OurBrownCounty 24May-June | Page 57

Frank M. Hohenberger photos courtesy, The Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana,( dates unkown).
age, bedtime was 8:00 or 9:00 pm. The program was comprehensive, with tutoring by licensed teachers in Latin, English, math, and history. There were classes in music, drama, art, and physical education. Morning art classes had girls learning to make hooked rugs, weaving, basketry, sketching, pottery, and leatherworking. Pottery was fired by Walter Griffiths of the Brown County Pottery.
At the close of each session, the public was invited along with family and friends of the campers to an exhibit of the girls’ creations. A celebratory tea was provided, with a dramatic presentation from
Booth Tarkington, Louise May Alcott, and selections from Shakespeare.
With staging, costuming, props, and lighting for the productions, plays were offered on the last Saturday of each four weeks’ camp session in the amphitheater. Sometimes as many as 300-400 people attended when the plays were at the outdoor theater near the state park’ s lodge.
The girls experienced trips to the Brown County State Park, Bear Wallow, and the T. C. Steele studio, plus pajama dances, skits, cabin parties, overnight campouts, horseback riding, and bridge parties at the Nashville House. The girls produced their own newspaper, Kamp Kapers.
In 1933, the camp was expanded by 80 acres of the Linke farm, so that boys could also enjoy the activities of Hilltop Camp. The
Continued on 58 May / June 2024 • Our Brown County 57