Camp Nakanawa Centennial Book 1920-2019

The Spirit of NAKANAWA A CENTENNIAL HISTORY BY MAR GAR E T HAWK I NS MATE NS

The Spirit of Nakanawa: Foreword We hope this book will be a treasured A Centennial History keepsake, rekindling memories and providing Camp Nakanawa, brought to life by Colonel a new understanding of camp’s colorful Editor L. L. Rice’s vision and nurtured by Elisabeth past. The formal celebration of the Nakanawa Margaret Hawkins Matens “Mitch” Mitchell’s strength of character, will Centennial in 2019 is sure to be filled with celebrate its centennial in 2019. Five generations laughter, stories, and reconnection. Friendships Layout & Design have shared the traditions and values that made here can last a lifetime, and we honor the Principal Photography embody Nakanawa, as important today as they were in 1920 when Camp Nakanawa was strong ties that are woven through Photo Restoration founded. To each of you — campers, counselors, camp’s history. We are delighted to Rick Dreves | vidiphoteo.com friends — who form the heart of Nakanawa, we offer an opportunity for members express our appreciation for the roles you have of the Nakanawa family to gather at Archival Photography Editor played in helping to create camp’s bright history. camp … for a time of remembering Margaret “Mop” Queen, TR ’58 There are numerous people to thank for The our past, enjoying the present, and Spirit of Nakanawa: A Centennial History. We looking forward to Nakanawa’s future. Camp Nakanawa first recognize the author, Margaret Hawkins 1084 Camp Nakanawa Road Matens, for organizing our shared history and — Ann and Pepe Perron Crossville, Tennessee 38571 memories with meaningful words and pictures. Camp Nakanawa Diretors Her fifty-year association with Nakanawa gave 931-277-3711 her a unique perspective. Photographer and [email protected] book designer Rick Dreves shared his talents and www.CampNakanawa.com professionalism. Many contributed to this project, notably Copyright ©2018 Camp Nakanawa, LLC “Mop” Moffitt Queen, Wyeth Outlan Burgess, All rights reserved. No part of this book may be Shelly Duer Landau, Donya reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, Boylston Rose, Lolla McNutt Page, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying Casey Colwick Fisher, Sally Miller or recording, or by any information retrieval system, Krauss and Lyn Brantley. We also without the written permission of the copyright holder. thank those who provided historical details and donated archival The Spirit of Nakanawa: A Centennial History was photographs. The volunteers involved in published by Southwestern Publishing Group in this project are too numerous to name, but all of their contributions were vital. collaboration with Camp Nakanawa, LLC. Southwestern Publishing Group is a wholly owned ON THE COVER: Taken in 1920, this hand-tinted postcard shows the four tents of Tent Row subsidiary of Southwestern/Great American, Inc., (later replaced with four small cabins) in the center of camp. The group of early campers in bloomers and middy blouses are standing on the wooded shore across the lake from Senior Camp. 2451 Atrium Way, Nashville, Tennessee, 37214. INSIDE COVERS: Prints of an Amazon Warrior (front) and a Valkyrie Maiden (back) from original woodcuts made by Ely Mahier, Head of Arts & Crafts from 1928 to 1966. Christopher G. Capen, President Southwestern Publishing Group, Inc. Sheila Thomas, Publisher Kristin Connelly, Managing Editor www.swpublishinggroup.com | 800-358-0560 ISBN: [XXXX] Library of Congress Control Number: [XXXX] Printed in China 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

3 Table of Contents Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 “A Spot We All Hold Dear”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Timeline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The Land and People before Camp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 The Colonel Rice Era: 1920-1948. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 The Mitch Era: 1948-1980. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 The Ann & Pepe Era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Nakanawa T.I.E.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 A Century of Nakanawa Traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

“A Spot We All Hold Dear ...” In appreciation to these Nakanawa families for their generous support: Centennial $5,000+ Centennial $4,000 Legacy $3,000 Mitchell/Perron Family Belknap/Owen/Beveridge/Funk/Patterson Family Smith/Tubb/Welch Family Anna French Brantley TR’52 & Lyn Brantley TR’81 Deanie Boteler/Layman/Butchko/McKechnie Family Evie Brantley TR’22 & Ada Brantley TR’25 Buddy and Cherry Gay Legacy $2,000 Huxford/Kirby/Jones Family The Smither/Hawley/Moore/Dunning/Hathaway Families Petree/Lambert/Sisk Family Corrigan/Carruth/Livingston Families Twinker Burton/Delphine & Mary Palmer Mason Colwick/Fisher/Davis/Roberts Family Chamberlain/Smith/Tual/Bumpus Family Cortelyou/Winship/Pressley/Johnson Families Snipes/Goldstein Family

5 Legacy $1,000 Andy Mitchell/Lowry Family Tricia Mullaney/Hagar Family Dr. Frances Lankford/Lankford/Akers Families Edwards/Allinson/Laycock Family Karen Haun/Barlow/Parrish Families Dunzelmann/Orgain/Russell/van Leeuwe Family Graham/Beavers/Moore/Bourgeois Family Chandler/Outlan/Burgess/Kelly Family Blackwell/Robinson/Pope/Browning/Giles Families Marks/McNutt/Page/Ryll & Fisk/Green/Blount/Moate/Page/Wilson Herbert Sisters/Joan Voorhees/Hayden Family Diana Parker/Melissa P. Draper/Martha Lee Reams Parker Bryan/Billington/Grimes Families Knox/Allinson Family del Valle/Carriere Family Barbara Keith Brown Payne/Glasgow Family Henley/Sullivan/Fondren/Coulter Family Marks/Porter/Monk Families James/Daters/Hescock Families Goodman/Pritchard/Dance & Greene Families Colcock/Born/Susie Weston Davis Family The McMillan/Rodgers/Mayfield/Rissing Family  Mendelsohn/DeHaven Family Roberts/Shepro Family Bowyer/Ellis/Hunter/Matthews/Stephens Family Margaret Hodges Roddy /Roddy Family Gelderman/Waters Family Carolyn Thomas Rogers TR’70 & Laura Rogers TR’01 Graham/Mattern Family Eva B. Boylson / Rose Family Martha Mobley/Cumalee Nunn/Mary Pat Haines Family Schnacke Family/Courtney, Kiersten, Whitney, Hattie Karen Rathgeber Hale/Katie/Whipper/Scout Family Shapiro Family Washburne/Heyer/Casey Greer/King/Carey/Sharp/Oakes/Stevenson Family King/Hosman Family Dunn/Shaw/Drennen/Smith/Bradley/Hughes Holly and Whitney Ivey Mary Jenkins Hardin/Sheriff Family Porta/Kleinhoff Mitchell/Reeves/Smith Family Miller/Krauss Family Elizabeth Hayden Hunt/Julie & June Lowry/Hayden Taylor Dr. Carl Duer/Landau Family McCullough Family, Three Generations Lynda Lankford Gaddy/Upchurch/Tipton/Poore Lindner Family Samford/Upchurch Family Mary Miles Loveless (TR’71) Mary, Lucy and Kate Susan Savage/Buddendorf & Carol Carlock/Vig Families White/Bitter/Lupe/Mach Family Costello/Wagner Family Sheldon Lykes Laura Anthony Waller/Bouffard & Quiram Families Meg, Jane & Addie/McGriff Family Carrie Ward/Accardi/Johnston/Lazarro Families Martha Fowler/Flossie McNabb Family Mary Whitmire Bordley Lott/O’Neill/McPhillips/Lewis Family Glenn Edward Mitchell Family

“In the Morning When I Wake...”

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“Our Camp Nakanawa Days ...”

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“In the Shades of Evening ...”

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“Apricot Skies and Lavender Clouds ...”



The Nakanawa Alma Mater There is a spot we all hold dear, Beside a mountain lake, Where symphonies of birds we hear And friendships true we make. Nakanawa, Nakanawa, As we sing to thee All our hearts are filled with love And lasting loyalty. As silver clouds touch evening skies We wish upon a star, And voices from the woodlands rise Singing from afar. Nakanawa, Nakanawa, As we sing to thee All our hearts are filled with love And lasting loyalty.

19 “As We Sing One Last Goodnight ...”



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A Brief Timeline of Nakanawa Milestones 5,000 B.C.E. 1926 1934 1939 1942 1947 Native Americans lived Junior Camp Mural in Kiosk built for All campers combined Colonel Rice’s at the site of Nakanawa Senior Dining Hall 20th Anniversary final summer opens completed in Senior Camp due to WWII 1920 1927 1937 1940 1946 Camp opens for its Tents of Tent Row Free Day Alma Mater Junior Camp replaced with 4 cabins established first summer written reopened The Senior Dining Hall Mural Ely Mahier was responsible for one of the most treasured reminders of camp’s history, the mural in the Senior Dining Hall. The 1934 Valkyrie team’s gift were masonite panels on which Ely painted a sweeping scene of Nakanawa’s buildings and activities. Colonel Rice, Annie Hays and other key figures are depicted. Many campers, including Mitch, helped to paint the huge piece of artwork. When the old Dining Hall was replaced, the mural was saved and reinstalled in the new building. Over the decades, the mural’s once-bright colors faded, and in 1979 Mitch asked Margaret Matens to restore it.

23 1948 1969 1981 1994 2005 2019 Elisabeth “Mitch” Nakanawa Ann & Pepe Perron Nakanawa Trail Around Nakanawa Mitchell becomes 50th Anniversary 75th Anniversary the Lake completed 100th Anniversary Camp Director Celebration become Celebration Celebration Camp Directors 1964 1980 1988 1997 2006 Last trains deliver Mitch’s First Two-Week Camp shortened Nakanawa T.I.E.S. campers to Mayland final summer Alumni Association Camp to four weeks formed

The Land and People before Camp The first people inhabited the Cumberland Plateau over 5,000 years ago. In more recent times, Native Americans lived and hunted in the region. In the 1860s, an immigrant carpenter named William Cooper moved to the Mayland area. Though Cooper’s vision for building a lake ended in disaster for him, the lake attracted the attention of Colonel Rice as he searched for the future home of Camp Nakanawa. In the 1940s, camp caretaker Carson Tays discovered a large Native American carved stone, which he relocated near the Senior Camp Office. Carved on the rock are simple pictographs of a head with feathers, a bow and an arrow. William Cooper, builder of Lake Aloaloa

25 The Land before the Lake Mayland’s Lake: A Big Dream for a Little Settlement Centuries before Nakanawa’s founder — Laban Lacy Rice — was born, the 1,000-acre tract which is now the camp After Tennessee became a state in 1796, settlers moved into Cumberland County, rich with was home for early peoples, dating back thousands of coal and timber. The Tennessee Central Railroad arrived in 1900 and attracted settler Robert years. Johnson. He built a log inn that was a well-known stopping place for travelers including parents Soon after buying the land, Colonel Rice wrote of “the of early campers. Johnson’s Stand was one of the earliest settlements in the county. discovery that Nakanawa is located on the site of an old It was William Cooper, an Irish immigrant carpenter and lumberman, who renamed the Indian village.” Arrowheads, spear tips and tomahawks settlement Mayland. He had big plans for the small community and purchased a number of were found as well as bowl-shaped hollows in the flat large tracts in the area. rocks. The bowl shapes were caused by the Native In 1905 Cooper persuaded the Mayland men to help him build a lake in a low-lying meadow. American practice of grinding. Resident Mamie Garrett remembered, “It was just a swamp before. People let their cattle graze In 2014 Jan Simek, Ph.D., from the University of down there.” Tennessee discovered that a people much earlier than Using mule teams, the neighbors cleared trees that grew in the meadow and helped build a the Cherokees had lived there — 5,000 years ago. When 31-foot-tall dam that cost Cooper thousands of dollars. According to Bob Garrett, one of the he visited camp to examine the depressions in the workers, a concrete core was poured and packed on each side with rock, dirt and felled logs. rock outcropping behind “Carson’s House,” Dr. Simek The rain and natural underground springs soon began to fill the low areas. As a young girl, identified them as bedrock mortar holes or “kettle Lucille Hall fished in the meadow. \"There was a big branch of the stream that went through the rocks,” used to grind nuts or grain long before corn was meadow. It just got bigger and bigger and filled up the lake.” introduced to America. A 1912 article in the Crossville Chronicle said that “Cooper’s Lake” covered 180 acres with a From the 1300s to the mid-1800s, the Cherokees four-mile shoreline. Cooper noted that The Tennessee Central was expected to run excursion inhabited this region. Because of the poor soil and steep trains to Mayland, and he planned to put motor boats on the lake for pleasure seekers. Because bluffs of the plateau, the Native Americans used the area of Cooper’s untimely death in 1913, his plans never materialized, and his holdings were sold. for hunting and gathering, and they sheltered under the The Mountain Lake Park Co. bought the land in 1916 to build a resort that never materialized. sandstone bluffs. Courthouse records from 1920 show that the property was sold to Laban Lacy Rice so he could build a camp. The dam, as it looked about the time Colonel Rice purchased the land for what was to become Camp Nakanawa. Camp Director Pepe Perron tells campers about the kettle rocks that provide evidence of prehistoric cultures having lived on the land that is now Camp Nakanawa.

William Cooper: Saving the lake, but losing his life This 1913 photo was taken the same year that William Cooper died while saving the earthen dam he had Cooper’s Stand, an overnight shelter located beside engineered to create Mayland Lake. The intensity of the water pouring over the spillway and the logs that the dam, was named for the man whose vision and bottlenecked against the bridge almost spelled the end for what was to become Lake Aloaloa. hard work resulted in camp’s beautiful lake. William Cooper’s dream of building a large lake to attract development to the Cumberland Plateau was to be his final accomplishment and his death sentence. In the spring of 1913, the new lake was threatened with destruction. As Porter Pugh, longtime camp employee, remembered, \"This big rain come and it wretch out them treetops that hadn't got cleaned up yet. It pulled them to the spillway and just dammed it up. The water raised up so high then it was about to wash the dam out.” Cooper, Porter Garrett, who also worked at camp, and his brothers walked to the dam. Using axes and saws, they worked feverishly through the night in pouring rain. At last the men were able to chop down a bridge spanning the spillway and free the trees so they were swept over the spillway and safely downstream. The men succeeded in saving the lake, but at the cost of Cooper's life. According to an article in the Crossville Chronicle, exposure to the cold and rain gave Cooper pneumonia, and he died on April 7, 1913.

27 The Dragon with Two Tails “The Dragon with Two Tails” was a nickname given to Cooper’s lake by camp Arts & Crafts counselor Ely Mahier. In her 1940s-era sketch, which she used as a motif on hand-printed silk scarves, the dragon’s head is to the right, with Junior Camp located between its hind leg and forked tail and Senior Camp under its belly. Lake Aloaloa This aerial photo shows Lake Aloaloa, surrounded by a portion of the 1,100 acres that today comprises Camp Nakanawa. Cooper’s dam can be seen at the right edge of the lake, near Interstate 40.

The Colonel Rice Era: 1920-1948 Camp Nakanawa was founded by one of the most remarkable men to emerge from the South, Laban Lacy Rice. He was known to all at Nakanawa as “Colonel” Rice, an honorary title he earned while headmaster of a military school. During the span of his 103 years (1870-1973), he was a well-known author and poet, a university president and a recognized authority on the classics and the Theory of Relativity. His interests ranged from Sanskrit to baseball, from mythology to astronomy … and to summer camps. He founded Nakanawa in 1920 and served as Director until 1947. The Colonel was an imposing figure, often dressed in military khakis and high boots. Campers remember him as “a man of culture and high ideals with a warm heart for young people.”

Colonel Laban Lacy Rice, Director, 1920-1947 29 Rice, as a young man Colonel Rice was born in 1870 in Dixon, Kentucky, the A Pioneer among Girls’ Camps son of a wealthy tobacco merchant. He and his brother, Cale Young Rice, who became a famous poet, grew up The concept of summer resorts for young people in a strict Presbyterian home. The Colonel attended originated with a boys’ camp in the 1880s and Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee, and spread rapidly in the Northeast. The then-shocking later became its President. By age 24, the academically idea of girls’ camping began in 1902 with Camp precocious young man had completed his Ph.D. in Kehonka in New Hampshire. The 1928 Porter Latin, Greek and Sanskrit, and he was hired as a Sargent Handbook for Summer Camps reported: professor of literature at his alma mater. In addition to “It is considered a startling thing to do, take Colonel Rice, this prestigious school has alumni that reputable ... girls and young women into the include 14 governors, more than 80 members of the U.S. woods. It scandalized [many] that the girls ran Congress, two U.S. Supreme Court justices, three U.S. around in the broad daylight in bloomers.” ambassadors Girls’ camps slowly spread south. In 1916 Keystone and a U.S. Camp in North Carolina became the first girls’ Secretary of camp in the Southeast. So, in 1919, when Laban State. Lacy Rice began making plans for Nakanawa, he was considered a pioneer. In 1892 he married Blanche Buchanan, Colonel Rice’s interest in starting a girls’ camp and they had two daughters. During was no doubt sparked by having two teenaged the next decade, he continued to teach daughters, Katherine and Annie Hays. The girls at the university and served as editor of attended the Cumberland Presbyterian Review. Castle Heights He became Headmaster of Castle as the only Heights Military School, a boys’ prep females in the school, and was later its President student body. and owner. He served for decades on It was there the State Executive Committee of the that Annie YMCA. These pursuits merged into Hays met an idea to enter the world of summer her husband camping. Colonel Rice first began a boys’ Perry, who was camp named Camp Kawasawa, which a boarding closed after a few summers. He always student from envisioned Kawasawa having a sister Texas. camp, Nakanawa. It was the girls’ camp which succeeded from its first summer 1924 edition, Porter and was to become his most lasting Sargent Handbook for accomplishment. Summer Camps Colonel Rice, while headmaster at Castle Heights Military School, with his wife Blanche.

Chance Leads the Colonel to Mayland In 1919 Colonel Rice had settled on a location for his camp … at Bloomington Springs, Tennessee. An accidental conversation caused him to change plans. He had all but signed the papers for the other piece of land when he overheard two men speaking of property for sale on a lake near Crossville. He got the particulars, journeyed up to the Cumberland Plateau, and knew that he had found the ideal spot. On March 24, 1920, the 1,000-acre tract was purchased for $30,000 by Colonel Rice and Perry O’Neil, Annie Hays’ husband. Colonel Rice wrote: “The site is of indescribable charm… the ideal elevation of 2,250 feet … the mighty forest with its graceful pines, sturdy oaks and hickories, quiet vales where fern and wild flowers grow. Its chief asset is the lake, covering one hundred and fifty acres, beautiful in its broken shore line, wholesome because of its undersurface springs, and delightful by reason of its privacy.” An early map, used in marketing the camp, showing Nakanawa’s location.

31 Preparing Camp Marketing “The Thousand Acre Camp” for its First Summer After buying the land, the Colonel’s next challenge was finding Readying the physical plant in a matter of months was a Herculean feat. campers and counselors at a time when girls’ camping was considered Colonel Rice’s son-in-law, Perry O’Neil, and Annie Hays were at camp helping by many to be scandalous. He selected Mrs. Bashie Martin as with preparations. Perry, an engineer, oversaw the construction of all the Associate Director, and she set to work on recruitment. The Colonel buildings, including the Wigwam. Other 1920 structures included the Dining chose the fictitious Cherokee names “Nakanawa” and “Lake Aloaloa” Hall, a “Log Barn” with stalls for 12 horses, an infirmary, a bathhouse (the and used the description “The Thousand Acre Camp” in his first same “Egypt” of today, though more primitive and containing only four brochures. The tuition for the 8-week session was $250, open to girls showers), and a commissary (now 100 years old). Space for an athletic field ages 9 to 21. Colonel Rice envisioned Nakanawa as a “Little Bit of was cleared — nearly three acres extending from the packed earth tennis Heaven” and marketed the courts and out beyond the present barn, with a circular track, a baseball camp as a place of high ideals diamond and an unpaved basketball court. and moral wholesomeness. The campers arrived at a primitive camp that was not fully ready. Counselors He wrote: “Cliques, factions, remember making the tennis courts “by lining the campers up and tramping social, sectional and religious on the dirt.” Campers also helped find the submerged stumps in the swimming distinctions will not be area. Many campers in the ’20s did not know how to swim and began their allowed to mar the beautiful instruction in the “Pen” — a chicken wire enclosure in the shallow water. This harmony. Rich and poor, name has survived, though the wire fence is long gone. North and South, Protestant, Catholic and Jew — all must Saddles and Paddles meet in common fellowship.” Colonel Rice used the words “the spirit of Nakanawa” in one of In a brochure written June 3, 1920 — just four weeks before camp was to his first catalogs to describe “the beautiful spirit of good will and open — Colonel Rice described the preparations: “The canoes and rowboats friendliness” that characterized camp from the start. “The moral are on their way to Mayland. The tennis courts and athletic field ... are being and spiritual atmosphere is most wholesome ... due to the quiet, un-ostentatious kind of service that marks camp life daily ... To put in condition. The swimming and diving pier, to be located just in front define all this would be as futile as to try to touch light or see music. of the Wigwam, will extend into the lake about sixty feet. Saddles have been Through team loyalty, and that ordered ... The septic tank and sanitary closets ... will be in still higher loyalty to camp commission by June 15.” which every true Nakanawan holds, (there is no need) for hard and fast rules. Nakanawa is, in reality, governed by an atmosphere.” “The Spirit of Nakanawa”

“Living in Tents and Cabins under the Watch of God” Ready for the first campers were 22 bungalettes (cabins) arranged in three rows paralleling the shore in addition to four pyramidal tents on the lake’s edge. Each tent, holding three older campers and one counselor, had a wooden floor and a fly. Although the tents have long since been replaced with cabins, the name ‘Tent Row’ lives on. The Grounds in 1920 When the camp opened, the cabin area had been cleared, so there was little foliage remaining. Large open areas, such as the athletic field, were expanses of dirt with a few scattered clumps of grass.

33 Old Time Dining One of the main structures ready for camp’s opening in 1920 was the Dining Hall, which was not replaced until 1959. Two Cents a Slab Perry O’Neil, Colonel Rice’s son-in- law, designed and built the unique 12-sided Wigwam, the main camp gathering spot. O’Neil, an engineer, oversaw the construction of the other main buildings and the cabins. The wood came from local sawmills, with Mayland residents such as Porter Pugh and Porter Garrett delivering logs in their mule-drawn wagons. They received two cents for each rough wooden slab.

Packing for Camp in 1920 It’s hard to believe that young ladies of the 1920s played sports and hiked in the voluminous costumes of the time. Since girls of this era did not usually engage in rigorous activity, clothing was designed primarily for modesty. The 1920 campers packed their steamer trunks using the following list: • 2 pairs of White Calatea or Devonshire Bloomers • 2 pairs of black cotton bloomers • 8-10 white middy blouses with collars • 6 pairs of black cotton hose • 1 white duck hat • 2 black silk neckerchiefs (these neckerchiefs, a yard square, were the forerunners of team ties) • 2 pairs of white sneakers In addition, they brought bathing suits, tennis racquets, musical instruments, sheets and towels. Mrs. Martin kept a watchful eye on Nakanawa’s young ladies, expecting them to behave with decorum and checking each camper’s attire. Recalls one camper, “Your bloomers were Most campers in the 1920s Bloomers, Middy Blouses & Black Ties pleated or full and pulled as high up as you had never ridden a horse, hiked, played could get them. Mrs. Martin admonished us tennis or even heard of field hockey. At top, a group of early campers posed with Colonel Rice and two to pull them down to the knee when we sat But the long baggy bloomers and counselors, from left, Lucinda Hudson and Bessie Christopher. The first on the Wigwam floor for church services. You woolen stockings did not dampen the campers wore all white on Sundays with black bloomers and hose for were just not with it unless your middie was enthusiasm of the first campers as they other days. long and tight-fitting, preferably worn with a began their eight-week adventure at heavy leather belt belonging to a beau.” Nakanawa.

35 Opening Day: July 1, 1920 “We had a day coach to ourselves, maybe two, as there were over 100 of us. This was about a five-hour train ride in those Nakanawa opened with 28 counselors and 165 days. We spent the whole time running up and down the aisles, campers who came from 15 states. Mrs. Bashie showing off and singing. Getting there was half the fun!” Martin was credited for recruiting campers to an unknown camp with an unpronounceable — Gritz Anderson, 1920 camper name located in the middle of nowhere … and at a time when camping for girls was most unconventional. Mrs. Martin’s winning ways and the Colonel’s forceful rhetoric and slick marketing brochures combined to make the first summer’s enrollment a great success. The campers arrived by train, chaperoned by a few adults. As the trains got closer to Nashville, more cars were added, and more girls joined the group. These 165 adventurous girls had little idea what to expect as they disembarked at the Mayland station. When the train stopped at the Mayland Depot, the girls were met by Colonel Rice and as many horse- and mule-drawn wagons as he could corral from outlying farmers. The girls walked all the way to camp along the narrow dirt road, singing as they went. Their steamer trunks were brought to camp in the wagons and unloaded at the Wigwam.

The Colonel’s Mrs. Martin: Key Personnel “A Lady with a Capital L” Bashie Martin, Associate Director and Field Without Bashie Martin, Associate Representative for camp’s first nine years, was Director and Field Representative from Colonel Rice’s right hand — during camp and 1920-1928, Nakanawa might not have in the winter when she traveled and recruited. survived. She went into the field when Most of the counselors were mature women — there were few girls’ camps in the South school teachers, spinsters and widows. and enrolled hundreds of campers. “She Important figures in the first decade were the could’ve sold ice cream to the Eskimos!” camp hostesses — Mrs. M. C. McComb, known was an oft-repeated comment. Soft- as “Mrs. Charlie” or “Queen of Egypt,” and Miss spoken, dressed in voluminous bloomers Mary Neal, both of Ward-Belmont College (now or long pleated skirts, with her hair Belmont University) in Nashville. Ruth Little secured under a net, she was “a Lady reigned as Head of Water Sports for years, and with a capital L.” Llewellyn Wilburn was Head of Land Sports. Professor Albert M. Harris, Director of Public After lights out, she roamed through the Expression at Vanderbilt, began as Dean of the cabins with her flashlight to see that all Academic Staff and continued to play key roles, were in bed. She kept an eye out for the along with his wife. homesick and the misfits, campers and For decades all counselors were required to be counselors alike. Mrs. Martin’s presence college graduates, which was necessary since caused backs to straighten and decorum some of the campers were 21 years old. In the to prevail. mid-20s, former campers began returning as counselors — bringing with them skills, “During camp’s first decade, Mrs. Associate Director Bashie Martin with enthusiasm and a deep respect for Nakanawa Martin was the leading spirit that Colonel Rice and a camper, around 1925. traditions. dominated camp. She was a person Colonel Rice’s daughter, Annie Hays, and her of exquisite taste, charming — not husband, Perry O’Neil, were invaluable in sugary, and with deep insight and the early years. In 1920, the couple and their understanding. She complemented four-year-old daughter Anne lived at the Big House and assisted with camp. Perry designed my father. It was a delightful and built the major structures, enlisted the balance of two dedicated people services of local workers and oversaw many of the physical operations. The O’Neils’ permanent that made it work.” home was Dallas, where Perry worked with an engineering firm, but for years they spent time — Annie Hays O’Neil each summer at camp.

37 Nakanawa’s first staff, numbering only 28, pictured on the Wigwam porch. In addition to Colonel Rice and Mrs. Martin, others who were to be longtime counselors included “Mrs. Charlie” McComb, Miss Mary Neal, Ruth Little, Llewellyn Wilburn, Professor Albert M. Harris and his wife. Newlyweds Annie Hays Rice and Perry O’Neil are shown here in front of the Wigwam that Perry designed. Annie Hays was a young mother during camp’s first decade. While her daughter Anne (see below) was little, they lived in the Big House with her parents, Blanche and Laban Lacy Rice. After Anne became a camper, Annie Hays continued to spend summers at camp. Anne O’Neil, the Colonel’s granddaughter, was only four when camp was founded; her life was intertwined with the camp from then on. Here, she is shown with a camper in front of Tent Row. Anne would later live in a Tent Row cabin with Elisabeth “Mitch” Mitchell, teach Canoeing and serve as Head of Junior Camp.

The First Amazons First Valkyrie “Surprise” Party and Valkyries From the Crossville Chronicle, 1920: On the second night of camp, the Wigwam was the site of First Amazon Weiner Roast “The Character Ball given by the Valkyries for an historic occasion — the creation of the Amazon and their Amazon counterparts was a most delightful Valkyrie teams. The Colonel, with his love of history and From the Crossville Chronicle, 1920: event. The spectators, including the councilors, classics, decided that the girls would be divided into two “On July 25, the Amazons gave a picnic supper at the dam mothers and people from Mayland, were seated teams, then called Divisions, bearing the names of the in honor of the girls who were leaving. The camp aides around the Wigwam. The door...opened and Amazon warriors from Greek mythology and the Valkyrie carried the supper down in the twelve canoes, and the rest Prof. Harris announced each character who maidens from Norse mythology. Many have marveled at hiked through the woods... After the feast the Amazons paraded across the room…from Mother Goose, his vision in selecting mythological tribes that focused on and Valkyries alike circled around a huge bonfire and Shakespeare, Sis Hopkins, Crusoe and his man empowered women … at a time when women were just spent a merry evening singing camp songs. One feature of Friday, etc. ... The costumes are made in camp being granted the right to vote. the evening was the presentation of the Amazon banner with what trinkets and bits of material can be After nominations, the first two Captains were elected. A to the camp by the Amazon Captain, Miss Margaretta gathered from the girls.” (Though it was not coin toss determined that Margaretta Graham would lead Graham. The beautiful banner now occupies a staged as a “surprise” event until 1935, this the Amazons, and Isabel “Izzy” Wakefield, the Valkyries. conspicuous place in the Wigwam.” themed team event evolved into the traditional The Captains chose their team by naming or pointing until Valkyrie Surprise Party.) all were selected. Many of the ideas that became traditions sprang from the campers of that first summer including special ties and meeting places. All competitions centered on Amazon and Valkyrie with a system of distinctions in which both individuals and teams could earn points. Many of the special team events and parties originated in 1920. A memory book from the first summer contains the remains of a melted candle from the first Amazon Serenade, and each team planned elaborate parties for the other.

39 The First Amazon Team First Amazon Captain, The first Amazon Captain, Margaretta Graham, was responsible for selecting a secret rock in the woods as the team meeting Margaretta Graham from spot the first summer. As part of the camp uniform, all campers wore knotted black silk ties that hung to their waistline. Oklahoma, and the team mascot Margaretta is credited with deciding that the Amazons would wear their ties across the right shoulder as a distinguishing mark. The Amazons, true to their impressive beginning, were announced as team winner at the end of camp in 1920. The First Valkyrie Team First Valkyrie Captain, Isabel For the first two years, the Valkyrie team met in the Wigwam, but in 1922, they selected a large rock outcropping to use for “Izzy” Wakefield of Dallas, and their secret meetings. Since the Amazons had devised a new way to wear their uniform ties, the Valkyries continued to wear the team mascot theirs in the traditional manner. For many years, all ties were black, and the tradition of wearing ties as a way of showing one’s team was gradually adopted.

And the Winner Is … Gladys Seymour, winner of the Athletic Medal in 1920. The Colonel’s vision for encouraging every camper to be At right are the 1920 recipients of the medals in Tennis and active and to support her team was based on a complicated Swimming, given in each of the three age groups. Campers system of distinctions that decided whether Amazons from 9 to 21 years old camped together until Junior Camp or Valkyries emerged as the winner. There were Triple, was built in 1926. Quintuple and Double Quintuple Distinctions for more advanced achievements: winning the Senior War Canoe Race, being elected Captain or swimming 1,000 yards. Individual campers could receive Distinctions for: • not missing reveille • identifying trees, wild flowers and birds • swimming 25 yards • diving from the high dive • making the Glee Club or Orchestra • showing skill in raffia weaving • handling a canoe with grace and dexterity • hiking six miles in two hours • having a photo accepted for use in the Catalog • earning a spot on Riflery, Basketball, or Track teams In 1924, a squad system was added, with squad competitions in Dramatics, Nature, Art and Sewing. Campers still earned individual Distinctions, and the Captains continually urged girls to strive for points. Five Distinctions were earned by the “girl with the most original costume at the Masquerade Ball.” Points were given for inspection, for making the Riflery Team or winning the Horse Show. The team with the “most girls with improved posture” received Distinctions. Winners of medals gained points for their teams, too. Individual and squad points were tallied to decide which team would be announced on Trophy Night as the winner for the summer.

41 Sharp Shooters Gaining a spot on the 1922 Winchester Riflery Team earned Distinctions. Individual and squad Distinctions were added up to determine which team was the final winner of the summer. Sluggers The first camp catalog proclaimed, “Nakanawa broke all American These girls earned records for initial camp ventures.” Distinctions for the Amazons by being selected for the Softball Team.

The Daily Schedule in 1920 Weekdays began with 7:00 a.m. reveille —the striking of the Tom-Tom, a round saw blade— to signal “setting-up exercises.” Mornings and afternoons were filled with classes. “Siesta hour” was strictly enforced. At 8:00 p.m. the campers gathered in the Wigwam until the lights flashed the signal for retiring. Taps, usually played by a camp bugler, sounded at 9:15. Saturdays were filled with competitions. Sunday was a day of rest with a later breakfast. The campers wore white middies and bloomers to the service in the Wigwam to hear a sermon by Colonel Rice. Sundays were spent reading, writing letters, walking or canoeing— no games or sports permitted. At night a brief musical service was held. Sunday night suppers were picnic style with groups gathering to eat The Tom-Tom preceded today’s on the dock or the shore. bell as a means of summoning campers. The “Twilight Period” — from after supper to 8:00 p.m. —was reserved for Girls soon became accomplished in a wide range of skills: fire building, raffia canoeing, strolling around camp, playing musical instruments or writing letters. weaving, diving, archery, horseback riding, drama, and more.

43 The Order of the Day “Setting Ups” (exercises) were initially held on the athletic field and then relocated to the Terraza when it was built in 1925 on the site of the Kiosk. These pre- breakfast exercises continued through 1936. The Terraza was also used for dances, outdoor pageants and events. The campers took a full schedule of activities. Shown here are the winners of the 1920 Tennis Tournament.

The Founding of Junior Camp “The little girls were being left out, and I could see how much happier After five years, Nakanawa’s reputation as a premier girls’ camp was established. In 1925, 210 campers were accepted, they would be.” and 125 applicants turned away. Clearly it was time to expand. Early in 1926 Colonel Rice issued a “Junior Camp — Annie Hays, Announcement” outlining his plans. Annie Hays had persuaded her father to take this step: “I worked on him for on the decision to build Junior Camp two years to build Junior. The little girls were being left out, and I could see how much happier they would be.” The Indian Village in Junior Camp, built Girls aged 9-14 moved into the brand new Colonel Rice had purchased an old steam sawmill and moved in the woods near camp, was the site of bungalettes in Junior — four girls per cabin it to camp. This was used to cut the timber, and the wood overnight adventures. Hikes, woodcraft with one counselor. Bessie Christopher was was moved to Junior Camp by mule-drawn wagons or floated classes and overnights were supervised by the first Head of Junior Camp. She was a across the lake on rafts made of four row boats lashed together. Professor Nordlie, whose wife headed up Arts lifelong friend of Bashie Martin, Nakanawa’s The new camp, located on a wooded point on the western side & Crafts. Selma Kranz conducted the music first Associate Director. of the lake, contained 25 bungalettes, a main Council House, programs on both sides of the lake. four tennis courts, a riding ring and a dining hall. There was no barn in Junior, so the Riding staff walked the horses to and from Senior Camp. Amazons and Valkyries were divided into three squads, with Softball and Volleyball the main team sports. Milk Break was a daily Junior treat beginning in 1928. Team meetings were held on Monday nights and Council Ring on Friday nights so that Colonel Rice could preside over Senior Council Ring on Thursdays. Junior Camp followed the same daily schedule except Taps sounded at 9:00. Some events —dances, Mardi Gras, Canoe Pageants and team picnics — were duplicates of Senior. Soon Junior traditions arose: in 1927 a Valkyrie Marshmallow Roast was given for the Amazons; in 1927 (and lasting into the ’70s) Juniors hosted an annual Fair attended by Seniors who enjoyed carnival booths, games of chance and special treats. In 1927 “Cinderella” was presented in the Council House, a forerunner of today’s Operettas. For special events such as the Circus, Junior campers crossed the lake, four to a canoe.

45 One of the Junior Squads lined up in front of the first Council House. Junior campers were divided into three squads with Softball and Volleyball as the main team sports. Shown here are Amazons ready for competition. The Fair, an annual highlight in Junior beginning in 1927, was a time for eating popcorn, homemade ice cream in cones and Cracker Jack.

Special Senior camper Events Elisabeth “Mitch” The Stag Dance Mitchell, right, with her date Anne The most notorious of Nakanawa dances, George, are shown the Stag Dance, was a selective affair dressed for the Stag with the previous year’s Stags choosing Dance, a tradition the new ones, who were notified by elaborate invitations. Each Stag, wearing that spanned sailor pants and blue shirts, asked a decades. date who dressed in a long gown that was often mailed from home. The rest of the campers were assigned roles as boy or girl, and they paired off as dates. Evergreen boughs and blue and white streamers were hung as decorations. The Stags marched in and formed an “S” as they sang... A band of Stags at this our camp We march along tonight, On and on with colors blue and white … Mardi Gras Mardi Gras, an event put on by the New Orleans campers, began the first summer and continued for decades in both camps. Highlights were a parade of floats with dukes riding two-by-two on horseback and an elaborate ball presided over by King Rex and his Queen.

47 Alvin C. York Day Many notable events began in the camp’s first years... For ten years, Sergeant Alvin C. York, called by Gen. Pershing “the greatest soldier of World War I,” made visits to Nakanawa, with • Bungling Brothers Circus (1920-ongoing) festivities planned by the campers. His fame rocketed after a movie • Cooks’ Vespers (1926-the late ’50s): On the of his life was made, with York played by Gary Cooper. second-to-last Sunday evenings, the cooks Colonel Rice and Sergeant York became friends through their sang spirituals. common interest in education. Sergeant York regaled campers with • Minstrel Show war stories. Funds were collected each summer to pay the tuition • Masquerade Ball: Team Distinctions were of a mountain girl awarded for the best costume. to attend Sergeant • Nature Carnival: Nature-themed York’s institute. performances were held on the Terraza, with competition by Squads. Backwards Day Pageants were great entertainment in the • Posture Pageant: Like a beauty pageant, it ’20s: dance pageants, nature pageants, included the selection of a Posture Queen. An event that began in 1922, drama pageants and canoe pageants. • Song Contest: Many of our current songs Camper-Counselor Backwards were composed by campers for the contest. Day, had disastrous consequences • Taps & Tunes: This popular annual dance and music recital was held for decades. one summer. Each counselor • Water Carnival: Floats and canoes were selected an older girl with whom decorated by theme. to switch places. On the following day all dressed and played the roles of their counterparts. Colonel Rice, who was famous for his sense of humor, is shown here dressed in full camper regalia. Unfortunately, a parent who had never been to visit arrived on Backwards Day. When Colonel Rice walked to the car and introduced himself as the Director, the father was so outraged he refused to listen to explanations and took his daughter home! The Colonel never again participated in Backwards Day.

Activities and The Original Riding Ring Competitions In Riding classes, for which campers paid an extra fee, In camp’s opening years, most trail rides were popular, and campers often rode to Laurel campers could not swim a stroke, Lodge, a nearby inn. The Horse Show was an annual had never held a racquet or sat highlight, and the top riders joined “Stirrup and Bit.” astride a horse. However, Nakanawa girls were soon reaching high levels of excellence. By 1926 “Varsity teams” were chosen in team sports, and each activity — Woodcraft, Glee Club, Nature Study, Diving, Drama —announced an outstanding group. War Canoe Race, 1927 Two new war canoes were purchased in 1926, and races and drills were both important events. Team competition was by age level: Senior, Middler and Junior. All campers were required to take Swimming, Hiking and Tennis, which Colonel Rice called “the most popular and physically helpful of land sports.” Optional activities included Archery, Arts & Crafts, Riding, Orchestra, Fishing, Nature Study, Canoeing and Diving.

49 Whales and Blades The 1934 Soccer Team, with “Mitch” Mitchell at far right. Many of the club names originated in the ’20s. Elite swimmers, like this Valkyrie Field group from 1925, were called “Whales,” and the most proficient canoers, Hockey Team “Blades.” Teaching every girl to swim was a goal, and the Nakanawa Crawl was the basic stroke. Great emphasis was placed on life-saving work. All The original team sports campers learned rescue techniques using the Lung Motor, and many girls were baseball, basketball, earned American Red Cross life-saving certificates. Whales were allowed to field hockey and track. swim to the dam and back, with row boats following. Soccer was added in 1923. Though largely unknown in the U.S., its popularity at camp soon led to the demise of the other team sports. The Winchester Riflery Team, begun the first summer, continued as a favorite. Younger girls focused on Volleyball and Softball. The 1920 Fencing Team.

Trophy Night In 1920, six campers were named N Girls “for highly meritorious spirit and conduct.” Colonel Rice believed that singling out these outstanding N Girls would form “a self-perpetuating honor system at Nakanawa.” The first summer, gold medals were awarded to girls in three age groups for Arts & Crafts, Tennis and Swimming. The Director’s Medal was given to the camper who had amassed the most Distinctions. In 1921, this final ceremony was called Trophy Night, and in addition to medals in activities, Colonel Rice presented two new awards: N Girls and the Lady of the Cup. In 1924, the Lady of the Bracelet award was added, one for a Junior and one for a Middler. The bracelets were given on behalf of the donors, Mrs. Rice and Mrs. Martin. Early campers received a felt “A” or “V” for following all rules, and the awarding of Silver Letters began in 1928. For many years, this award was based on the number of activity clubs earned. In later summers, medals were awarded in Riding, Diving and Nature Study. An engraved thimble was given for Artistic Sewing. In 1928, medalists received a silver bar pin with “Nakanawa” spelled out, a tradition that continues to this day. The 1922 N Girls