Scouting in Virginia

Scouting in Virginia has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. Many of the local groups and districts took names of historic Virginia Indian tribes in the state.

Boy Scouts of America

Today

From 1981 National Scout Jamboree, through the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, all Jamborees were held at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.

There are ten Boy Scouts of America local councils in Virginia. Loudoun, Fairfax, Stafford, Prince William, King George, Westmoreland and Northumberland counties are part of the Northeast Region. Most of Virginia is within Southern Region. Tazewell, Bland and Giles counties are included in the Central Region.

Blue Ridge Mountains Council

The Blue Ridge Mountains Council (BRMC) serves Scouts in southwest and south central Virginia.

Buckskin Council

Main article: Buckskin Council

Buckskin Council serves Scouts in Scouts in Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

Colonial Virginia Council

Served by the Wahunsenakah Lodge of the Order of the Arrow.

--City of Poquoson, and the Counties of York, Gloucester, and Matthews

--City of Suffolk, and the Counties of Isle of Wight (excluding the southern portion), and Surry

--City of Williamsburg and James City County

--Cities of Hampton and Newport News

--Cities of Emporia and Franklin, and the Counties of Brunswick, Greensville, Southampton, Sussex, and lower Isle of Wight

Del-Mar-Va Council

Main article: Scouting in Delaware

Del-Mar-Va Council serves Scouts in Delaware, Maryland and Northampton and Accomack Counties in Virginia.

Heart of Virginia Council

Formerly Robert E. Lee Council, this council was renamed in 2003.

Organization

Districts:

Camps

National Capital Area Council

The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) serves Scouts in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Loudon, Fairfax, Prince William, Fauquier, Stafford, King George, Caroline, Spotsylvania and Culpeper Counties in Virginia. NCAC operates two council camps: Goshen Scout Reservation, in Goshen, Virginia (physically within the Stonewall Jackson Area Council) and Camp Snyder in Haymarket, Virginia.

Sequoyah Council

Main article: Scouting in Tennessee

Sequoyah Council serves Scouts in Tennessee and Virginia.

Shenandoah Area Council

Shenandoah Area Council headquarters is in Winchester, Virginia and serves Scouts in Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren counties in Virginia and Berkeley, Morgan and Jefferson Counties in West Virginia. http://www.sac-bsa.org/

Camp Rock Enon was established in 1944, and is located at Rock Enon Springs near Gore, Virginia. The Order of the Arrow is represented by the Shenshawpotoo Lodge.

Camp
Districts
Order of the Arrow

Stonewall Jackson Area Council

The Stonewall Jackson Area Council (SJAC) is the local council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) that serves Scouts in areas of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and West Virginia and areas of central Virginia. The first council in the area was the Staunton Council, formed in 1921 and failed in 1924. The Stonewall Jackson Council was organized in Waynesboro, Virginia in 1927 as the Stonewall Jackson Council. The council is named after General Stonewall Jackson, one of the most famous residents of the area. The Lewis & Clark Council was formed in Charlottesville in 1927; it failed in 1931 and folded into the Stonewall Jackson Council. The council was later renamed to the Stonewall Jackson Area Council. The first Scout executive was J.W. Fix who served from 1927 to 1950. Fix had joined Scouting as a youth in 1911 and was an Eagle Scout.

The Order of the Arrow is represented by the Shenandoah Lodge. It supports the Scouting programs of the Stonewall Jackson Area Council through leadership, camping, and service.

Tidewater Council

Main article: Tidewater Council

Tidewater Council is the local council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) that serves southeastern Virginia and north-eastern North Carolina. This region is often referred to as South Hampton Roads or the Tidewater or Tidewater Virginia area; hence the name of the council. One of the first councils in the country, Tidewater Council was established in 1911, just one year after William Boyce of Chicago founded Scouting in the United States, and only three years after Sir Robert Baden-Powell founded the movement in England. In 1914 the local council was issued a second-class charter, as it did not have a professional Scout executive.

Its Order of the Arrow counterpart is the Blue Heron Lodge, which was founded in 1946 when a team from Octoraro Lodge in Pennsylvania inducted the first members of Blue Heron Lodge.

Girl Scouts of the USA

There are seven Girl Scout councils serving girls in Virginia; three are headquartered in the state.

Girl Scout Council of the Southern Appalachians

See Scouting in Tennessee. Serves Virginia girls in the extreme southwest of Virginia.

nearest Service Center: Johnson City, Tennessee
Website: http://www.girlscoutcsa.org/

Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council

See Scouting in West Virginia. Serves Virginia girls in Bland, Buchanan, and Tazewell counties.

Headquarters: Charleston, West Virginia
Website: http://www.bdgsc.org

Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay Council

See Scouting in Delaware. Serves Virginia girls on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Headquarters: Newark, Delaware
Website: http://www.gscb.org/

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Council

Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Council serves over 16,500 girls, with 5,500 adult volunteers in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. It was established in 1981.

Headquarters: Chesapeake, Virginia
Website: http://www.gsccc.org

Camps:

Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia Council

The Girl Scout of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves more than 16,000 girls and has about 5,700 adult volunteers in 30 central Virginia counties. It was chartered in 1963, when three smaller councils serving Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Southside Virginia merged. In 2007, Surry County was moved from this council to Colonial Coast. The first troop formed in central Virginia was Troop #1, Highland Springs in 1913.

In 1932 the first African-American troop in the South, Girl Scout Troop 101, was founded in Richmond by Lena B. Watson. It was first led by Lavnia Banks, a teacher from Armstrong High School. It first met in Hartshorn Hall, Virginia Union University. In 2008 a tree was planted in commemoration at Hartshorn Hall.

In 1922 Girl Scouts of Richmond was chartered. In 1942 Petersburg Girl Scout Council was formed and in 1944, Hopewell Girl Scout Council. In 1953 Petersburg and Hopewell merged to form Southside. In 1963 Southside, Richmond, and Fredericksburg councils merged to form the current council.

Headquarters: Mechanicsville, Virginia
Website: http://www.comgirlscouts.org

Camps:

Earlier camps include Camp Pocahontas acquired in 1928; Camp Pinoaka, created in 1936 for African-American girl scouts; and Camp Holly Dell in 1951 (sold in 1996).

Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital

See Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital. Serves girls in northern Virginia as well.

Headquarters: Washington, D.C. Website: http://www.gscnc.org

Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council

This council serves about 10,500 girls in 36 Virginia counties. It was established in 1963.

Headquarters: Roanoke, Virginia
Website: http://www.gsvsc.org

Camps:

Scouting museums in Virginia

Main article: Scouting museums

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Scouting in Virginia.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.shenshawpotoo.org
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