In 1958, the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine bought 100 acres between the river and State Road 13 to build a summer camp and Camp St. John the following year. In the early 1960’s, the camp was used to house Cuban refugees as part of Operation Peter Pan and a few years later an experimental Job Corps program.
Camp St. John is still utilized today from organized groups like cursillos, confirmation groups and disabilities camps to private and personal functions like family reunions. Guests travel to Marywood to take advantage of the facilities, bunkhouses accommodating 72 guests, screened pavilion, chapel, commercial kitchen and dining room.