Old Kia Kima


Old Kia Kima was the original location of Kia Kima Scout Reservation and is currently a campground for youth groups. The camp operated as a Boy Scouts of America summer camp from 1916 to 1963. Old Kia Kima is situated on a bluff overlooking the South Fork Spring River, in Sharp County near Hardy, Arkansas. It was purchased by the Old Kia Kima Preservation Association in 1998 and was reopened to camping in 2002. Old Kia Kima is listed on the Arkansas Register of Historic Places for local historical significance and local architectural style.

History

Kia Kima opened in 1916 and operated as a Boy Scout summer camp until 1963. In 1964, the summer camp was moved upriver to a larger property, which now operates as Kia Kima Scout Reservation.
For the next 33 years the property was in a state of abandonment and ruin until it was purchased by the Old Kia Kima Preservation Association in 1998. After having been closed for 39 years, in 2002 the camp reopened for camping by youth groups.

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