Ship" (due to the design, the usage, and a recurring theme of the Man Scouts). The "ship" has small trails leading both up to the latrine and down to the firecircle. In 2013, the day before summer camp began, the Troop began a project to roof the structure and completed this effort the very next day at the start of camp.
The firecircle as the name would suggest is where the Troop holds campfires during the week. It is used if the scouts are in the mood for a fire, want to have a get together, or even hold an event like Milk Challenge. The old benches were replaced with eight new, wider benches to modernize and improve the area.
Down even further from the firecircle is Bensing Field, named for former Scoutmaster Dick Bensing. The area can be reached both from the firecircle and also from a driving trail up from Taylor Beach. The field is used for sporting events and also as a miniature practice field for Retreat.
Building Lisle[]
The current Lisle campsite is the culmination of decades of hard work. The entire projected was started because of the failings of the original campsite Paoli 1 used. That site was even closer toward the Octoraro and flooded several years prompting an investment by Clifton Lisle's widow to move the campsite further inland to its present location. A latrine was built and soon the new campsite, named after Clifton Lisle, became a functioning tent site much like many others around camp. Soon Lisle also had a small lean-to similar to those you can still find in several other sites.
Mrs. Nancy Lisle's donation laid the foundation for the future camp but it was only the beginning. A massive building project would follow turning the simple tent campsite into an extensive site with numerous pavilion bunkhouses. The staff pavilion was built first (thanks to the Hoxie Harrison Smith Foundation for which it is named) and soon three patrol pavilions followed (in order we now know them as Lion, Colour, and Wolf). As the Troop's population boomed, a fourth bunkhouse was built so each patrol finally had its own bunkhouse. With the revival of the Fox Patrol a fifth patrol pavilion was constructed. A seventh pavilion for Scoutmasters (dedicated to Bill Kiniry was added to the camp in 2007 over top of where a tent platform had previously been erected. Finally in 2012 the "Pirate Ship" was built for the Man Scouts over a temporary platform that had been there the year before, and the project was completely finished in 2013.
In addition to these major structures, the rest of the camp has also been renovated or replaced as well. The latrine has been expanded to include a shower/changing area though the permanent plumbing was removed. The interior of the latrine has also been paneled and magazine racks have even been added. The seats have been replaced and curtains have been added for privacy. The two bridges in camp have been recently rebuilt in 2009 and 2011 respectively. Several bridges outside of the site itself both leading from Lisle to the pool and also from Lisle up toward the Dining Hall have been replaced in recent years. The benches of the firecirle were all replaced and much improved in 2010. The old wooden flagpole was removed and a new metal pole was constructed in honor of Michael J. Hadden. "Bensing Field" was cleared out south of the main camp starting in 2009. The site's bulletin board was rebuilt in 2008 and a massive archway (with the words "Clifton Lisle") has also been built at the entryway to the campsite. In addition, numerous check dams have been built around camp to ease erosion and water flow, most of them from the Year of the Flood.