On October 15, 1885, industrialist Samuel Colgate, revivalist Dwight L. Moody and YMCA professional Sumner F. Dudley convened a group of church leaders to charter a YMCA "for civic and cultural improvements to the Oranges".

This YMCA's first home was a small house on Main Street in Orange next to the North Orange Baptist Church, which was named the Central Branch YMCA.  Within two years, a small building was built on the north side of Main Street and in 1900; an addition was added as it became obvious the small building was no longer meeting the community's needs.  The building was completely renovated in 1924 and the Metcalf Natatorium was constructed.  Thomas A. Edison, one of our members in the early days, gave this building its electric lights.  The Orange facility functioned until 1985, when it was reluctantly closed due to financial and other considerations.

The Colgate family, having been instrumental providers throughout this YMCA's history, donated property in Sussex County in 1916.  The first camp of its kind servicing the Orange area was started in the summer of 1915 with a group of fifteen boys who were recruited from the West Orange Chapel of the Central Presbyterian Church.  This trial camp began as a two-week experiment.  The two donated tents for this first encampment were pitched beside a cottage (which was later the caretaker's cottage) and used as the dining hall.  The property, which is now part of the Fairview Lake Y, was added to many times over the years.  The first tract of land known as the Whittle property was purchased for the camp by Austen Colgate and consisted of 158 acres.  Colgate also donated the money to build the Kittatinny Lodge in 1917.  The Turrell Fund, another long time supporter of the YMCA, provided the financial resources to purchase an additional 100 acres of property in 1971.  The Camp is now comprised of 600 acres.

The ORYMCA Camp (Orange YMCA) as it was first known, served youth from beyond the Orange area, its name was changed to Fairview Lake YMCA Camps and Conference Center in 1976.  In 1968, the trustees voted to build Laurel Ridge Camp and with that, girls were admitted for the first time as campers.

The camp began providing special services to the local Sussex community in 1976.  Our newest Branch, the Sussex County Branch YMCA, was chartered in 1980, as an offshoot from the initial efforts of Camp Staff and Volunteers.  The Sussex Y now stands poised as a Branch with great future potential.

As early as 1890, the Oakwood Branch was organized to meet the needs of the growing urban population in the Oranges.  Over the 70 years of Oakwood's service and influence, much of its success can be credited to a long line of dedicated, faithful and unselfish laymen.  A few stalwarts who stand out noticeably and who have made an indelible impression on the lives of others through their contributions of service include: Amos Marsh, Rev. James Churchman, William T. Thomas, William H. Christian, Isaiah King, A.E. Rooney, Rev. J. R. Thompson, Dr. William H. Sutherland, H.B. Hipkins, John Farley, Dr. Theodore R. Inge, Dr. Harold Scott, T. Colson Woody, Ernest Young and Rudolph C. Gill.

In the summer of 1920, the "Oakwood Department Colored Boys' Camp" was started at Camp Lenape.  In 1932, a modern building was completed on Oakwood Avenue but in 1949 it suffered a severe setback when an explosion nearly demolished it.  The membership dropped and the leadership was discouraged and disorganized.  The difficult job of putting together the pieces of a badly battered institution was necessary when Rudolph N. Hawkins was hired as the executive.  Under his guidance, the Branch again flourished.

The YMCA conducted Easter Sunrise Services for many years in Eagle Rock Reservation; 20,000 people attended in 1934.

The Oakwood Branch went through another transitional period as an aftermath of the construction of Route #280 which necessitated the razing of the Oakwood building as well as the Russell Colgate building.  To maintain some form of YMCA service to the community, the Association's Board of Directors formed an Extension Community Service Branch, which was given the responsibility of carrying the YMCA services to the community.  In addition, they were assigned the task of finding a location, which would be suitable for a new facility in the East Orange area.
The Turrell Fund donated the site of Margaret and Herbert Turrell's homestead on the corner of North Arlington and William Streets in East Orange.  The facility, as it was developed, served as model for the changing philosophy of YMCA service.  In 1978, the East Orange Turrell Branch achieved national prominence by being designated by the National Council of YMCAs as the nation's most outstanding example of a YMCA operated by minorities for underprivileged youth.

In 1970, a group of parents from South Orange and Maplewood became disturbed about what was occurring in the teen-age world relative to drugs, alcohol and other anti-social behavior.  Discovering that the problems that many associate exclusively with the inner city are also problems of suburbia, they approached the YMCA to see about forming a Branch in their Communities.  A Board of Management was formed, an executive hired and they soon had a Branch operating programs such as Indian Guides and Princesses, aerobics and youth sports in rented facilities.

In 1973, the YMCA had an opportunity to purchase a garage and parking lot on North Munn Avenue in back of the East Orange Turrell Center.  This lot was operated as a parking facility for a number of years until we raised enough capital to build a gymnasium.  With funds contributed by The Turrell Fund and other supporters, a gymnasium was built and dedicated on September 28, 1980.

In May 1973, the YMCA purchased the St. Cloud Swim Club in West Orange and ran this operation every summer for eleven years, until it was sold.  In the mornings, our day camps were able to use the Olympic pool for swimming, scuba instructions and water fun.
The YMCA purchased the Sillocks-Miller factory buildings on West Parker Avenue in Maplewood in 1976, and razed the large factory.  The low brick buildings in the back were renovated and used for program rooms and offices.  Soon the Branch established a nursery school and day care center.  Property on Jefferson Street behind this building was purchased and an old construction garage was converted to a gymnasium dedicated in 1981 with a house converted to the South Mountain YMCA's office.  The South Mountain YMCA has grown significantly over the years.  It developed notoriety through its pioneering of the "JOY" aerobics program.

Local leadership was also instrumental in organizing the West Essex YMCA in 1954.  This suburban Branch utilized many rented facilities to operate Indian Guides and Princesses, Youth Sports, HI-Y and Day Camp programs.  Interest was so high by the 1960s that plans began for a full facility YMCA.  Utilizing land donated by Alan Sagner and generous donations exemplified by Donald R. Baldwin, his family and others, a new facility was dedicated in 1969.

The Orange YMCA offered citizenship classes in the Industrial and Americanization Department for many years where English and Citizenship were taught to the foreigners.  Help was also provided in completing and filing their Naturalization papers.

The first "CCC" Camp was conducted during the winters of 1932 and 1933. In exchange for room and board at the Orange Central YMCA, twenty-five out-of-work men worked on construction projects at Camp Kittattiny.  With YMCA counseling, most obtained permanent jobs.

In the 1960s and 1970s, we embarked on a program of "Street Academies", setting up tutoring, counseling and youth group programs in rented vacant stores in neighborhoods where poor and troubled youth lived.  Thousands have been influenced, with hundreds going back to obtain high school diplomas and many going on to college. 

In the early 1980s, Fairview Lake YMCA Camps and Conference Center became a leader in environmental education programming.

In 1988, the YMCA of the Oranges developed Young Leaders, a substance abuse prevention program for fourth and fifth graders which serves as a model for YMCAs throughout the United States.

In 1993, the YMCA of the Oranges, Maplewood, West Essex & Sussex County, officially changed its name to the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges.

In January 1996, our Board of Directors approved a capital campaign for a full facility YMCA building in Sussex County.

Today, the Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges remains a leading child care provider, offering programs for thousands of Essex, Sussex and Warren County children and their families.

In May 1999, the Sussex County YMCA celebrated the achievement of raising $1 Million toward a new Sussex County YMCA to be located in Hardyston Township and built on property donated by Northwest Covenant Hospital.

In June 1999, the South Mountain YMCA formally dedicated a new 18,000 square foot Child Care and Program Center at its Maplewood location, incorporating all preschool through kindergarten Child Care Programs under one roof.  This project marked the first major expansion by the Metro YMCAs since 1980.

In July 1999, the Association purchased a 10-acre campsite in Mount Olive Township.  The site will be developed as a new Camp and Program Center.

The nineties witnessed the most significant growth our Association has ever had with the budget increasing from $3.7 million to $10 million and our assets increasing from $5.2 million to $11.2 million.  This growth was distributed across the full scope of our YMCA, including campers, contributors, members, programs, and facilities.

In March 2000, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the construction of a full facility YMCA building in Sussex County and the purchase of a 7,000 square foot office building to house the administrative services of our YMCA.  This office building was purchased in June 2000 and the construction of the Sussex County building is progressing rapidly, with site plan approval obtained July 26, 2001.

In March 2000, the Board of Directors approved a Teen Initiative and pledges its support to the National YMCA Teen Action Agenda.

In August 2003, the site work for the construction of the Sussex County YMCA building began.

The Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges is one of the largest YMCAs in the United States and the largest YMCA in the State of NJ.