Three Mile Island Camp Changing Its Name to Four Mile Island Camp

April 1, 2024

Three Mile Island Camp, owned and operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club, will be changing its name as of June 1, 2024. Due to a historical error, the camp will be renamed Four Mile Island Camp, to reflect its accurate location on Lake Winnipesaukee.

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) first purchased the 43-acre island in 1899 and 1900. At that time, the island on which the camp is located was believed to be three miles from the town of Center Harbor, and the island had been known as Three Mile Island for over 100 years. Recently, the New Hampshire Geological Survey (NHGS) received a grant from the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program, a USGS matching grant program, to catalog the history of geologic investigations in the state. While reviewing this historical data, NHGS found that Three Mile Island had been surveyed incorrectly, and the island is actually four miles from Center Harbor. Other islands, including One Mile and Five Mile, are not affected, as they were more accurately surveyed originally.

“We were surprised that no one had caught this error,” said Susan Caruso, Director of Lake Geology Projects at NHGS. “We don’t know if the original surveyors used faulty equipment or made a rounding error or simply missed something. It was the 18th century when this work began and, while we try to honor the work of past scientists, it is important that we correct what we now know was a mistake.” Caruso said current measurements, using modern tools, puts the island 3.99 miles from Center Harbor. “I know there will be people who object to the name correction, but things change, even geology.” Caruso made it a point to temper concerns that the island itself had moved. “That is simply not possible,” she said. “History shows that people can make mistakes, but be serious.”

Three Mile Island Camp is operated by a committee of 18 volunteers. Committee Chair Carl Gulovsen remarked on the name change: “I can’t say I like it. This place has a long history and has been called Three Mile Island by generations of campers. It won’t be easy to make the switch. I guess that’s progress but, man, it kind of stinks.” He added, however, “We have made changes in the past though. We used to get everyone to the island in row boats. Can you believe it? And now we will have the first electric-powered launch boat on the lake. So we know we can change with the times.”

Jake Barker is a geologist and long-time camper, and has studied the geology of both Lake Winnipesaukee and Three Mile Island itself. “Look, I know it was a long time ago but I can’t believe they screwed up like that. Personally, I’m still going to call it Three Mile. Is it accurate? Maybe not. I mean, my last name is Barker. Do I bark? I guess I could, but it’s just a name. Every name doesn’t say what a thing is.”

Camp committee member Kai Bicknell was supportive of the name change. “I thought Center Harbor seemed farther away. So I wasn’t imagining it. We should totally change the name.” Whether funds could be acquired to help the camp offset the cost of rebranding, if necessary, as Bicknell had suggested, is yet to be determined.

While the island’s name will officially change to Four Mile Island, whether the AMC will change the name of the camp will not be decided until at least next month.