The men at Royalston evidently enjoyed considerable freedom in coming and going from the camp.  The camp dietician, according to Goossen, was concerned that men were able to use the camp car to go into town for movies during the week and on Sunday.  She also noted that “Girlfriends come and go freely—one just stayed a whole week . . . Over a third of the boys have cars . . . There is no limit on weekend leave . . . except in fire season”.  (letter from Nancy Foster quoted in Goossen  p. 37)

Camp staff and CPS wives with families were keenly aware of hostilities toward COs.  They faced difficult decisions about the education of their children.  Tom and Florence Potts, directors at the camp, decided to keep their son out of first grade because of the hostility.  Florence secured a correspondence course to teach Tony in the family quarters at the camp.  (Goossen p. 62)

The men published a camp newspaper New Roots from September 1941 through October 1942.

New Roots Supplemental Issue 7, October 1942, announced that the smaller Friends camps in Massachusetts, Royalston, Petersham (CPS Camp No. 9), and Ashburnham (CPS Camp No. 11) would be combined in a new camp No. 53 at Gorham, New Hampshire.

This is a farewell to Camp Royalston.  Greater powers have determined that we, the campers, should remove ourselves to Gorham, New Hampshire; and we shall there with the Ashburnham and Petersham camps reestablish ourselves.  Some of us have been working here at Royalston for over a year, many of us for less than a year.  We all hope that the contacts with the farmers and townspeople that we have made during our stay have been favorable.  We trust that as a result of our presence here, individuals who were once apparently unable to tolerate persons of our philosophy have now an understanding and insight into the meaning of pacifism and conscientious objection.

Many of the men at the camp had been hoping that the move from Royalston might have brought with it a work project or a group of work projects which would more nearly met [sic] the requirements of their interpretation of Work of National Importance.  From what we know of the proposed work at Gorham, these requirements will not be fulfilled.  We do not feel that an important step forward has been taken by the group.  Perhaps our opinions will be changed after acquiring intimate acquaintance with the new camp and its work program.  As large as this problem is to us now we realize that we are able to look past a current disappointment and view with determination the vast work that lies ahead, and we save all our energy for that task so that we may be better able to meet it when the time is ready.