Cottages for Campers

After the campers arrived at the Bowen Country Club, their counselors then gathered them into groups and assigned them to cottages by age and gender. The campers were checked for head lice and athlete's foot. While this was happening, the campers' luggage was being inspected for insects and food. The five cottages the campers lived in were built and named for the donors who contributed the costs of construction.

Mary Rozet Smith Cottage

This was a two-story cottage for girls aged 6 to 10 and four counselors. There were two dormitory-like rooms for 12 and 13 girls each. There was a living room with a fireplace and a large screened-in back porch. Some of the activities were mud fights, breakfast hikes, moonlight dips in the pool, and pajama parties. They also had many intra-cottage activities with Hutchinson boys and Rosenwald mothers.



Rosenwald Cottage

This was a two-story building for mothers and babies with six bedrooms upstairs, a large living room with fireplace, a large kitchen, and a long sun porch. It contained 25 beds and eight cribs. By the porch was a covered sandbox for the babies to play in. There were two counselors who cared for the babies, but did not sleep on the premises. The mothers' activities were scavenger hunts, treasure hunts, bingo parties, working in the garden; the babies played in the sandbox, went on walks and played games with their counselors. Their intra-cottage activities were having parties for Mary Smith and Hutchinson, baseball with Camp French, tango parties with Lansingh girls.

 

Hutchinson Cottage

This was a single-story cottage with about 24 boys aged 6 to 10) and four counselors. There was a living room with a fireplace and double-decked dormitory beds. Some of the activities were hare and hound, scalp rush, treasure hunt, breakfast hikes and message to Garcia. They also had intra-cottage activities with Mary Smith and the Rosenwald mothers.

 


Lansingh Cottage

This was a two-story cottage for girls aged 10 to 16. Twenty-five girls lived here with four counselors. The cottage had two dormitories, a living room with fireplace, kitchen and back porch. Activities consisted of pajama parties, trip to the lake, jungle supper, and overnight hike. Their intra-cottage activities were haystack fights, barn dance, date night, Sadie Hawkins day with Camp French and tango party with the Rosenwald mothers. From this group, table setters and dish stackers were chosen.
 


Camp French

This was a one-story barracks for boys ages 10 to 16 located on the other side of the ravine, with some double-decker but mostly single beds for 24 campers and four counselors. There was a living room with a fireplace.

A unique feature of this building was it had no hot water: it was the only cottage where campers took cold showers.Activities were Indian red and white wars, hare and hound, scavenger hunt, baseball games, scalp rush, message to Garcia, horseshoes, archery. Their intra-cottage activities included haystack fights, barn dance, date night, Sadie Hawkins day with Lansingh Cottage, basebqall games with the Rosenwald mothers, and the baseball game against the staff. From this group, the waiters were chosen.

 

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