Ethnographic Assessment of Camp Mueller, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH

Abstract

The project was undertaken to address a perception of inadequate interpretation of African American history in and near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio (CUVA). The Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands (Eppley) was tasked by the National Park Service with examining historical records around this matter focusing on Camp Mueller, an African American camp held in and around CUVA including archived material in local, regional, and national collections as well as conduct oral interviews with knowledgeable community experts to further document this history in an ethnographic study.

The findings from the study acknowledge that no effort is currently working exclusively toward preserving the history of Camp Mueller, one of the first African American outdoor focused camps in the nation and in Ohio, and that solely focusing on Camp Mueller as a site would restrict important connections to the African American natural and built environments, and environmental experiences in Cleveland and Ohio. Further efforts documented in the report strongly suggest that Camp Mueller appears to be one of the oldest outdoor recreation residential camps (if not the oldest) and the sole running camp in association with the Phillis Wheatley-named organization. The resulting review analyzes the need for a partnership between the NPS and other organizations such as the Phillis Wheatley Association and the Emeritus House focusing on the past history of Camp Mueller and activities related to the CUVA.