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.
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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.
Boy Scouts of America Troop 1 in Frankfort, Kentucky was established in 1909 by Stanley A. Harris. There has been a long standing belief that this was the very first Boy Scout troop in the United States. However, Troop 1 was originally formed under the British Boy Scouts[2] and the charter was destroyed in a fire around 1920. Nonetheless, Troop 1 is still active and is sponsored by the First Christian Church of Frankfort, Kentucky.
Kentucky also claims an early unofficial girl's scouting group (Campfire Girls were the affiliated girl's version of Boy Scouts at the time. "Girl Scouts" formed March 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, GA and years later they could not work out a deal to merge with the Campfire Girls. Campfire Girls eventually left their affiliation with Boy Scouts.), an 8 girl patrol of Boy Scout Troop #17 in Louisville in July 1911. The first official troops was formed in 1917 in Scottsville.[3]
In 1914, the BSA gave local councils the power to ban African Americans from Scouting. In 1922, the BSA revised that ban and allowed local Councils to create "shadow Councils" for their black and other racial/ethnic minorities. Until 1974, some southern councils of the Boy Scouts of America were still racially segregated. (The Old Hickory Council in North Carolina did not integrate until 1974.) The Louisville Area Council, headquartered in Louisville, was the first BSA local Council to develop such a "shadow Council" and board members of that "inter-racial council" were permitted to serve on the Louisville Area Council's board without vote. The BSA's "inter-racial council" program ended in 1954; Louisville accepted their first black Boy Scout Troops in 1959; and their first black Cub Scout Packs in 1963.
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.[4]
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). Recognized by Governor Carroll in 1975 for this achievement, he was just 11 years old when awarded his faith's religious emblem (Religious emblems are not controlled by the BSA but rather by each participating church body). Mike Walton of Rose Terrace became the state's only black Exploring representative in 1976, and ran unsuccessfully for national Explorer President in 1977. Since that time, two other Kentuckians—James "Buddy" Lockhart of Owensboro, and Colleen McWhorter of Paris, Kentucky|Paris], served as "Area Exploring Chair" of the area encompassing not only Kentucky but also Tennessee.
Hazen A. Dean (1889–1984), a Scoutmaster of BSA Troop 24 at Settle Memorial Methodist Church in Owensboro, KY was the first Kentuckian to receive a "70 Continuous Years of Service Award" from Boy Scouts of America in 1983.[5] He served as Scoutmaster for over 50 years with Owensboro's oldest troop #24,from 1949 till death in 1984.[6] Among his many honors, he received the Scoutmaster's Key and Silver Beaver awards. Recognized for having led 86 scouts to achieve the coveted rank of Eagle Scout; the most in the U.S.A. at that time; Dean received the Lt. Governor's Outstanding Kentuckian Award in 1982 by then Lt. Governor and later Governor, Martha Layne Collins. A Kentucky Historical marker #1747 was dedicated in special ceremonies held in downtown Owensboro by U.S. Senator and former Governor Wendell H. Ford and Owensboro Mayor Jack C. Fisher in 1984 (website: http://migration.kentucky.gov/kyhs/hmdb/MarkerSearch.aspx). Also a portion of the Boy Scout camp Wildcat Hollow at Russellville, KY was named in honor of Hazen A. Dean. Dean did not receive the Eagle Scout Award until he was an adult in 1958.
There are eight Boy Scouts of America local councils in Kentucky. All of Kentucky lies within Southern Region, except for these counties: Kenton, Pendleton, Campbell, Boone, Gallatin, Grant, Owen (all in Dan Beard Council - Ohio), Greenup (in Simon Kenton Council - Ohio), Carter, Boyd, Lawrence (all in Tri-State Area Council - West Virginia) and Pike (easternmost portion only in Buckskin Council - West Virginia), are part of the Central Region.
In 2009 Bracken, Mason, Robertson, Lewis, and Fleming Counties from the Simon Kenton Council merged with the Blue Grass Council for a total of 55 Kentucky Counties.
Buckskin Council serves Scouts in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia.
The Dan Beard Council serves Scouts in Ohio and Kentucky. The Council underwent a realignment in June 2006. Several districts were combined.
The Lincoln Heritage Council is perhaps one of the oldest BSA local Councils serving both urban and rural areas in the United States. Their first charter was granted under the name "Louisville Area Council" in 1912. Later they applied for and received permission to change the name of the Council to "Old Kentucky Home", which remained the name until 1992. On January 1, 1993, the Lincoln Heritage Council officially came to be.
The Lincoln Heritage Council #205 is composed of 25 counties, 19 in North Central Kentucky and 6 counties in South Central Indiana.
In 1992, the George Rogers Clark Council, which had a troubled financial outlook turned to the Old Kentucky Home Council for assistance. Given the option of going north to Indianapolis or West to Evansville, the New Albany based council chose Louisville as a viable home if and when their charter was to be revoked. The councils merged in 1993 to create the Lincoln Heritage Council. The Council has eight geographical districts and three service areas, which serve youth in 25 counties across North Central Kentucky and in South Central Indiana.Lincoln Heritage Council
The Districts of the Lincoln Heritage Council are:
There is one non geographical district for ScoutReach known as Gheens.
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 (formerly known as the Old Kentucky Home Scout Reservation) has within its borders several camping areas that are used by the Cub, Boy and Venturing Scouts of the council. Its primary draw is its week long summer camp, Camp Crooked Creek, which offers advancement opportunities to both Boy Scouts and Varsity 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 Climbing Tower. and Camp Crooked Creek is also home to the Green River Trek and Frontier Town, which gives older Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts the ability to learn new skills.
Covers parts of Trigg and Christian Counties that are part of Fort Campbell, KY.
Shawnee Trails Council serves Scouts in Kentucky, Illinois, and Tennessee. This Council was formed when the former Four Rivers Council and the former Audubon Council were merged into a single Council. It is headquartered in Owensboro. It carries the BSA Council number #200.
The Four Rivers Council originally served youth within the area bounded by the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers, the Tennessee state line except for South Fulton, TN and the river counties in Southern Illinois. Audubon originally served youth within a jagged border formed by the Ohio, Rough, Tennessee, and Barren Rivers. In 1951, the Cogioba Council, headquartered in Bowling Green merged with the West Kentucky Area Council to form the Audubon Council serving a good third of Kentucky. In the early 90s, Audubon merged with the Paducah based Four Rivers Council, adding the additional counties on the other side of the Tennessee River as well as counties in southern Illinois and northwestern Tennessee with the exception of the Fort Campbell military reservation in southern Trigg and Christian counties (which remained a part of the Middle Tennessee Council).
Camp Roy C. Manchester is located on the shores of Kentucky Lake near Aurora. From 1973-1983, Camp RCM took advantage of the BSA's attempt to create regional Outdoor Adventure ("High Adventure") bases around the nation. The Land Between the Lakes National Outdoor Adventure Center was a cooperative effort between the BSA and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). The BSA officially abandoned the National base but permitted the Four Rivers Council to continue to offer "high adventure" - related facilities for sailing, canoeing, kayaking and U. S. Coast Guard approved Sailing training. RCM has been used for Summer Camp since August 1956. Prior to 1957, Summer Camp was at Camp Pakentuck (named as a contraction of Paducah, Kentucky) in Southern Illinois. Summer Camp was held in both locations in 1956, first at Camp Pakentuck and then three weeks of rough "outpost" camping in early August at Kentucky Lake. Camp Pakentuck was owned by the Four Rivers Council but was also used by the Egyptian Council of Southern Illinois, and was sold to the Catholic Diocese of Belleville where it became part of the larger Camp Ondessonk. RCM was originally named the Kentucky Lake Scout Reservation, which was later changed to the Four Rivers Scout Camp (frequently called the Four Rivers Scout Reservation in earlier years), with a final change to its current name in 1979. Camp Roy C. Manchester was also the home camp of the former White Feather Lodge, Order of the Arrow and currently serves as the home camp for the White Horse Lodge, Order of the Arrow.
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 1,200 acres (4.9 km2), Wildcat Hollow is now used as the primary training facility for the council and for Cub Scout day camps. Camp Wildcat Hollow was also the home camp of the former Wapiti Lodge, Order of the Arrow.
White Feather Lodge (named after a fictitious Indian chief), Order of the Arrow, began at Camp Pakentuck, moved to RCM in 1957, and merged with Wapiti Lodge into White Horse Lodge effective January 1, 1996. White Feather Lodge began as a pre-OA society (White Feather Society) in 1951 and was converted into an OA lodge in 1953 via a ceremonial team from Zit Kala Sha led by Don Thom performing the function of Allowat Sakima. The Society was modeled after Blackhawk Lodge from Illinois, as the Camp Director then had been active in Blackhawk. The Society issued a red ribbon with a white feather silk screened on it. A few neckerchiefs with the white feather silk screened on them are known to exist.
White Horse Lodge was selected as the name of the replacement lodge as (i) the horse was important to the Native American, and (ii) white was arguably part of both predecessor lodges (as Wapiti meant American, or white, elk and the former White Feather Lodge). Lodge number 201 was selected, as the Shawnee Trails Council was to use the number 200 designation of the now former Audubon Council, and the lodge felt that "it was one better than the Council."
The Mammoth Cave District is the home of Camp Rotary at Temple Hill.[www.thkyscoutcamprotary.com] The camp is run by the Rotary Scout Foundation. The camp was the former home camp used by Scouts belonging to the long-merged Cogioba Council. Rotary Scout Reservation provided the setting for the B-P Rover Crew's semi-annual Rover Scout Wee Moot. The Wee Moot, the longest-running Rover Scout Moot in the United States took place from 1953–1993, with a reunion held in 1999.
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.
Includes Kentucky County: Greenup.
Includes Kentucky Counties: Carter, Boyd, and Lawrence.
There are two Girl Scout councils in Kentucky.
Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana serves nearly 20,000 girls in 64 counties in western Kentucky, southern Indiana, and South Fulton in Obion County, Tennessee.
The Girl Scouts of Tulip Trace Council recently dissolved, with Girl Scouts of Kentuckiana gaining 4 counties in southern Indiana.
Headquarters: Louisville, Kentucky
Website: http://www.kyanags.org
Camps:
Kentucky's Wilderness Road Council serves 25,000 Girl Scouts in 67 Central and Eastern Kentucky counties and Lawrence County, Ohio.
Headquarters: Lexington, Kentucky
Website: http://www.gskentucky.org
Camps:
Camp Cardinal is 156 acres situated on the mountain ridgelines in eastern Kentucky, within a short hiking distance of Carter Caves State Resort in Carter County. The camp has 4 platform tent units, a small house, a Dining Hall, hiking trails and programming facilities. Commercial caving, swimming and miniature golf is available at Carter Caves State Resort for a fee.
Located in Morgan County, a short drive from Cave Run Lake, Camp Judy Layne’s adventure based opportunities abound in over 180 acres of beautiful woodland sitting on the ridge of the Daniel Boone National forest. Camp Judy Layne offers a swimming pool with water slides, a climbing tower with a zipline, a low ropes teams course, rappelling, an inflatable jumping pillow, and many miles of hiking trails. Overnight accommodations include canvas tent units and pod cabin units.
Camp Richard Clark is 110 acres located in Clark County, Kentucky. Perhaps the most historic of all the Council’s camp properties, Camp Richard Clark is located where a grand hotel with mineral springs operated as a health spa that attracted many patrons from all over the nation in the 1850′s. Its history; seclusion and pleasantly unusual terrain make this site an interesting place to visit. Overnight capacity is up to 200, limited by restroom facilities.
Set on the bluffs above the Kentucky River where Daniel Boone and his contemporaries often hunted, Camp Shawano is our camp in the heart of the Bluegrass. 146 acres of cedar and hardwood forest and a number of open meadows provide fine sites for outdoor games. This camp offers a progression of camping opportunities from modern to primitive units and a 40 foot tall climbing tower with a zipline.
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