A 1950 Camp WaBak Kind of Day

In addition to random write-ups about Camp WaBak here and there through the years, I’ve been detailing its history in a series of posts.  The first two were Camp WaBak’s Beginnings and Camp WaBak’s Opening.  This one will discuss what camp life was like at its beginning!

A year after the successful inaugural summer of 1949, Camp WaBak expanded so that it could host 40 girls a week instead of only 30.  In 1950, a May 18th article in The Greenville News noted camp improvements included an expanded staff area, an enlarged dining porch, new campfire areas for outdoor cooking, a paved road leading from the main road to the camp, and a bridge over Gap Creek.

One of my favorite articles that I came across in my research is this one titled “Girl Scouts at Camp Keep Busy and Happy” from The Greenville News by Dotty Hesse dated August 10th, 1950:

Well, you may have torn June and July off your calendar with gusto, but you can bet that 112 girls who camped at Camp WaBak during the past six weeks didn’t.  Heavy July rains might have dampened the blue jeans of many a girl, but they didn’t dampen her spirits.

July 31 was the closing date of the second established camping season of Camp WaBak.  The mountain retreat planned for girls in the Greenville County Girl Scout Council served this summer not only South Carolina and North Carolina, but Florida as well.  Twice during the six week period the camp was filled to capacity with 40 girls.  Between 25 and 40 girls enjoyed camping activities each week.

A day at Camp WaBak began with 7 a.m. reveille.  From the first sound of the morning gong to the last notes of the bugle at night, every camper had the opportunity to learn and use skills that any girl would want to know.   Every girl made her own bed, helped clean her cabin in the morning, learned to wash silver first and then the cups and plates, was happy hiking, floated with ease at the base of Gap Creek Falls, knew there was a time to “lie flat on your back shoes off, not talking to anyone” before and after dinner, created pretty pins out of pieces of plaster of paris, photograph albums from ten pieces of wood and some glue, sang songs around a fire, and calmed down by 9 o’clock at night.

Library time meant a time to pick out from the camp library furnished by the Greenville Public Library the books to read during rest hour and before bed.  It was a popular time at camp.

Much of the activities carried on for Intermediate girls were based upon badge work, supervised by Miss Trudy Andrews of Tuxedo, N.C.  The tree, animal and bird life surrounding the camp made it possible for requirements for over 40 badges to be passed by different campers.  Emphasis was placed on nature study also with Brownies, who do not do badge work.

As a part of the outdoor activity program, overnight trips were planned for intermediate and senior age troops, 10-14 and 14-18 respectively.  It was not unusual to overhear a camper pray for a sunny day so that “we can go on our overnight tomorrow night, please, God.”  An overnight meant making bed rolls and leaving camp around 3 p.m. setting up camp at an outpost a few miles away, cooking supper out, and sleeping on the ground with the beds forming a horseshoe around the fire.  Only a thunder storm could disturb such a peaceful scene.

Just like weather in the mountains, the rains came suddenly at 1 a.m. one morning.  The bottom dropped out of the clouds onto a sleeping group of WaBakers.  Seeing that the Scouts were completely covered with water-proofing, Misses Andrews, Kate Purcell, and Helen Franks were next concerned about keeping the fire going.  All they had to do was hold a poncho over the fire – and let the rains come – if they so choose.  What they forgot was that a poncho has a hole in the middle of it, and the rain took its cue to pour right through onto the fire.  Such things make camping more than interesting.  The scouts looked fine when they hiked into camp the next day, but the counselors – well.

Campers during the last week will probably never forget the indoor hike, when “Mopsy” Bradley and “Woody” Purcell led two lines of campers around and around the lodge for fifteen minutes when a heavy shower cut out a hike that had been planned for the afternoon.  It is such things as this interest in exercise and the excellent food that has caused visitors to remark, “These children are so healthy looking.”

Mrs. Myrtle MacDaniel, camp dietician, deserves a medal for spreading a feast for her campers and counselors three times a day.  Assisted by Kathleen Nelson, of Marietta, Mrs. Mac, as the campers called her, planned such a varied menu that every camper and counselor was satisfied.

Of all the ceremonies at camp, the sailing of the Wishing Boats [line missing] one to the camper.  For the night before a girl is to leave camp, she is given a small paper boat with a lighted candle, with which she makes a wish for camp.  Despite rainy Saturday nights, twice during the season the campers who were to leave were able to make their wishes and sail their boats in the waters of Gap Creek.  Other Saturdays campers placed their lighted boats in the fireplace of the the lodge, and made wishes that warmed the heart.  “I wish I weren’t going home tomorrow,”  “I wish the friendly spirit at Camp WaBak were all over the world,” “I wish Camp WaBak would go on forever.”

The camp grows as fast as the Scouts who come to it.  This season a tent for older girls was added and proved to be a popular spot.  A furnace for cookouts was built with logs and sand and plenty of hard wood by the campers and counselors and stands permanently near the tent site.  Steps were cut and are now well worn and a bridge built to the Falls and the swimming spot.  A Brownie group cleared a campfire site as their contribution to camp.

As a scout camp, WaBak is set up in units.  Each unit is in the charge of a unit leader, directly responsible to the director, Mrs. Paul Fisher of Greenville.  This year units were headed by Miss Margaret Bradley of Simpsonville, Brownie leader; Miss Kate Purcell, South Boston, Va., Intermediate leader; and Elizabeth Dobson, Fair Forest, Senior leader.

Assisting the unit leaders were counselors Misses Trudy Andrews of Tuxedo, N.C.; Peggy Boling of Taylors; Helen Franks of Greenville; Dorothea Hesse of Greenville; Lucile Massey of Athens, Ga.; Kathleen Nelson of Marietta; Juanita Phillips of Hendersonville, N.C. and Opal Rush of Greenwood.  Mrs. Myrtle McDaniel of Central served as dietician and Mrs. Martha Thornley of Greenville was the camp nurse.

“Even though the six-week summer season has closed, campers can be at Camp WaBak for week end trips with their troops,” Mrs. Fisher has said.  Mrs. W. E. Chandler of Greenville is chairman of camping activities and Mrs. W. E. Freeman of the Greenville County Council of Girl Scouts, is in charge of troop camping.

I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did.  My favorite line is the one in which visitors remark, “These children are so healthy looking.”  Were children back in the day not healthy looking?  Just kidding.  My favorite is this one:

“I wish the friendly spirit at Camp WaBak were all over the world.”

Me too.