Painting of Kepler Lodge, by Mary Susan Herr Weirsham,
Written in pen on back: "At my death, this is to go to my cousin, Susan Raub. (Ditty's daughter) Signed June 4, 1993 by Elizabeth Caruthers.
Typewritten and attached to back:
Artist: Mary Susan Herr Weirsham painted this picture in the 1950's & made her living selling her paintings. The artist who was six feet tall and hated it, crouched to seem less tall & gave this painting to her cousin Betty (Elizabeth Gerhardt Gipe Caruthers) as both loved their summer Girl's camp, Kepler Lodge, located 4 mi from Pequea, Pa. on Rt. 324 which was built in the 1700's (period of Hans Herr House) as the Master's mansion of an iron foundry.
Mary Sue paints herself on the left and Betty, with red hair, on the right. The girls, whose mothers were first cousins, joyously attended this camp from about age 9-16. Mary Sue, who went to Europe as a child as her parents did well, had great stories to tell Betty like pouring water on passengers as they went down the aisle of a train.
One year at camp, Betty came running down the hill, leaping over the clasped outstretched arms of two standing friends who were at the pool's edge. This time Betty hit the sloped side of the cement pool & broke her nose. While a hospital in Lancaster put one stitch in the nose, she hope her mother wouldn't find out.
Another later year, working as a "kitchen police" ( which "consisted of washing dishes & doing all the thing you do in the kitchen for 60-80 girls") on late eveing (sic) when "we weren't too tired, we went "skinny dipping" in the same infamous pool. Someone noticed the nearby farmer and all his sons sitting on their porch watching us in the bright moonlight." We all fled and were thoroughly embarrassed. The put a crimp in our skinny dipping."
Betty Gipe Caruthers was born 11/17/(19)14. Betty was a couple of years older than Mary Sue, although Mary Sue was 'bigger."--These notes taken down by a friend in June 1993. Although the families of the two girls were at odds, the two girls were fast friends.
