Camp Archbald is a Girl Scout

Girl Scouts of the USA

The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...

 camp in Brooklyn Township

Brooklyn Township, Pennsylvania

Brooklyn Township is a township in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 889 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of...

, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania

Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,238 people, 16,529 households, and 11,785 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 21,829 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...

. It encompasses 230 acre (0.9307778 km²), including a 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) lake (Lake Ely). Established in 1920, it is the second oldest Girl Scout Camp in America. (Only Camp Bonnie Brae in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 has been serving girls longer.) Camp Archbald falls under the jurisdiction of Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, which operates 11 camp facilities in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

.

The Units

Camp Archbald has 8 operational units during the summer camp season. Girls stay in either cabins, platform tent

Tent

A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...

s, or houseboat

Houseboat

A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...

s, with staff sleeping in a Staff Tent embedded in the unit. Or the staff stay in the same type of housing as the girls if it is available.

Greenwood

Greenwood unit is located at the base of a hill on the left side of camp. Greenwood is a 2-story troophouse, built in 1954 as a troophouse for the Greenwood and Beechwood tent

Tent

A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...

 units, which have since been disbanded. The first story is an open room with tables for working, with a small attached kitchen

Kitchen

A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...

 with refrigerator, stove, and indoor sink, and 2 clivus multrums for bathroom facilities. Loft

Loft

A loft can be an upper story or attic in a building, directly under the roof. Alternatively, a loft apartment refers to large adaptable open space, often converted for residential use from some other use, often light industrial...

ed sleeping quarters are on the second story, with an open view to the first floor. Seven girls sleep in each of the two lofts, for a total of 14 girls. Greenwood was used for the Counselor-in-Training

Counselor-in-Training

This article is about the program at a summer camp, i.e., church, Scouting, or other organization.Counselor-in-Training can be both a person’s designation and a program, intended to prepare the individual for the leadership and responsibility of being a counselor...

 (CIT) Program. It now houses administrative staff.

Greenword also has many scary stories told about it. It is thought to be haunted, by counslers and campers alike.

Treetops

Walking up the hill from Greenwood, visitors will encounter Treetops unit. Treetops is the newest unit at Camp Archbald. Built in 1991 on the site of the former Greenwood Tent Unit, the building is dedicated to Louise Greener Williams, who served as camp director and Scranton Council Director for 26 years. Treetops is situated on the side of a cliff, with excellent views of the trees below from the wraparound porch.

Treetops is based on two prefabricated Eagle Nest Buildings with a connecting link with wraparound porch

Porch

A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...

. The two twelve-sided sections of the building serves as the sleeping quarters (11 girls on a side for a total of a 22 girl capacity). The connection link contains the kitchen with refrigerator, stove, and indoor sink, dining tables, a handicapped accessible shower, and 3 clivus multrums for bathroom facilities.

Hultz

Past Treetops, Hultz Unit resides at the top of the left-hand side hill. The oldest unit still in operation (since 1925), Hultz was named in honor of Amy Hultz, the first unit leader when the unit was named Pioneer. A tenting unit, Hultz has 8 platform tents. Each tent sleeps four girls and seven tents are for girl use, for a 28 girl capacity. The final tent is used for staff quarters. Hultz has a troophouse for unit use in inclement weather, an outdoor kitchen, washstand, and 4 clivus multrums for bathroom facilities.

Forest

Walking by the shores of Lake Ely, Forest Unit is the first stop on the journey. Forest was the site of the first Brownie Girl Scout encampment in the nation in 1933. Currently, girls in Forest sleep in one of four cabins, with eight girls to a cabin, for a 32 girl capacity. Each cabin has 4 bunk beds with doors opening to the front and the back. Forest Troophouse is situated overlooking Lake Ely, with a porch and 2 clivus multrums for bathroom facilities. A washstand is also located in the unit. Forest typically houses programs for Junior programs (girls in grades 4-6).

Mariners

Past Forest, visitors will arrive at the houseboat

Houseboat

A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a human dwelling. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities...

s of the Mariners Unit. Camp Archbald has the distinction of having the first houseboat unit in the nation, with Mariners Unit having opened in 1938. Three houseboats grace the shores of Lake Ely:

• The Hey You II - A replacement boat (installed in the early 1980s) for the original Hey You, this houseboat is on the left and is the closest boat to the waterfront.
• The Challenge II - A replacement boat (installed in the early 1980s) for the original Challenge, this houseboat is located in the middle of the three houseboats.
• The Water Scout - The newest houseboat (installed in 2001), this vessel is located on the right as the furthest boat from the waterfront. This boat is also the only houseboat with electricity
  Electricity
  Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
  
  , due to solar panels installed on its roof.

Mariners Unit has a girl capacity of 20 girls, with 7 girls on the Hey You II, 7 girls on the Challenge II, and 6 girls on the Water Scout sleeping in bunk beds. Mariners Troophouse is situated above the houseboats for group activities and has 2 clivus multrums for bathroom facilities. A washstand is located near the Troophouse. Staff sleep in platform tents near the houseboats unless there is an open boat.

Meadows

On a hill on the right side of camp, Meadows Unit sits at a crossroads leading to two additional units. Meadows is a cabin unit, with 4 cabins sleeping 8 girls each, for a unit capacity of 32 girls. The Troophouse is located behind the cabins further up the hill for whole-group activities in inclement weather

Weather

Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...

. Meadows also has a washhouse (attached to Meadows Showerhouse) with multiple sinks and shares 6 clivus multrums with Sunnyside Unit for bathroom facilities.

Sunnyside

Taking the right fork from Meadows leads visitors to Sunnyside Unit. A spacious unit with open fields, Sunnyside was the first unit in the country (1941) dedicated solely to Brownie Overnight Programs. (Treetops Unit has since taken on the responsibility of the Brownie Overnight Programs.) Sunnyside is a cabin unit, with 2 cabins sleeping 10 girls each, for a unit capacity of 20 girls. The Troophouse is located next to the cabins and can often be mistaken for a cabin itself, as it is the same design as the cabins. A washstand is available for running water. Sunnyside shares 6 clivus multrums with Meadows Unit for bathroom facilities.

Maples

Taking the road up the hill from Meadows, followed by a right turn at the next intersection is the path to Maples Unit. A tenting unit, Maples has 8 platform tents. Each tent sleeps four girls and seven tents are for girl use, for a 28 girl capacity. The final tent is used for staff quarters. Maples Troophouse is located next to the staff tent, with tables for indoor activities in inclement weather. A washstand and 4 pit johns are located in the unit for bathroom facilities. A small field is located next to Maples (Maples Field) were girls used to sleep under the stars.

Other buildings and locations

The Lodge

As visitors drive into camp, the Lodge is the first building on the right-hand side of the parking lot. This is the administrative center of camp, with the offices for the Camp Director, Assistant Camp Director, Program Director, and Business Manager during resident camp season. Additionally, the Camp Director's quarters are located inside the Lodge. Built in 1938 in response to the need for year-round camping facilities, the Lodge is equipped with a kitchen, a fireplace surrounded by wooden rocking chairs, and a sleeping loft which opens out to the main room.

Friendship Hall

Located adjacent to the Lodge on the left-hand side is Friendship Hall, a 2-story heated building equipped with running hot and cold water. Dedicated in 1972 to Anna Johns, the upper level is currently used as the infirmary and the lower level as a private camp staff area. This building is also used for Troop Camping in the fall, winter, and spring.

Nivert Pavilion

The Nivert Pavilion is located on the right of the Lodge off the main parking lot. Built in 1999 in honor of Harry and Marion Nivert, the Pavilion is a covered facility for luggage pickup/drop off on rainy days, as well as a shaded, yet open space for camp activities.

The Stables

Located along the public road across from the Caretaker's House, the Stables house horse

Horse

The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...

s for horseback riding instruction during the summer resident camp season. The Stables consist of a small wooden tack room, 12 standing stalls, a garage for storage, a large turnout pasture and a small riding ring. Riding instruction is done in the Western style with some English demonstrations.

The Caretaker's House

A year-round caretaker and his/her family reside in the Caretaker's House, located along the public road up the hill from the Lodge, near the entrance to camp, and across from the Stables.

Adventure Trail

The Adventure Trail (or Ad Trail) is open to Junior, Cadette, or Senior Girl Scouts attending overnight camp. The Ad Trail has eight obstacles that help girls develop teamwork and cooperation skills. It is located in the woods heading out of camp. It is no longer in use due to it's condition. Counsel has deemed it unsafe and will not allow anyone to go fix it.

Schoonover Hall

Directly in the middle of main camp, in the middle of a grassy field, is Schoonover (Schooney) Hall. This stone and glass building is open at all times for shelter and is used for rainy day activities, singing, dancing, games, theater performances, and other special programs. W. J. Schoonover donated this building to Camp Archbald in 1928 in memory of his mother. A stone plaque over the fireplace reads:

1928 Roxy Ann Schoonover 1928
Best citizens come from the homes where there is a loyal, helpful wife or a loving, practical mother. As a tribute to such a noble woman this building is presented to the Girl Scouts of Scranton by her son, William J. Schoonover.
.

Schooney Lawn

With Schoonover Hall at the center, Schooney Lawn is a wide open field in main camp.
Schooney Lawn is also the only place where the campers can run.

The Flagpole

Located on Schooney Lawn, campers gather at the Flagpole every morning and evening for flag ceremony and all-camp announcements. Each unit takes turns to do the flag ceremonies.

The Dining Hall

Located adjacent to Schooney Lawn in main camp, the Dining Hall (built in 1941) has a double-wing design, with the kitchen in the center of the two wings.

Heritage Hall

Built in 1970 overlooking Lake Ely, this two-story building performs multiple functions. The lower level provides storage for waterfront equipment. The upper level houses arts and crafts

Arts and crafts

Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...

 activities during the summer and serves as a troophouse for fall and spring Girl Scout troop camping.

Waterfront

Waterfront was one of the first areas to be developed at Camp Archbald, with the first dock installed in 1922. The dock has been replaced at least four times, most recently in June 2006. The new H-shaped dock is made of plastic

Plastic

A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...

 (instead of wood

Wood

Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...

) and floats up and down with the water levels of Lake Ely. Waterfront houses swimming, boating, and canoeing

Canoeing

Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....

 activities, as well as floating lunches, dock lunches, wishboat launches, and water carnivals. Red Cross safety standards, instituted in the 1922 camp season, of colored caps, unit check boards, buddy system, life saving buoy

Buoy

A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...

s, and qualified lifeguard

Lifeguard

A lifeguard supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, or beach. Lifeguards are strong swimmers and trained in first aid, certified in water rescue using a variety of aids and equipment depending on...

s continue to be used to this day.

Trading Post

The oldest building in camp (built in 1923), this building was originally used as the camp director's quarters. It is located on the left side of camp on the edge of Schooney Lawn near Heritage Hall.

The Cottage

One of the three quarters available for camp staff not assigned to a unit. It is located next to the Trading Post.

The Trailer

One of the three quarters available for camp staff not assigned to a unit. It is located next to the Cottage.

The Quiet Place / Beechwood

Between Greenwood and Treetops, there is a small path on the left that leads to the Quiet Place. It is a small circular patio

Patio

A patio is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is typically paved. It may refer to a roofless inner courtyard of the sort found in Spanish-style dwellings or a paved area between a residence and a garden....

 with embedded benches and an antique outdoor fireplace

Outdoor fireplace

An outdoor fireplace is a place for building fires outside of the home. Similar in construction to an indoor fireplace, an outdoor fireplace is usually added to a stone, brick, or concrete patio. It often consists of a firebox and a chimney. As with indoor fireplaces, an outdoor fireplace...

. The Quiet Place is used for quiet activities and mediations by girls in all units. It is located at the site of the former Beechwood Unit. Beechwood had 3-sided Adirondack shelters, with a curtain on the fourth side. Beechwood opened in 1950 and closed in 1961 with the opening of Applenook Unit.

Samoset

Located beyond Hultz Unit, Samoset was a former tenting unit, created especially for counselors in training in 1947. There is no published date as to the closing of Samoset. The remains of the Samoset kitchen lean-to

Lean-to

A lean-to is a term used to describe a roof with a single slope. The term also applies to a variety of structures that are built using a lean-to roof....

 can be seen from Hultz.
The Samoset Unit was still operational in 1973 and 1974 for the Junior and Senior CIT programs.

Grizzly

Also located beyond Hultz Unit, Grizzly was a former tenting unit which opened in 1929 with a focus on pioneer camping. It was named for Gertrude Gold whose nickname was Grizzly. In 1933, girls from Grizzly took the first-ever covered wagon gypsy trip. The covered wagon

Covered wagon

The covered wagon, also known as a Prairie schooner, is an icon of the American Old West.Although covered wagons were commonly used for shorter moves within the United States, in the mid-nineteenth century thousands of Americans took them across the Great Plains to Oregon and California...

 gypsy trip program continued until 1970). The last published date available of Grizzly's use was 1960, when it was used by the Counselors-in-Training (CITs). Currently, another area of the camp is nicknamed Grizzly, though it is not the location of the original unit. The current Grizzly is located up a steep hill to the left side from Hultz Unit. It is a flat area of land used for rustic sleepouts by adventurous Cadette and Senior summer programs.

Applenook

A former tenting unit located further up the hill from Maples, Applenook Unit opened in 1961 as a replacement for Beechwood Unit. It was a primitive unit, used by girls preparing for the National Girl Scout Senior Roundup

Girl Scout Senior Roundup

There have been several Girl Scout Senior Roundups held by the Girl Scouts of the USA, gatherings meant to show off the best of Girl Scouting. International Senior Roundups were held every three years from 1956 until 1965; in 1966 the planned 1968 Senior Roundup was canceled and the intent became...

. Later on, a troophouse and washstand were built and the unit was used as a Counselor-in-Training (CIT) unit, in addition to other programs. Applenook Troophouse still stands, though the tent platforms have been removed. Former Camp Director Phileshia Dombroski was one of the last campers to stay in Applenook (as a CIT) before it closed after the summer of 1989.

The Mariners' Path

A 0.24 miles (386.2 m) trail from the Mariners Unit to the Point and Sunset Hill, following the shores of Lake Ely.

The Point

A small jetty of land on the opposite side of Lake Ely from Waterfront, the Point can be reached by a 0.24 miles (386.2 m) hike from Mariners Unit or by canoeing across the lake.

Sunset Hill

Located next to the Point on the opposite side of Lake Ely from the main portion of camp, Sunset Hill is a field with has a terrific view of the sunset every evening. Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts occasionally will sleep-out on Sunset Hill for a primitive night away from the hustle and bustle of main camp.

Sunnyside Bridge

A small bridge leading over a wildflower

Wildflower

A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...

 marsh

Marsh

In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....

/bog

Bog

A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....

from Sunnyside to Friendship Hall. This bridge was built in 1998 and is dedicated in memory of Joyce May.
The Sunnyside bridge is also called the wishing bridge, as campers walk over the bridge they go silent and each make a wish.

Greenwood Showers

Located down the path from Greenwood Unit, Greenwood Showers are most frequently used by Greenwood, Treetops, and Hultz. Seven showers are located in Greenwood Showers with warm water.

Meadows Showers

Located adjacent to Meadows Washhouse, Meadows Showers are most frequently used by Meadows, Sunnyside, and Forest. Seven showers are located in Meadows Showers with warm water. There is a shortcut to the showers through the woods from the Forest unit.
it also has a toilet.

Maples Showers

Located down the path from Maples Unit, Maples Showers are most frequently used by Maples and Mariners. Six showers are located in Maples Showers with cold water.

External links

• http://www.gshpa.org