Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article

January 24, 1993
By Barbara Carney
Vigo County Historical Society

Early girl’s uniform now on display

In 1920, a vivacious young girl with dark hair worn in long braids came from the little town of Higginsville, Mo., to attend school at Terre Haute.

Her father gave her a trunk to transport her favorite possessions. As Avice Knipmeyer McCrae was selecting items to place in the trunk, little did she dream that in 1993 a museum director would be delighted with her choices. One choice being her Camp Fire Girl’s uniform, one of the earliest of its kind.

The Camp Fire Girls, similar to the Girl Scouts in objectives and activities, were organized in 1910 by Luther Gulick and his wife Charlotte Gulick, who also helped found the Boy Scouts, began receiving requests for a similar organization for girls. As a result, he and his wife started a girls’ camp on the shores of Lake Sebago, Maine, and began promoting Camp Fire Girls groups throughout the country. They stressed learning by doing.

The concept was appealing to young Avice McCrae. In 1915, when her Latin teacher, a Miss Ludlow, became interested in starting a Camp Fire Girls group, she and seven of her friends wholeheartedly embraced the idea.

No ready-made uniforms were available for purchase at that time, but the troop ordered and received standardized patterns, heavy brown cotton fabric and bolts of leather fringe from headquarters at Kansas City.

The girls then made the uniforms and were free to add their own decorations and symbols. The prescribed dress was to resemble an Indian costume, hanging straight with short sleeves and a round neck fastened with brown yard or cord.

McCrae, with her grandmother’s help, made her uniform and then proceeded to creatively embellish it. She sewed fringe to the skirt and sleeves and added scalloped beading around the neckline. On the front near the hemline, she embroidered the campfire, as well as butterflies. A bow and arrow were placed near the center, and the girls’ emblem at the top.

World War I gave the troop an opportunity to follow the Camp Fire Girls’ slogan, “Give Service.” In fact, their activities centered around the war effort. They busily gathered magazines, newspapers, homemade candy, cookies and cakes. When the troop train going to Fort Leavenworth stopped at the Higginsville water station to fill the boilers, the girls were there. They greeted the soldiers and sent them on their way with the materials they had collected.

The girls also enjoyed outside activities. They would walk to an open area called Slocum’s Pasture, build a fire and cook breakfast.
Though made nearly 80 years ago, the dress is in very good condition. Upon removing it from the trunk, McCrae noted that the tie was deteriorating. She decided to duplicate it by braiding yarn as she had done before, but related that it was more difficult this time. Arthritis posed no problem in those early years.

This original dress of the Camp Fire Girls was given to the museum by Avice McCrae. It will be displayed at the museum this spring along with other recent acquisitions.

The photograph probably was taken in 1915. McCrae is second from the left.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

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