The property that became Camp Blanton and Blanton Forest was originally owned by Grover and Oxie Blanton, and Jesse M. and Francis Blanton, of Wallins.
On August 13, 1933, the Blanton family gave the property to Will Ward Duffield and O.M. Hoskins, trustees of the Harlan County
Boy Scouts of America, for the purpose of a Boy Scout camp.
In 1934, ownership of the camp was temporarily transferred to the Harlan County Fiscal Court. As a government entity, the camp became eligible for federal government assistance through President Roosevelt's Emergency Conservation Work Act, part of the president's New Deal. The newly created Civilian Conservation Corps worked to battle the destruction and erosion of natural resources including Camp Blanton, where they constructed a dam and small lake, as well as Duffield Lodge, named after Will Ward Duffield.
From that time, Camp Blanton served as a Boy Scout Camp for the BSA Cumberland Council for many years. On September 7, 1963, redistricting of the Boy Scouts councils led to a transfer of the camp to the Bluegrass Council #204. However, in 1988 the relationship ended between the camp and the Bluegrass Council, although several Harlan County Boy scout and Cub Scout troops still use the camp regularly.
On June 30, 1988, several Harlan Countians and former Scouts formed a non-profit corporation, Camp Blanton Trust, for the purpose of maintaining the camp for the use of the youth of Harlan County and surrounding counties. Original founding members were Vernon Ackley, Dr. Murphy H. Green, Duane Bennett, Phillip Disney, Sidney B. Douglas, Randy Head, Linda Helton, Daniel E. Howard, Tim Howard and Robin Osborne. Since that time, Camp Blanton Trust has remained dedicated to operating the camp and expanding the facilities.
While much of the surrounding forest in Kentucky was being sold to lumber companies, the Blanton family kept Blanton Forest intact during the years. In 1992, it was discovered by the Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission to be the largest old-growth Forest in Harlan County. In 1995 and 2001, two parcels of property in the forest were purchased by the commission, and in the fall of 2001 it was opened as a Kentucky State Nature Preserve. Under the management of the KSNPC and with assistance by the Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, one of Kentucky's most valuable treasures is open to the public and free for everyone to enjoy and admire.
