Camp Mystic paid Eastland family members nearly $300K as revenue plunged after deadly flood

Camp Mystic’s annual revenue fell by nearly half after the catastrophic July 2025 flood, while the summer camp paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to members of the family that operates it, according to newly filed bankruptcy records.

The filing, submitted Friday in federal bankruptcy court in Houston, provides one of the clearest looks yet at the finances of the century-old Christian summer camp for girls as it faces several wrongful death lawsuits and additional close scrutiny stemming from last year’s July Fourth flood.

More than 130 people died across the region, including 25 campers and two counselors at Camp Mystic, along with camp owner and executive director Dick Eastland. The Eastland family has operated the summer camp for three generations.

Bankruptcy records show the camp brought in about $5.7 million in 2025, down from $11.2 million the previous year. Revenue fell further in the first half of 2026. Camp Mystic reported just over $111,000 in revenue from January through June 24, when it filed for bankruptcy.

According to Friday’s filing, the financial disclosures are unaudited and could change. Camp Mystic said many of its records were damaged in the 2025 flood, forcing the camp and its advisers to reconstruct some financial information using electronic records, alternate sources and physical inspections.

The new filing also shows Camp Mystic reported about $774,000 in payments or transfers benefiting company insiders between June 2025 and April 2026. That category includes managers of the company, their relatives and affiliated businesses.

The largest share — $480,000 — went to Natural Fountains Properties Inc., an affiliated company that owns property used by the camp. Camp Mystic paid the company $80,000 a month in rent from July through December 2025.

Natural Fountains reported about $2.5 million in revenue in 2025, down from $4.8 million the previous year. The company is also a defendant in wrongful death lawsuits brought by families of campers killed in the flood and filed for bankruptcy protection alongside Camp Mystic in June.

Members of the Eastland family also continued receiving compensation after the flood.

Edward Eastland, a manager of Camp Mystic, received about $69,800 during the period covered by the filing. George Eastland received about $60,300, while Richard Eastland Jr. received about $59,200.

Together with compensation paid to their spouses, the six members of the Eastland family received nearly $300,000 since June 30, 2025.

How the bankruptcy could affect families’ lawsuits

Camp Mystic and Natural Fountains filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a process that allows them to reorganize their finances under court supervision while generally putting lawsuits against them on hold. Camp Mystic’s managers have authorized either restructuring the business or selling its assets.

The new records show the two companies still control substantial assets. Camp Mystic reported nearly $7.9 million in assets, while Natural Fountains reported another $17.4 million. Together, they reported about $25.3 million in assets, including roughly $4.7 million in cash and financial accounts. Natural Fountains also reported $14.3 million in real estate.

The companies reported a combined $8.9 million in listed liabilities, but that figure doesn’t include what they could ultimately owe in the wrongful death cases. The bankruptcy filings list the value of those claims as “undetermined.”

Late last month, a group of parents whose children died in the flood were named to an unsecured creditors committee, which represents those with claims that aren’t secured by collateral. It can investigate the camp’s finances, help develop a restructuring plan, and evaluate whether assets should be sold.

Their role on the committee could give the families a greater voice in a bankruptcy case that legal experts say could significantly shape the outcome of the ongoing lawsuits and how much compensation families ultimately receive.

Angela Littwin, a bankruptcy law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, previously told The Texas Newsroom that the lawsuits would most likely be resolved through a settlement in bankruptcy rather than resume in their original courts.

“The most common outcome of a bankruptcy like this is that the lawsuits would not pick up, that they would be settled in the bankruptcy,” Littwin said in June.

The bankruptcy proceedings are unfolding as Camp Mystic continues to face scrutiny over its response to the flood.

Camp Mystic remained closed this summer after withdrawing its application for a state youth camp license in April. The decision followed criticism from families of children killed in the flood and broader concerns about emergency planning at youth campsacross Texas.

The camp has also faced investigations by state lawmakers and health officials. During a legislative hearing in April, an investigator said Camp Mystic leaders had shown a “complacent” attitude toward flood risks before the disaster. The investigation also found counselors lacked emergency training and the camp didn’t have a written flood evacuation plan.

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