The Lady in White

 

 

A lot of people can say, quite literally, that their lives have been spent at Olympia Sports Camp. Sam Southworth, though, has been at camp for his ENTIRE life. Born in 1979, Sam spent his first year of life  at camp, where the nurses stay now, as his mom, Janet MacRae, was the camp nurse. Back in those days one nurse was on staff for an entire summer. Sam’s stepdad Gary Southworth was an original staff member at the old Winnebagoe site and coached at camp until Sam was old enough to be a counselor. Sam has literally gone from diapers and soothers and babysat by Jackie Zicaro to senior staff and now coach. Sam was counselor for four years starting in 1996. His paternal grandparents were Olympia’s original caretakers. They were honoured in 2000 with the naming of the Gerald and Margaret Withers Sportsplex and a mural was unveiled in the gym in a special ceremony during camp. Sam now coaches basketball week 5.



                                                                       Senior Staff 2002

                     BR- Sam Southworth, Jodie Collins, Jesse Denison, Alana Lewick, John Ferguson, 

                          FR- Denise O’Brien, Dave Grace, Kristen Nisblett, Greg Rogers




Sam is not just a bit of an Olympia historian he is also a great Olympia storyteller, bringing to life much Olympia lore that would enhance camper bonfires, and enhance the Olympia experience for all. One such story is the legend of the Lady in White. 

 

 


During the Second World War there were tunnels built that ran under the camp while the Norwegians occupied the area. These tunnels were used as escape routes in case the Nazis came across the Atlantic and starting bombing military sites. 

After the Norwegians left in 1945, the tunnels and their entrances were long forgotten. 

 

That was until 1967. Two counselors who were working at Camp Kiwanis had fallen in love. Finding alone time was at a premium at camp so one night, they snuck downstairs in the basement of the dining hall to catch up. It was here as they were exploring that they knocked over some old boxes and came across a mysterious entryway. Their imaginations got the better of them and instead of telling someone, they decided to keep the secret passageway to themselves. 

 

They came back the next night with flashlights and began walking down the tunnels. Deeper and deeper they went. The tunnels were more like a maze as many paths led to dead ends. Finally, they came to the opening of a large room. It was here that they found old paintings, gold, jewellery and Norwegian artifacts. They couldn’t believe their fortunes. But how could they get all of these items out without being seen?


They decided to sneak out well after curfew. They crept through the tunnels with their flashlights until they found their way back to the treasure room. Here “Susie” would start loading backpacks full of treasure while “Johnny” went back and lit all of the torches along the correct path that lead them back to the dining hall. As Johnny was lighting the second from last torch, one of the beams near the torch caught on fire. The fire began to spread down the tunnel toward the treasure room.  Johnny made the split-second decision to go towards the dining hall instead of the treasure room.  The tunnels collapsed leaving Susie to die with her treasures. 


It is said that on a clear night (like tonight), you can see a Lady in White floating across the field, searching for her love. This is also why the torch is the symbol of Olympia as commemoration for the tragedy that happened before Olympia became Olympia. 

 

Olympia legend by Olympia legend Sam Southworth


 

The link to the blog is TuesdayswithDave.blogspot.com

This blog is about the journey of the writing of the book A Hero's Journey: From Little Norway to Olympia Sports Camp. The blog will contain excerpts from the book and my personal thoughts on what the place and the people that make up Olympia's journey is all about. The title comes from the great book Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom. The blog's title is recognizing Dave Grace as Camp Director, but all content is my own. 

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