Diary:The Girls of Camp-Nameless

Ten friends spent the Fourth of July week at a cottage on Irondequoit Bay in 1913. Calling themselves "The Girls of Camp Nameless," they passed the days just as many Rochestarians would nearly a century later, at the turn of the 21st century. The group swam in the lake, went to Sea Breeze amusement park, relaxed in hammocks, went into town to see a film, cooked hot dogs over a fire, and swatted mosquitoes. Captured in photographs, watercolor sketches, and humorous verses, their adventures are chronicled in this journal. Using a school composition book, Doris Hill wrote humorous rhymes about the girls' vacation, while Zella Webster embellished the pages with sketches. After spending an afternoon on the Marry-go-Round at Sea Breeze, trying to catch the brass ring, Hill recounted, "Of course our lucky Margie Ryan/Twice caught the ring, on her big lion." Clearly close friends, the girls had nicknames for each other and wrote comical biographies of each other at the end of the journal. The last two pages of the book list the guests at Doris Hill's bridal shower, and many of the girls from "Camp Nameless," some married themselves, attended. It is a fitting testament to the transition from girlhood friendships to the world of marriage.