SMETHPORT — Many locals have fond memories of the Elk Lick Scout Reserve on Bordell Road in Smethport. For years, the reserve was not only an operational camp for Scouts of America, but also the location of Smethport Elementary School’s Sixth Grade Camp program. Generations of local children made lasting memories there — memories that became all the more precious when the camp was closed and sold in 2023.

Josh Black is among those who have a soft spot for the camp. He has bittersweet memories of taking his son there when the boy was just a Tiger Scout.

“I was sad at the thought of Elk Lick being sold,” Black admitted.

He and others felt a need to memorialize the park. Black recalled a photograph he had taken of his son at the camp. The boy was standing in front of the large, engraved rock that stood near the camp’s duck pond. The engraved rock lists the camp’s name and date of establishment. It was originally placed as a dedication in August 1998.

Black wondered if it would be possible to acquire that rock and place it somewhere in town as a reminder of Elk Lick and all the happy memories made there. He teamed up with Scout Leader Pete Anderson, who loved the idea. The pair contacted the camp’s new owner, Keith Klinger, who gave them permission to remove not only the rock, but the camp’s sign as well.

Anderson, who owns Anderson Welding and Construction of Cyclone, made heavy equipment available to help move the rock and sign. The task was completed earlier this week.

“After some rigging of chains and wiggling the rock, it uprooted out of the ground where it had been for years,” said Black. “It was a lot bigger than we anticipated it would be.”

The Smethport Borough Council agreed via unanimous vote to place the rock and sign in a shady area of Hamlin Park.

“Myself, along with Dick Ognen and Kent Herzog of the Parks Committee, met with Black and Anderson to choose a fitting location, which ended up being the wooded area on the island,” said Ryan Yingling, borough councilman and chairman of the Parks Committee.

Both Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts worked hand in hand to see that the new rock and sign were placed perfectly. Moving forward, they hope to be seeing a lot more of the park.

“It is our understanding the Scouts will now be holding various activities in the park,” Yingling said. “Smethport Borough was happy to add this piece of local history to our park.”