Girl Scout summer camps are in full swing by mid-July, and even in the digital age girls are encouraged to write letters home. A few lucky girls may even be asked to write about their experiences for local newspapers.
I thought I would share a few from our archives. This report appeared in the Washington Post, September 14, 1930, and I’ve added some photos from various scrapbooks.
My Summer at Camp
by Helen Sheets (age 13)
1831 Lamont Street NW
Washington, DC
This summer I went to Camp May Flather for a month. It is a Girl Scout camp near Stokesville Va on the North River. We lived in log cabins that faced the river, and ate in one big mess hall. Our camp uniform was a green suit of middy and shorts.
There were two different classes going on in the morning and two in the afternoon, and we could pick one in the morning and one in the afternoon to go to, like: campcraft, handcraft, weaving, or some others.
In swimming we were divided into three groups beginners, intermediates, and· advanced and we all went swimming in one pool but at different times.
We had horses up there three days a week that we could ride if we wanted to. I went with a group of girls up to Pioneer Camp for three days where only the girls that have passed all their camp craft tests can go We got red ties as a kind of badge to show that we had been up there.
I went with a group of girls up to Pioneer Camp for three days where only the girls that have passed all their campcraft tests can go. We got red ties as a kind of badge to show that we had been up there.
The big event of the season was the dedication ceremonies. Mrs. Hoover, Mrs. Flather and some other important people came up and we had a program in their honor. Mrs. Hoover also dedicated a bridge that she had given to the camp.
We also had a water carnival, a wedding between the old and new campers and lots of other things.
Camp was not all play though, we had to do kitchen duty about once a week and dishes about twice a week. We also had our cabins inspected every morning and they had to be just right.
We got in lots of mischief too, like powder fights, mud fights, midnight feasts, and sliding down a mountain on a clean pair of pants, and lots of other things.
In all I had a wonderful time in spite of all the scrapes I got into.
Here is a poem I wrote about The Camp:
CAMP
After all is said and done,
I had really lots of fun.
Though I got in many a scrape,
I came out of them first rate.
I hope next summer I can go,
To camp instead of Chicago.
©2017 Ann Robertson
I went to not only camp May flather for two weeks at a time but to all that were offered. There were five at the time. My dad said that I should try all 5 of them not just one. I’m sure I have artifacts from all. I know I have my letters to and from my parents. Especially from Potomac woods when a huge tree limb fell in a big storm. We were in the news and newspapers. I remember I cried when I left for camp and I cried when I left the camps and my new friends. I still have my memorabilia. I certainly loved camping in which it sure showed in my later years as a g.s. Leader and with my family.
Brenda, The Archives Committee would love to see your memorabilia and to make copies!
In the summer of 1969 my best friend, Jane Conable, and I were 12 year old campers at May Flather. It was our first time sleeping in a platform tent, eating (and cleaning up!!) in a mess hall, and searching for snakes along wooded trails. It was also our first and only time getting woken up in the middle of the night to sit around the campfire circle gazing into the cool blue light of a black & white TV set that had been connected to an outlet via a long, LONG extension cord so that us privileged “older” campers could watch the moon landing live. We had to watch in total silence so as not to wake the younger campers and that spectacular silence still rings in my ears today whenever I think about Apollo 11. The juxtaposition of nature and technology was breath taking.