Scouting in Kentucky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scouting in Kentucky 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. Kentucky has a very early Scouting heritage, as the home state of Daniel Carter (Uncle Dan) Beard.
Contents |
[edit] Early history (1908-1950)
Burnside, in south-central Kentucky, is believed to be home to the first Boy Scout troop in the United States. In 1908, two years before the Boy Scouts of America was officially organized, Mrs. Myra Greeno Bass organized a local troop of 15 boys, using official Boy Scout materials she had acquired from England. A sign at the edge of town declares Burnside "Birthplace of Boy Scouts of America", and an official state historical society marker commemorates the troop.[1] Burnside is now part of the Blue Grass Council.
Most Girl Scouts of the USA units were originally segregated by race according to state and local laws and customs. By the 1950s, the GSUSA began significant national efforts to desegregate the camps and maintain racial balance. One of the first desegregations was Camp Shantituck in Kentucky, which was accomplished by Murray Walls in 1956.[2]
[edit] Recent history (1950-1990)
The National Scouting Museum was located on the campus of Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky, before being relocated to the National BSA Headquarters in Irving, Texas. The state's youngest Scout to earn the BSA God & Country Medal was Steven Hamilton of Glasgow (Troop 606).[citation needed] Recognized by Governor Carrol in 1975, for this achievement, he was just 11 years old when awarded one of Scouting's highest religious honors.[citation needed]
[edit] Scouting in Kentucky today
There are seven Boy Scouts of America local councils in Kentucky. All of Kentucky lies within Southern Region, except for Kenton, Pendleton, Campbell, Bracken, Mason, Robertson, Lewis and Greenup counties, as part of Central Region.
[edit] Blue Grass Council
- Wilderness Trail DistrictBlue Grass Council
- Daniel Boone District
- Lake Cumberland District
- Lonesome Pine District
- Midland Trail District
- Mountain Laurel District
- Elkhorn District
- Henry Clay District
[edit] Buckskin Council
Buckskin Council serves Scouts in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia.
[edit] Dan Beard Council
The Dan Beard Council serves Scouts in Ohio and Kentucky. The Council underwent a realignment in June, 2006. Several districts were combined.
[edit] Lincoln Heritage Council
The George Rogers Clark Council was absorbed by the large Old Kentucky Home Council, after they were determined to be a council on the demise, to form Lincoln Heritage Council, which serves Scouts in Kentucky and Indiana. The Council has eleven districts, which serve youth in 25 counties across Kentucky and Southern Indiana.Lincoln Heritage Council
- Arapaho District
- Cardinal District
- Cherokee District
- Chief Old Ox District
- Dan Boone District
- George Rogers Clark District
- Lincoln Trail District
- Mohawk District
- Pioneer District
- Seneca District
- Shawnee District
Sadly, in 2008, the Lincoln Heritage Council, seeing a loss of funding and general apathy in the movement, chose to merge the Lincoln Trail and Cardinal Districts. A name for this new "mega-district" has yet to be determined. It will consist of nine counties. This may well be the death knell for scouting in North Central Kentucky.
The Lincoln Heritage Council #205 is composed of 25 counties, 19 in North Central Kentucky and 6 counties in South Central Indiana.
[edit] Council Scout Reservations
The Lincoln Heritage Council owns two Scout Reservations, these being the Harry S Frazier Jr. Scout Reservation located in Clermont, Kentucky and the Tunnel Mill Scout Reservation located in Charlestown, Indiana.
The Harry S. Frazier Jr. Scout Reservation also known in the area as the Old Kentucky Home Scout Reservation, has within its borders several camping areas that are used by the Cub, Boy and Venture Scouts of the council. Its primary draw is its week long summer residence camp, Camp Crooked Creek which offers advance opportunities to both Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts. It offers the following program areas in which scouts can advance: Shooting Sports, Ecology, Citizenships, Handicraft, Aquatics and Outdoor Skills. The camp features a first year camper program known as Dan Boone Hill as well as two elements for older scouts: a Nationally acclaimed C.O.P.E. course and Crooked Creek is also home to the Pathfinder program, which gives older Boy Scouts and Venture Scouts the ability to learn new skills in a challenge by choice situation. The camp is headed up by a Key 3 of a Camp Director, Program Director, and Camp Commissioner.
[edit] Shawnee Trails Council
Shawnee Trails Council serves Scouts in Kentucky, Illinois, and Tennessee.
Camp Wildcat Hollow is part of the Badgett Scout Reservation and is another Boy Scout camp operated by the Shawnee Trails Council. Located in Russellville, Kentucky, Wildcat Hollow served as a fully functional Boy Scout camp till 1993 when the council moved the summer-time Boy Scout camps to Roy C. Manchester. Composed of 1200 acres, Wildcat Hollow is now used as the primary training facility for the Council and for Cub Scout day camps. Wildcat Hollow is also widely used by the White Horse 201 OA lodge. Plans are currently in the works for Wildcat Hollow to be reestablished as a fully-functional and modern camp while at the same time retaining its rugged features that have made it special to thousands of Scouts and Scouters who call it home. Camp Wildcat Hollow was also the home camp of the White Horse Lodge, Order of the Arrow.
Camp Roy C. Manchester is a Boy Scout camp operated by the Shawnee Trails Council in Kentucky. It is located on the shores of Kentucky Lake near Aurora.[citation needed] RCM is part of a growing effort to establish a year-round high adventure aquatic center, called Aquabase, with related facilities for sailing, canoeing, kayaking and U. S. Coast Guard approved Sailing training.
- River Bend District
- Indian Mounds District
- Tecumseh District
- Alottawatta District
- Lost River District
- Mammoth Cave District
The Mammoth Cave District is the home of Camp Rotary at Temple Hill. Website www.thkyscoutcamprotary.com The camp is run by the Rotary Scout Foundation which is chaired by Judge Benny Dickinson. Notable scouts from the Mammoth Cave District are Jimmy Simmons, Bill Rodgers, Jigger Aspley, and Ed Jones. The oldest troop in the District is Troop 747, which is 24 years old.
[edit] Simon Kenton Council
In the 1990s, the BSA went through a restructuring in an attempt to reduce manpower, and in several states small historic Councils were merged into a larger supercouncil. The new Simon Kenton Council, serving Ohio and Kentucky, is an example of such a supercouncil.
[edit] Tri-State Area Council
Tri-State Area Council serves Scouts in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.
[edit] Girl Scouting in Kentucky
There are three Girl Scout council offices in Kentucky.
Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana, Inc. Louisville, Kentucky[1]
Girl Scout Council of Licking Valley, Inc. Erlanger, Kentucky[2]
Girl Scouts-Wilderness Road Council, Inc. Lexington, Kentucky[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ see Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky Historical Marker Database, http://kentucky.gov/kyhs/hmdb/MarkerSearch.aspx?mode=County&county=100
- ^ (Winter 2005) Human Rights Report: New Great Black Kentuckian poster unveiled (PDF) (in English), Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, 3. Retrieved on 2006-09-08.
|
||||||||||||||
