Echoes of theWinter Colony
Discover the rich heritage of Camden's sporting traditions through press coverage, historical archives, and stories from the golden age of Southern hospitality.
Featured Press
Read what leading publications are saying about the revival of Camden's sporting traditions
February 2025
Making New History with Wateree Hounds Sporting Club
A smile is worth a thousand words. Even the smallest of creatures is excited to be part of this Friday afternoon adventure rummaging through the open fields at Paschal Farm in Camden.
2025
For the Love of Horses, Hounds, and History
The historic region—which you might have already visited without realizing it—is worth another look. Camden is home to something akin to a greatest-hits list of the South's most treasured obsessions.
November 2024
Reviving the Sport of Kings
It has been 125 years since the thunder of hooves first rumbled across the well-groomed fields and skilled riders swung their mallets as polo made its debut in Camden, South Carolina.
"Camden was always a resort town from the 1890s through the 1940s, known for golf and polo. We decided to try some of those big activities and put them into one week. Let's try and recreate that.
Historical Gallery
A visual journey through Camden's golden age of sporting and social traditions
Early polo match at Camden
1900s
The Kirkwood Hotel era
1903
Winter colony society
1920s
Camden polo field
1910s
Equestrian traditions
1930s
The sporting life
1920s
The Spur Magazine feature
Archive
Winter colony gathering
1890s
Fox hunting tradition
1900s
Camden society
1910s
Hounds at the ready
1920s
The hunt begins
1900s
The Barstow Legacy
In 1897, Robert L. Barstow, the son of a wealthy Philadelphia stockbroker, stepped off the train in Camden with a bag of gold in one hand and a polo mallet in the other. His arrival would transform this quiet Southern town into a winter playground for America's elite.
Barstow financed the polo team and helped build what is now the second oldest polo field still in use in America. His efforts sparked the "resort era" that brought families like the du Ponts, Edisons, and Scotts to make Camden their winter respite.
The crown jewel of this era was the Kirkwood Hotel, opened in 1903—a grand establishment rivaling the Greenbrier in Virginia. Just eight hours from New York, Camden became the destination for golf, polo, fox hunting, and the finest Southern hospitality.
Today, 125 years later, the Wateree Hounds Sporting Club carries forward this legacy, reviving the traditions that made Camden the Steeplechase Capital of the World.
