Waterville High School Senior Trip ~ 1930
May of 1930 the Waterville High School seniors (hover over the picture to learn names of students) took their senior trip to Washington, D.C. It was an educational tour presented by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Their itinerary was well planned out with a flyer stating it was “a fitting conclusion to students’ high school experience.” The trip was arranged by the Pennsylvania Railroad with tour guides and the exact time where they would be. We have a copy of this itinerary at the Archives.
Mae Dorman went on this trip with her class and wrote a short account of the tour and running account of what she and the class did each day. “The train car rocked and rolled and it was difficult washing up, thinking one part was being washed while you were really washing another.” Very little sleep was had by all. They were hungry and they ate all of their candy. They sat on the observation deck and got very dirty.
Hotel where the class stayed.
They got off the train and took a bus to Gettysburg and toured the area before getting back on, arriving in the evening in Washington, D.C. They stayed at Hotel Winston in D.C. Mae kept the menus as to their meals. For breakfast sliced grapefruit, cream of wheat, 2 eggs, ham or bacon, etc. For lunch they had choice of Seafood A. La Newburg in Patty Shell or Minced Veal in Baked Potato, carrots, peach cobbler, etc. For dinner they had Puree Mongola, choice of Broiled Lake Trout, Roast Spring Lamb or Breaded Veal Cutlet, creamed spinach, rissole potato, etc.
Some of the kids were train sick and couldn’t think of eating. One of the ladies, a Miss Smith fainted at the Congressional Library and they had to call a doctor and ambulance.
They visited the Arlington Cemetery and the natural Amphitheater where they heard a concert by the Marine Band. She had a big adventure at the Washington Monument where they rode up in an elevator and were able to look out on the city. Mae and her friend Ruth were skeptical of riding the elevator down so they walked down all of the 1000 steps but the feeling in their legs made them wonder if they did the right thing. They had to sit down when back on solid ground as legs were very shaky.
The class visited the Capitol and saw the Senate and House in session. The Senate was debating upon the oleomargarine bill and “one fat Democrat became pretty hot; Oh! Boy what a temper.” They saw Paul McOscar, a former Waterville resident, doing his duty in the House (as a timekeeper?) Mae and several friends walked up the 500 steps into the Capital Dome before leaving Washington.
She saved all of her tickets into the House of Representatives and Senate Chambers, picture of the Hotel Winston where they stayed and photo cards (1 “x 2”) of places they visited. It is a wonderful remembrance of what a senior education trips should be and not one where fun and drinking becomes the focus. Mae’s souvenirs and written account of her trip are available at the Wakeman Archives and interesting to read.