• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

304.645.1316

Contact Us

Camp Alleghany for Girls

Camp Alleghany for Girls

A Summer Camp for Girls in Lewisburg, WV

  • About Us
    • Empowering Girls
    • Mission and Philosophy
    • Our Directors
    • Camp Videos
    • Testimonials
    • Camp Alleghany Alumni Association
      • Board Members and Committees
      • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
    • COVID and Camp
  • Parents
    • General Info for Parents
      • Opening Day Procedures
      • Closing Day Procedures for Term Camp
      • Helpful Packing Information
    • Dates and Rates
    • Parent Resources
    • Forms and Info
    • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
    • Camp Store
    • Visiting Alleghany
    • Parent Log In
  • Campers
    • Mother Daughter Weekend
    • Mini Camp
      • Mini Camp Opening Day Drop-Off Procedures
      • Mini Camp Closing Day Pick-Up Procedures
      • Mini Camp FAQ
    • Term Camp
      • Term Camp FAQ
    • Leaders-In-Training
      • Leaders-In-Training Campers FAQ Page
      • Leaders-In-Training Parents FAQ Page
    • Family Camp
    • Is Camp Alleghany Right For You?
    • For Campers
      • A Day at ‘Ghany
      • Activities
      • Programs
      • Traditions
      • Hear Our Songs
      • Alleghany Colors
      • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
  • Staff
    • Apply to be a Camp Counselor
    • Summer Staff 2022
    • Is Camp Alleghany the Right Place for Me as a Counselor?
    • Staff Policies
      • Staff Health Policy
      • Current Staff Forms
    • Apply to be a Family Camp Counselor
    • Apply to Be a Mini Camp Counselor
  • Blog
Register for Camp
Counselor Application

TBT: The Alleghany Rattler May 1971: Cooper Tells of First Visit to Camp Alleghany

In this piece we learn about S. Cooper Dawson Jr.'s early days as a Greenbrier camper and coming over to Alleghany for dances and plays.

February 3, 2022 By 'Ghany Guest Posts

Editor’s Note:  As part of our year-long celebration of our 100th Year Anniversary (1922-2022), we’ll post a Throwback Thursday edition of our Alleghany Rattler Newspaper to give you a peek into life at camp across those 100 summers!

In this piece we learn about S. Cooper Dawson Jr.’s early days as a Greenbrier camper and coming over to Alleghany for dances and plays. The next few Rattler throwbacks will continue to focus on the 50th summer’s events and reflections.  

Cooper Tells of First Visit to Camp Alleghany

My first visit to Alleghany occurred in 1925, my first year at Greenbrier. We got on the train at Alderson and rode to Ronceverte where we changed to the Greenbrier Valley Special, arriving at Camp Alleghany at 3:30pm, in the afternoon. We had a swim and Alleghany provided supper for the Greenbrier boys, and then we had a dance in what is now the Senior Dining Hall.

The Playhall was not built until a later date. The ride back that night in taxis over those rough West Virginia roads, was a never to be forgotten experience, and thankfully, the roads have been improved since that date. It was a three hour ride from Alleghany to Alderson.

The next memory is a canoe trip with Greenbrier boys and Alleghany girls in 1927. We hiked to Fort Springs, where we met the girls coming down on the train, the two canoe fleets were joined and there were two boys and two girls in each of approximately fifty canoes, heading downstream through the fine rapids which we have introduced to all our Alleghany girls in the past several years.

The canoe fleet arrived at Greenbrier at approximately 3:30pm, the be followed by a baseball game with the girls as spectators. The girls stayed for supper and a dance and returned to Alleghany by bus, we hope a little faster than we made the trip in 1925.

As the years wore on, we remember bringing a play to Alleghany, “A Night In An Inn” when the entire cast of the play were invited to Alleghany to swim, to have supper and to put on the play in the Playhall in 1933. Later that night the cast gathered up a girl apiece and departed for the Greenbrier to dance and enjoy the great Greenbrier Hotel which was completely deserted in those depression years.

Returning later that evening from the Greenbrier, we found the river two feet high, and lo and behold, not a single boat on the far bank. The writer plus Lucien Goty, swam the river to bring back a boat so that the girls could cross over dry and happy. This was accomplished without great problems, and probably has been done in recent years by recent generations of Greenbrier boys.

We used to visit Alleghany every Sunday afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00 and I can remember now the bell tinkling at 5:00pm, meaning that “Pop” Worthington wanted all boys out of Alleghany immediately, and there was no doubt who was boss, because all of us left without further ado.

Visits to Alleghany through the years by the Greenbrier boys have not changed, and we are still visited Sunday afternoons by Greenbrier boys, and others, and even late at night when we wish that they might stay home.

The days 1925 through 1937 were happy days for this particular Greenbrier camper, and it especially brings back happy memories of my early Alleghany days.

S. Cooper Dawson, Jr. 

 

Filed Under: Alumni Tagged With: 100th Anniversary, 100th Summer, Camp History, family, Ghany Turns 100, Memories, The Alleghany Rattler, traditions

About 'Ghany Guest Posts

From time to time alum, campers, staff, and even friends write about Camp Alleghany for Girls. We're very grateful that they tell their stories and encourage engagement with 'Ghany. This is where we archive their contributions.

Primary Sidebar

Download Our FREE E-Book

Is your daughter ready for sleepaway summer camp? Our E-book offers insight into this and more!
3 Reasons to Send Your Child to Camp.

Recent Blog Posts

  • Meet Stephanie, Our New Program Director!
  • Mother-Daughter Weekend 2023 Registration is OPEN!
  • Introducing BA, Our New Outreach Director!

Get Our Blog Updates

Get our latest news. No spam -- Your e-mail is safe with us.

Footer

Contact Us

304.645.1316

304.362.0134 (fax)

Info@campalleghany.com

Camp Alleghany for Girls
428 Camp Alleghany Road
Caldwell, WV 24925

Main Pages

  • About Us
    • Empowering Girls
    • Mission and Philosophy
    • Our Directors
    • Camp Videos
    • Testimonials
    • Camp Alleghany Alumni Association
      • Board Members and Committees
      • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
    • COVID and Camp
  • Parents
    • General Info for Parents
      • Opening Day Procedures
      • Closing Day Procedures for Term Camp
      • Helpful Packing Information
    • Dates and Rates
    • Parent Resources
    • Forms and Info
    • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
    • Camp Store
    • Visiting Alleghany
    • Parent Log In
  • Campers
    • Mother Daughter Weekend
    • Mini Camp
      • Mini Camp Opening Day Drop-Off Procedures
      • Mini Camp Closing Day Pick-Up Procedures
      • Mini Camp FAQ
    • Term Camp
      • Term Camp FAQ
    • Leaders-In-Training
      • Leaders-In-Training Campers FAQ Page
      • Leaders-In-Training Parents FAQ Page
    • Family Camp
    • Is Camp Alleghany Right For You?
    • For Campers
      • A Day at ‘Ghany
      • Activities
      • Programs
      • Traditions
      • Hear Our Songs
      • Alleghany Colors
      • Apply for the Lantern Scholarship
  • Staff
    • Apply to be a Camp Counselor
    • Summer Staff 2022
    • Is Camp Alleghany the Right Place for Me as a Counselor?
    • Staff Policies
      • Staff Health Policy
      • Current Staff Forms
    • Apply to be a Family Camp Counselor
    • Apply to Be a Mini Camp Counselor
  • Blog

Other Pages

  • Alumni Hub
  • Request Info
  • Job Openings
  • Families Log In

Copyright © 2023 Camp Alleghany for Girls. Website by Curren Media Group.