The Boy Scouts of America began in 1910 and one of the first troops was formed in our area. The counties covered by the Old North State Council are rich in Scouting history. It has been a goal of our council for some time to establish a facility that will collect, preserve, and display memorabilia from our past.
In December 2008 a team of Scouters under the leadership of David Pugh began planning for a Scout Museum. In January 2009 the Executive Committee of Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Lodge approved use of the basement of the OA Lodge Building at Cherokee Scout Reservation for construction of a museum. They also approved use of lodge funds to cover the cost of needed building materials.
Several workdays have transformed a basement used primarily for storage into a space ready to serve as a Scout Museum. OA Brothers have helped install a lay-in ceiling with new lighting, construct a new storage room, and finish the cement floor. The project has been divided into four phases with the museum scheduled to open at the lodge’s Spring Fellowship in May 2009 as phase one.
The museum will feature a wide variety of exhibits covering the history of the Boy Scout program in our area. The current Old North State Council covers eight counties that were originally three separate councils. There will be displays on General Greene Council that was headquartered in Greensboro, Uwharrie Council from High Point, and Cherokee Council that covered Alamance, Rockingham, Person, and Caswell counties. These exhibits will include photographs, documents, and patches from the past.
Our Council had several Scout camps in the area. There will be displays on Camp Graystone, Camp Uwharrie, Camp Wenasa and Nikwasi, Camp Cherokee, Camp Carlson, and Camp Hugh Reid Scott. These displays will include pictures of camp staffs, camp activities and different facilities. There will be patches, coffee mugs, t-shirts, and signs.
Our current OA Lodge was formed from three former lodges: Tali Taktaki Lodge 70 and Uwharrie Lodge 208 which merged in 1992 to form Keyauwee Lodge 70 which merged with Tslagi Lodge 163 in 1994. There will be displays of OA patches and other memorabilia. A display of Section Conclave items will also be featured.
Over the past 100 years the BSA has issued many official pieces of equipment, uniforms, handbooks, and insignia. There will be displays with a wide variety of these items, from old pocket knives to canteens, fiction books to merit badge pamphlets, rank patches to position patches. Exhibits on National Jamborees, National OA Conferences, Philmont, Wood Badge, Regions, and much more will be included.
The goal for this museum is to provide interesting exhibits that will be enjoyed by everyone from the Tenderfoot Scout on his first visit to camp to the seasoned Scouter that is knowledgeable of the history of Scouting. Help is needed from the community to locate memorabilia from Scouting’s past. The museum will work to preserve rare, historic items and place them on display for all to enjoy. While the museum would like to acquire a variety of memorabilia, many of the displays will be on loan from local collectors.
If you have historic Scouting items that you will share, please contact David Pugh at 336-552-3555 or Rick Horne at 336-404-5247. There are plans to establish a council “historic association” for individuals interested in assisting with the museum. Scouters that have a love of Scouting’s history are needed to help staff the museum when it is open.
The museum will open in May and plans are being made for establishing visiting hours. During summer camp the museum can be visited on Sunday afternoons and Thursday evenings. Groups may be able to visit the museum by appointment through the Boy Scout Service Center.
