Camp Was A Gift–

Diane Dudley(1957-63) was one of the writers for “The Loon” and saved many of her copies.  Her time at Maqua was very influential, and her love for the woods influenced her to continue living in the woods to this day. She sent a passage from a book by G.K. Chesterton from one of his short […]

Viking Boats Across The Lake–

When Elaine Levinsohn (1927-30) camped at Maqua, there were no homes around, just a pretty lake with many trees. “All the girls knew there was a boys’ camp there,” she laughed, as she recalled a vague memory of boating over to the camp, like many before and after her years at camp. As the boating […]

Becoming A Woman At Camp—

One of Debra Osher’s firsts occurred at Maqua in the early sixties, but not in the usual timely manner of most girls. “Everyone had their period except me. I was fourteen and my Dad was a doctor and we were supposed to send in this medical form and it would have information on it. I […]

Friends at Home and Camp—

“I loved camp and went every year until 1941,” said Edna Young,” and my Mom couldn’t understand why I liked it. Every year I stayed longer. I got so I stayed six weeks! I was an only child, so it was fine to be there with girls my own age. There were many girls from […]

Happy Mail!

The mail and packages created as many memories as the camping experiences and many of the girls saved their letters from home. Some, like Janet Dixon (1951-52) had a surprise waiting for her in 1991, after cleaning out her parent’s home. Her father had just died and she came across an envelope marked “Camp Maqua […]

Close To Nature, Close To God

For many women, their experiences at the YWCA camp and Chapel Hill left lasting influences. Young girls, like Susan Ruterbusch (1947-52) and Debbie Tweedie (1965-72) felt the gorgeous views contributed to their feelings that they had never been closer to God as young girls. “I loved running down the trails and walking up Chapel Hill […]