Ligonier Camp and Conference Center

Ligonier Camp and Conference Center, an outreach of First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, has provided Christian camping for youth since 1914. In addition to the summer youth camp, LCCC also houses a retreat / conference center, which accommodates 5,000 people each year. For complete information, visit the LCCC web site at www.ligoniercamp.org or call us at 724-238-6428. 

Ligonier Camp and Conference Center
First Presbyterian Church Camp

A Brief History

For 97 years, countless thousands of children have had singular, yet similar experiences at First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh's Ligonier Camp and Conference Center (LCCC)— They met Christ at Camp!

These wonderful occurrences had their start in 1914 when the first residential camp was held on rented properties, extending the ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh (FPCP) to the parents and children of Pittsburgh. Within a few years, several acres were purchased on Chestnut Ridge, Somerset County, near Indian Creek and served as First Presbyterian Church Camp (as it was called at the time) for more than 20 years. In 1936, a flood seriously damaged the Camp, prompting FPCP's Trustees to search for a more favorable site. It was found in 1938 at a cost of $14,000. The 141-acre Wiley Byers Farm, on the Youghiogheny River south of Somerfield, offered mountainous wooded areas, rolling hills and level fields. This site, however, was quickly threatened by waters of a different nature—the big Youghiogheny Dam at Confluence, Pennsylvania.

In 1942, FPCP purchased the 156-acre Harry Denny Estate, a little more than a mile north of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, which included all property on the west side of the current Camp driveway from Route 711 to the top of the hill above the swimming pool. In 1964, FPCP purchased an additional 100 acres on the east side of the driveway. An additional 287 acres were purchased for $1 million in 2001, increasing the LCCC acreage to 543 in a combination of forest, lowland, wetland, streams, trails and pond.

The dining hall, built in 1939 at the Youghiogheny Camp site, was dismantled and moved to Ligonier in 1942. Dr. Clarence Macartney, FPCP minister at the time, had this description of the dining hall: "What a building! It will delight your heart when you see it." Another impressive building, called the White House, had been used over the years by groups during the Fall and Spring. It was replaced by Lamont Lodge in 1968. In the early 1970s, the Bathhouse and Pavilion were built and the swimming pool below the Dining Hall was replaced with the present pool above the Lodge. In 1992, the Henry House and six cabins were constructed; 12 more cabins, the Alexander House (infirmary), the Hall Program Complex, tennis courts and the Kerr Craft Hall were added in 1993. Six cabins were built in 1994.

Many amazing changes have been witnessed at Ligonier Camp during the past three and one half years of a successful $4.1 million Capital Campaign. The construction of a new dining hall, which was dedicated in 2009, was the centerpiece of several projects that enhanced and strengthened the ministry of the camp.

From the early 1940s through the mid 1980s, summer camping and youth conferences continued with great success at the Camp in Ligonier. Then, however, the ministry declined to less than 400 campers per summer. In 1989, through God's provision and the faithfulness of the FPCP congregation, the church committed to revitalize the Camp and hired knowledgeable full-time staff, including a young couple with a youth ministry background. A Camp Board of Directors was formed, and in 1990 the name was changed from First Presbyterian Church Camp to Ligonier Camp and Conference Center and the process was begun to incorporate the Camp as a non-profit charitable corporation. From that time forward, LCCC was expected to be self-sufficient, with FPCP providing annual support through its Benevolent Fund.

Since the revitalization effort, the growth of this ministry has been beyond all expectation. Each year at LCCC, many first-time commitments to Jesus Christ are witnessed, as well as hundreds of rededications of lives to a richer Christian walk. In a time when economic hardship is so widespread, the Lord continues to pour out His richest blessings on Ligonier Camp.