Parting Shot: Divine Fun

Peninsula, 1959

photo courtesy of Ott Gangl and Akron-Summit County Public Library/Summit Memory

Catholic nuns leisurely fishing off the docks at Camp Manatoc provided an unusual sight. The Akron area council of Boy Scouts arranged a program run by the Catholic Committee on Scouting that invited nuns to spend a day at the nearly 600-acre camp in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and cast fishing rods into Lake Litchfield. While the Akron Beacon Journal notes they didn’t catch many fish, they did get to experience another camp activity — two sisters were photographed holding bows and arrows at the archery range. Many Scouts still attend Camp Manatoc today and while they can be seen hiking trails and doing activities to earn merit badges, nuns have remained a rare appearance.