Hueston Sailing Association
Discover HSA
Hueston Sailing Association was founded in 1956 by a small group of sailing enthusiasts. Sharing a common love for wind, water, fresh air and sunshine, HSA has fostered that commonality through its sailing, education, social, and racing programs.
"HSA is an active member of US Sailing, the governing body for sailing in the US. " Membership in HSA is open to anyone interested in the fellowship of sailing and the fun of competitive one-design sailboat racing. Most of our members hail from the area within a fifty-mile radius of Hueston Woods State Park. A complete schedule of year-round activities is offered to HSA members. Among them are potlucks, training programs for new sailors, a racing program for all sailboats, an awards banquet in the fall, and educational meetings in the winter. There are enough activities to satisfy the most serious sailor/racer, yet not so many as to overwhelm the more casual sailor.
Email us for more information and to discuss how you can enjoy our programs:
Dayton area, Rose Schultz
Cincinnati area, Roger Henthorn
Middletown area, Jerry Callahan
• 1797: Pioneer, Matthew Hueston, buys land
• 1930: Hueston’s descendants dedicated land
• 1941: State Legislator Cloyd Acton organizes a purchase
• 1945: Further acreage purchased by Ohio
• 1952: Oxford Honor Camp, prison inmate labor
• 1956: Acton Lake dam built across Four Mile Creek
• 1956: HSA Club was founded as the lake filled
• 1957: Hueston Woods officially named a state park
• 1966: Honor Camp prison camp relocated
• 1967: Lodge and marina open
Hueston Woods and Acton Lake have one of the most unique histories of all Ohio state parks. From 1952 to 1966, the state of Ohio used prison inmates to construct its park roads, clear the trees from the lake bed, and build the dam and other infrastructure we see today. In fact, the park office was the prisoner dormitory for what they called the Oxford Honor Camp!
-- JoAnn Callahan retells a story of her and Jerry's first decade of sailing at Hueston Woods --
“The Honor Camp prisoners were a great help to HSA many times. After a bad storm, they would walk along the docks, bail out water-filled boats, clean them up, and return them to their moorings. Occasionally, they had to motor out to the middle of the lake to make a rescue and tow the boat back to its proper dock."
* Editor's Note: Jerry and JoAnn Callahan and Pete Peters, the longest HSA members, have been there since the start in 1956. Still active and promoting sailing. Their extended family joins them at the lake on summer holidays.
