Scouting in Maryland
Encyclopedia
Scouting in Maryland has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving millions of youth with activities that have adapted to the changing cultural environment but have always been rooted in an active outdoor program.

Early history (1910-1950)

The 1923 National Order of the Arrow
Order of the Arrow
The Order of the Arrow is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America . It uses American Indian-styled traditions and ceremonies to bestow recognition on scouts selected by their peers as best exemplifying the ideals of Scouting. The society was created by E. Urner Goodman, with the...

 Lodge Meeting was held at Baltimore, Maryland.

In the early 1920s, there were several camps named Rodney in the Delmarva area. However, the current Rodney Scout Reservation was established in 1921.

Camp Linstead Fact Sheet
1918 to 1944
Boy Scouts of America
Baltimore Area Councils First Camp
By: Joel Meredith, Sr.
Publication Date: May 7, 2008 – First Edition
February 3, 2010 – Second Edition

1. Camp Linstead opened in 1918 and operated thru 1944. Linstead is the Baltimore Area Councils first Camp. Documentation shows that the camp operated as a full time summer camp thru 1944. There is some speculation that it may have operated in 1945 as well, but for now there is not enough documented evidence to support this contention.
2. Linstead was located on the Severn River on Round Bay in Anne Arundel County and consisted of ninety acres and was part of the Riggs estate.
3. The property was leased from two brothers, F.G. and H.G. Riggs for $1.00 dollar per year. Upon their deaths in the late 1930s and early 1940s the property was transferred to their heir who sold it to developers. Due to the outbreak of WWII, construction of new homes was delayed until around 1945.
4. Nentico Lodge 12 was founded at Camp Linstead on June 30, 1922. Dr. E. Urner Goodman, the founder of the Order of the Arrow and later the founder of the Cub Scout program, served as Chief of the Fire in the formation of Nentico Lodge.
5. In October 1923 Camp Linstead was the site of the third Grand Lodge Meeting of the Order of the Arrow. The Grand Lodge meeting is the forerunner of today’s National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC).
6. Camp Linstead operated for both white and black Scouts alike thru separate camping periods. This was not always the case in other scout councils, particularly in the south. In some cases, summer camp facilities would not be made available at all for minority scouts or a separate but not nearly as equal camp would be provided. The fact that the Baltimore Scouting program demonstrated leadership in the early years of scouting to serve all youth is a testimony to their character and vision.
7. Camping periods were two weeks long, with one period being dedicated to serve black Scouts. The summer camping season lasted eight weeks, with four camping periods per season. The Camp week started on Monday with dinner and closed two weeks later at Monday breakfast.
8. Scouts camped in a large canvas and wood framed tent that housed eight boys and one adult leader. For sleeping there were double-decked spring cots with straw mattresses.
9. Most Units and Boys would travel to the camp by means of the Baltimore & Annapolis R.R. from Camden Yards in Baltimore and arrive at Boone Station, now known as Severna Park Station. From there, a Camp truck would transport their gear / footlockers and the Scouts would hike one mile into the camp.
10. During the war years, (1942, 1943 & 1944), Scouts were directed in the camping brochure to bring their War Ration books #3 or #4 to camp for food supplies.
11. Linstead provided, as it was the custom in the early years of Scouting, full health care services to scouts. A camp Doctor was available at all times and the Scouts would travel across the Severn River by boat to visit a barber and Dentist in Annapolis during their stay at camp.
12. Full scouting skills programs were provided at Linstead, but its main focus was on aquatics. One of the highlights for scouts during their stay at camp was their sail boat races against the Midshipmen of the Naval Academy out on the Severn.

Boy Scouts of America

There are six Boy Scouts of America local councils in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, all within the Northeast Region.

Baltimore Area Council

The Baltimore Area Council includes thirteen districts:
  • Arrowhead District
  • Thurgood Marshall District (formerly Babe Ruth District)
  • Carroll District
  • Chesapeake District
  • Dulaney District
  • Four Rivers District
  • Harford District
  • Hopkins District
  • National Pike District
  • Reginald F. Lewis District (formerly Scoutreach District)
  • The Capitol District
  • Pathfinders District
  • Learning For Life District


Baltimore Area Council partners with approximately 800 community based organizations providing programs to more than 35,000 youth each year.
Baltimore Area Council operates three full service Scout Shops either directly or thru license with the National Council, Boy Scouts of America in Baltimore City, Hanover and Whiteford in Harford County, Maryland. The Harford Scout Shop is located in Camp Saffran at Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation at 1929 Susquehanna Hall Road Whiteford, Maryland. The Dorsey Road Scout Shop is located at 7502 Connelley Dr Ste 117, Hanover, Maryland. The Baltimore Scout Shop is actually located directly across the street from the Council's Shapiro Scout Service Center in the Stieff Silver Building at 800 Wyman Park Drive, Baltimore Maryland. The Council also operates a Help Desk that serves Scout volunteers and Scout parents at the Baltimore Scout Shop.

In 2008, Baltimore Area Council announced ten top initiative programs to highlight the Boy Scouts of America 100th Anniversary in 2010. The Top Ten Initiatives are: Star-Spangled Camporee at Ft. McHenry and surrounding City Parks, Scout Sunday And Sabbath, Anniversary Black Tie Gala, Gathering of Eagles, Flag Ceremonies, the 100 Great Moments in Baltimore Area Scouting History, Birthday Card Contest, Scouting Mural/Mosaic Project and the 100th Anniversary Service Project.

In February 2009, the Star-Spangled Banner Flag or the Great Garrison Flag (also known as the 15 Star Flag) was officially adopted as the Official U.S. Flag of the Baltimore Area Council, Boy Scouts of America by authority of the Council Executive Board. A public ceremony was conducted on February 8, 2009, on the occasion of the 99th Anniversary of the incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America in Washington, D.C., by William D. Boyce
William D. Boyce
William Dickson "W. D." Boyce was an American newspaper man, entrepreneur, magazine publisher, and explorer. He was the founder of the Boy Scouts of America and the short-lived Lone Scouts of America . Born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, he acquired a love for the outdoors early in his life...

, a Chicago publisher. Representatives of Scout Units, Districts, the Council and the public were on hand to commemorate the adoption at the Shapiro Scout Service Center. This was done in anticipation of the bicentennial commemoration at Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay...

 in 2014 of the battle which inspired Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...

 to write his inspirational poem which later became our national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...

, The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...

.

Baltimore Area Council operates a Scout camp in Harford County, Maryland
Harford County, Maryland
Harford County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland. In 2010, its population was 244,826. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area.-History:...

 known as Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation. Broad Creek land was first acquired in 1946. Over 1900 acres (7.7 km²) of land are owned and/or operated by BAC. It has operated as a Scout camp since 1948 and is one of the five largest blocks of contiguous forest in the traditional (western shore) Baltimore metropolitan area, and the largest such private forested area. In 2009, a new Rosenberg Welcome Center, formerly the Reservation HQ, and the expansion of the Dining Hall Pavilion at Camp Oest were constructed to accommodate attendance growth and goals in the 2008-2012 Baltimore Area Council Strategic Plan.

Broad Creek has three primary camps, two secondary camps, plus a large natural area including the largest hemlock forest east of the mountains in Maryland. Several pine plantations were planted in 1949-51 and felled in 2006-7 due to beetle infestations.

The primary camps are called Camp Saffran (named after Frederick A. Saffran), Camp Spencer (named after William B. Spencer), and Camp Oest (named after E. Wallace Oest). Camps Saffran and Spencer operate as Boy Scout summer camps and Camp Oest as a Cub Scout resident summer camp. Camp Saffran's Middle Ridge area features a high ropes "COPE" challenge course and zip line.

Of the secondary camps, Camp Cone's remote Houck Lodge is often used by non-scout groups and for training events and, along with Camp Finney, the forests are used for hiking, backpack camping, and orienteering, with paddling access to both the mile-long Lake Straus waters and to the huge Conowingo Reservoir
Conowingo Dam
The Conowingo Dam is a large hydroelectric dam in the Lower Susquehanna River. The dam, one of the largest non-federal hydroelectric dams in the US, is classified as a medium height, masonry gravity type dam...

 (Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...

). All of the camps in BCMSR are named for a person with an early history of long service to the council.

The hemlocks stand includes the largest Eastern Hemlock in the state of Maryland (officially designated as of July 3, 2007.) A fund-raising campaign started in 2005 allows for ongoing treatment by volunteers of over 2,000 individual hemlock trees for protection against the invasive woolly adelgid hemlocks infestation.

The OA lodge, Nentico Lodge 12, rents a sizable section of forest from BAC for $1 a year for various uses including ceremonial grounds. A Broad Creek "Camporall" in the fall of 1979, just a few years after national and Maryland scout membership numbers peaked, attracted approximately 4000 participants, mostly to Camp Finney. A September 1998 50th anniversary celebration attracted approximately 2800 participants. Even winter weekends with no special district or council events have attracted up to 1700 campers at this busy year-round facility.

Del-Mar-Va Council

Del-Mar-Va Council serves Scouts in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

 and the eastern shore portions (east of the Chesapeake Bay) of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

.

Rodney Scout Reservation, also known as Camp Rodney or simply RSR, is a Boy Scout camp located near North East, Maryland
North East, Maryland
North East is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,733 at the 2000 census.-History:The Turkey Point Light Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002...

. Along with Henson Scout Reservation
Henson Scout Reservation
-Organization:Del-Mar-Va Council is divided into the following districts:*Cecil District*Choptank District*Powder Mill*Iron Hill*Sussex District*Three Rivers District*Tri-County District*Two Bays District*Virginia District...

, it is one of the two main Scout camps in the Del-Mar-Va Council. Covering 900 acres (3.6 km²) including the Bull Mountain Wilderness Area, it shares a long border with the woodlands of Elk Neck State Park
Elk Neck State Park
Elk Neck State Park is a park in Cecil County, Maryland. It is eight miles south of the town of North East on MD 272, and is nearest to exit 100 on I-95. The North East River, Elk River, and Chesapeake Bay form the Elk Neck Peninsula, on the southern tip of which the park rests...

. Along with Broad Creek Reservation, Rodney has placed much of its land into conservation easements for permanent legal protection from residential or commercial development. A number of facilities and campsites directly overlook the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...

 which is used for an active aquatics program.

The Del-Mar-Va Council includes eight districts:
  • Cecil District
  • Choptank District
  • Freedom Trail District
  • Sussex District
  • Three Rivers District
  • Tri-County District
  • Two Bays District
  • Virginia District

National Capital Area Council

The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) serves Scouts in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, Virginia, and Frederick, Montgomery, Prince Georges, Charles, Calvert, and St. Marys Counties in Maryland. The Marriott Scout Service Center is located in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...

.

Chester County Council

The Chester County Council is a Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...

 council that serves Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...

 and part of Cecil County, Maryland
Cecil County, Maryland
Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of the Delaware Valley. It was named for Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore , who was the first Proprietary Governor of the colony of Maryland from 1632 until his death in 1675. The county seat is Elkton. The newspaper...

 in that state's northeast corner. It is one of the oldest councils in the nation. Its Horseshore Scout Reservation straddles the Mason-Dixon line between these two counties.

Mason-Dixon Council

The Mason-Dixon Council serves southern Franklin and Fulton Counties in Pennsylvania and neighboring Washington County in Maryland.http://www.mason-dixon-bsa.org/

Sinoquipe Scout Reservation (Sinoquipe means Builder of Men) is a remote 500 acres (2 km²) forested mountain facility with a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) lake located in the rural area two miles (3 km) from the village of Fort Littleton, Pennsylvania in Fulton County. It is located 120 miles (193.1 km) from Baltimore, 115 miles (185.1 km) from DC, and 65 miles (104.6 km) from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...

.

The Order of the Arrow lodge for the Mason-Dixon Council is Guneukitschik Lodge No. 317.

The Mason Dixon Council is made up of three districts:
  • Great Cove District - Fulton County, PA
  • Washington County District - Washington County, MD
  • Tuscarora District - Franklin County, PA

Potomac Council

Potomac Council serves youth in Allegany and Garrett Counties, Maryland and Mineral, Hampshire, Hardy, and Grant Counties, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

.

It has two districts:
  • Nemacolin Trail District
  • Tri-Valley District


Potomac Council operates Camp Potomac, which offers Resident Boy Scout and Webelos camps, as well as a Cub Scout day camp program.

Girl Scouts of the USA

Four Girl Scout Councils serve Maryland but only one is headquartered in the state.

Girl Scouts of Black Diamond Council

See Scouting in West Virginia
Scouting in West Virginia
Scouting in West 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.-Boy Scouts of America:...

 for more information. Serves Maryland girls in Garrett county.

Headquarters: Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...



Website: http://www.bdgsc.org

Girl Scouts of Central Maryland

The only council with headquarters in Maryland, it serves over 30,000 girls in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard Counties.

It originated the Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program that tries to maintain ties between female prisoners and their daughters by having them participate in Girl Scouts.http://www.gscm.org/program/beyondbars.htm The program has been replicated in some 25 other Girl Scout Councils.

Headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland

Website: http://www.gscm.org

Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay Council

See Scouting in Delaware
Scouting in Delaware
Scouting in Delaware 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. In the Boy Scouts of America, the state of Delaware is entirely within the Del-Mar-Va Council....

. Serves Maryland girls on the Delmarva Peninsula
Delmarva Peninsula
The Delmarva Peninsula is a large peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by most of Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia...

.

Headquarters: Newark, Delaware
Newark, Delaware
Newark is an American city in New Castle County, Delaware, west-southwest of Wilmington. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 31,454. Newark is the home of the University of Delaware.- History :...



Website: http://www.cbgsc.org

Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital

See Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital
Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital
The Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital serves girls in Washington, D.C. and portions of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.-Organization:...

. This council supports girls in several Maryland counties: Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick, St. Mary's, Allegany, and Washington.

Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....



Website: http://www.gscnc.org

International Scouting in Maryland

An international Polish Scout Jamboree with several thousand participants took place in Maryland in the summer of 2006, composed primarily of Scouts-in-Exile
Scouts-in-Exile
Scouts-in-Exteris, also referred to as Scouts-in-Exile, are Scouting and Guiding groups formed outside of their native country as a result of war and changes in governments...

 from Canada
Scouting in Canada
The Scout and Guide movement in Canada is served by several organizations with various supernational alignments.-WOSM member associations:In Canada, two Scouting associations cooperate for membership in the World Organization of the Scout Movement :...

 and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It was held at Baltimore Area Council's camp at Broad Creek Scout Reservation in an area known as Camp Spencer.

See also

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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