The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1914-08-21
BOY SCOUTS AT CAMP SHELLMAN
Delightful Time Spent by 19 Boys
Camp Located finn West Virginia

The camp wa ID named In appre-
citation of that friend Of the boys, MISS
Mary B- Shellman, through whose ef-
\ forts Westminster Troop Number one
| Boy Scouts OF America, wa organ
lied The camp was located on the
West Virginia side OF the Potomac
River, in Berkeley county, az the be-
ginning OF the great horseshoe bend
Place before YOU horseshoe with
the ends next to you The end 70 the
left will represent the position Of the
camp. The other end will represent
the position OF Falling Waters,
West Virginia. About one-forth
the distance from the toe of
the shoe to the Falling Waters end
il Williamsport, Md. The distance
from the camp down the river 70
Falling Waters l. about ten miles
Across the country the distance ~
but little more than three miles. ~
Williamsport across the country the
distance IL about four and One-half
miles.
About the location Of the camp the
country Il very rugged. The scenery
Ii grand. The great curve in the
river IL caused by very large deposit
or limestone. Beginning 100 yards
below the camp there extends for
more than a mile down the river q
solid wall of limestone ~ some
points this wall rises from the edge
or the water almost perpendicularly
for two hundred feet Just short
distance below the camp u large
cave called the Indian Chapel. Here
tradition tells u the Indians used 70
meet for worship. One-fourth Of
mile back from the river j. another
equally large cave called Abbott
Hole According to tradition this
was the hiding place during the
Revolutionary War Of the horse thief
Abbott "a few hundred yards from
Abbott's Hole il a much larger name
less cave Through the lower, which
il also the larger chapel flows little
stream of clear, cold, limestone water.
This little stream finds it, way into
the river through the great beds or
limestone. Just before 1T leaps into
the river it breaks through the high
rock wall about thirty feet above the
surface OF the river. at that point
there il a large cleft i'm the wall into
which the sun and moon never shine.
Hence il il called the Sun and Noon
Spring. The flow il about ten gal
Ions per minute. Here are large DC
posts OF porous limestone somewhat
resembling honeycomb From this
spring came our drinking and cook
ing water From a point On the top
Of the wall between the camp and the
Sun and Moon Spring can b. had a
most beautiful view of the river
About nine o'clock in the morning a.
one stands there looking up the river
the sun from the rear throws hi
rays up the gorge like great search
light One can see distinctly the
numerous islands and the water
pouring over the large dam more than
a mile in the distance. Large num-
bers Of cows were seen wading- leis-
urely out to the islands to Craze. In
the evening it was beautiful picture
to look from that same point UP the
river at the sunset
The tents were pitched on narrow
fiat about twenty feet above the sur
face Of the water Behind were the
hills across the river lowered North
Mountain. On the opposite bank OF
the river II the O. e %. Canal. Sit
ting i'm the camp We could see the
boats and hear the mule drivers All
the while the waters below were
murmuring al they rippled over the
rocks. They were shallow enough
for calves to wade and deep enough
for cows to swim. 20 clear were
they that even where the depth was
more than five feet small objects