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After Lake Worth was built, it became known as a
Mecca for entertainment and recreation. The Casino Park and Ballroom, as
well as fishing camps and nightclubs drew people to the area like a
magnet. But Lake Worth was also to be known as a place to help the needy
and less fortunate of us. The Ruth Lubin Camp was one such example.
World War I had a direct impact in our area, as well
as throughout the country. Many men were sent off to war, some never to
return. That created a devastating blow to families. Women had few
rights back then; It wasn't until 1919 that women had even won the right
to vote! The husband was the bread winner in the family, while the wives
took care of the family unit.
But as men answered the call of Uncle Sam, it created
a vacuum. The women could not rely on the their husbands' meager
military pay, and the consequences left many of the women scrambling to
find work in a society that didn't readily employ women. Those with
children were hit the hardest. These families were destitute!
This problem did not escape the attention of Fort
Worth. At a Director's meeting for the Fort Worth Welfare Association in
1919, Secretary J.B. Rawlings suggested "It would be a wholesome thing
if the Association had a recreation camp at Lake Worth for Fort Worths'
under-privileged children". Director Harry F. Lubin offered the use of
his Lake Worth cabin and grounds for that purpose. The other members
were also very enthusiastic, and plans were immediately made for a fresh
air camp - named in honor of the Director's recently deceased 10-year
old daughter, Ruth Lubin.
The Board decided to open it's camp to any family
that was destitute, and was expanded to include poor mothers and
homeless girls. The children would be fed and cared for by nurses, and
if needed, the mother taught how to prepare food, and was also given
lessons in hygiene.
The camp had it's beginnings in the 4-room Lubin
cabin. It's true location is not even known today.
The first group of 30 children came in the summer of
1919. It was very successful and by the third summer, there was an
increased demand in living quarters and space. So in 1923, six acres
were donated by G.T. Reynolds, an Indian Oaks philanthropist, and
another 4 acres bordering on that were donated by Fort Worth. Former
Fort Worth Mayor Bryce donated $450 for sidewalks, and the Lions Club
donated a whopping $4,500, which covered the price of new dorms, outside
lights and swimming pool. The grounds also had a playground with slides,
swings and a baseball diamond. The Camp had 8 cabins, two of them for
staff.
The Camp accommodated 75 children for a period of 2
weeks each. The entire summer season could see 546 children. Boys ranged
in age from 3 to 12, girls from 3 to 14. The underprivileged children
undertook a program of entertainment, swimming instruction, sports and
good wholesome rest. All of the children arrived by bus, where they were
weighed in and checked by Red Cross Nurses. A typical day in the life of
a kid:
6:30 a.m. A flag drill starts the day, where they salute
and sing the star-spangled banner.
6:45 a.m. Next come the toothbrush drill. The kids pass by a
nurse who adds a pinch of salt to their water cup.
7:00 a.m. Time for breakfast. They learn proper table
manners, and not to talk with their mouth full. And this is the
way you hold a knife and fork....
7:45 Following the meal is cleanup time, making the bed and
tidying up.
8:00 - 10:00 a.m. Playtime!
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Rest
11:00 - 12:00 Story hour
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 - 5:30 p.m. This could be anything from nature studies,
treasure hunts, swimming lessons or sports.
5:30 - 6:00 p.m. Cleanup and shower.
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. Dinner.
6:45 - 7:00 p.m. Cleanup
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Roasting marshmallows over an open fire?
Ghost stories?
8:30 p.m. Taps........... |
The Lion's Club continued to take an active role in the Camp,
including a farewell program which ended in an "ice cream banquet" and
gifts which the kids could take home. Then the kids were weighed out
(before or after the ice cream?) and then taken by bus home.
Although the camp was successful, funding was always
tight. Camp attendance grew as funding shrank. As early as 1925, the
camp operated in the red, when funding was cut off from the Ft. Worth
Community Chest. But nothing can stop a good thing - good willed people
put on a benefit fund raiser for the Ruth Lubin Camp at the Majestic
Theater. Though funds were restored the next year, it was determined by
the Board to limit the applicants to children only. The Depression hit
the Camp hard, and the children went hungry. But with the help of the
Riverside Civic League, Council of Jewish Women, Veterans League and
Leonards Department Store, donated food for the children. By 1935, work
relief sent 30 men to the Camp to landscape, paint, repair and build a
fence, while the Tarrant County Relief Organization made overalls and
sleeping garments for the children.
Sadly, there came a time when the walls of the cabins
did not echo the sound of children. Cobwebs glistened in a mosaic
pattern across the Camp. The end of the depression marked an end to the
Camp. But it didn't mean that the children would suffer; they just would
find help elsewhere. New organizations would gain momentum, including
the YWCA and YMCA, Panther Boy's Club, Boy and Girl Scout Camps, and of
course - Camp Carter, named in honor of Amon Carter. More permanent
establishments, such as the Lena Pope and Edna Gladney homes would take
care of the more needy cases.............................
If you follow Comanche Trail until it meets the
Marina Drive near the Charbonneau Slough, you'll come across a
playground and a baseball diamond; and as the wind blows, you can almost
hear the faint laughter of children against it's gentle moaning...the
only reminder of what good things happened long ago in Our Corner of
the County. |