Chester County Council
Encyclopedia
- For the County Council with its headquarters in ChesterChesterChester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
, see CheshireCheshireCheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
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...
service council that serves members of the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturing programs in 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 Northeastern 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...
. It is one of the oldest councils in the nation, and is one of three single-county councils left in Pennsylvania, the others being the Bucks County Council in Doylestown, PA and Chief Cornplanter Council in Warren, PA. (Philadelphia Area Council was a single-county council, covering Philadelphia County, but has since became part of the three-county Cradle of Liberty Council
Cradle of Liberty Council
The Cradle of Liberty Council is a Boy Scouts of America council created in 1996 with the merger of the former Philadelphia Council and the former Valley Forge Council .-History:The present council is the result of the 1996 merger of Philadelphia and Valley Forge councils...
).
History
The Chester County Council was formed by a charter by the National BSA Council in 1919, and was charged with overseeing the Scouts in Chester County under the leadership of Dr. Arthur A. SchuckArthur A. Schuck
Arthur Aloys Schuck was a long time professional Scouter of the Boy Scouts of America who served as the Chief Scout Executive for twelve years from 1948 to 1960.-Early career:...
, who later became the third Chief Scout Executive
Chief Scout Executive
The Chief Scout Executive is the top professional of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In most similar non-profit organizations, this is equivalent to the position of executive director....
in the BSA and who had previously been Deputy Chief Scout Executive under Dr. James West
James E. West (Scouting)
Dr. James E. West was a lawyer and an advocate of children's rights, who became the first professional Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America , serving from 1911–1943. Upon his retirement from the BSA, West was given the title of Chief Scout.-Personal life:His father died around the...
. In the early years, the council, forming in the wake of the armistice ending World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, was able to consolidate the independent troops, despite most of the adults that were qualified were off in Europe.
In the 1920s, the council, under the leadership of Charles Heistand, underwent a metamorphosis that resulted in the acquisition of a new Scout camp, and the formation of its own 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. Prior to the acquisition of the Reynolds Farm property on the Mason-Dixon Line
Mason-Dixon line
The Mason–Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. It forms a demarcation line among four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and...
near Rising Sun, Maryland
Rising Sun, Maryland
Rising Sun is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,702 at the 2000 census.-Overview:Rising Sun is located at ....
and Oxford, Pennsylvania
Oxford, Pennsylvania
Oxford is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Oxford is the closest town to Lincoln University. The population was 4,315 at the 2000 census.-History:The borough was once called Oxford Crossing and Oxford Village....
, Scouts attending summer camp were loaded up onto military trucks, and then shipped out to Camp Rothrock, the council's old summer camp property located near Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
. The council longed for a camp closer to home, and after being rejected by the former Philadelphia Area Council as being "too far", the council acquired the Reynolds Farm, then a moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
r haven, and the new camp, the Horseshoe Scout Reservation, opened its doors in 1928.
Just a year before, Mr. Heistand inquired about starting an Order of the Arrow lodge in the council, and contacted Dr. E. Urner Goodman
E. Urner Goodman
Edward Urner Goodman was an influential leader in the Boy Scouts of America movement for much of the twentieth century. Goodman was the national program director from 1931 until 1951, during the organization's formative years of significant growth when the Cub Scouting and Exploring programs were...
, who was then serving as the Grand Lodge Chief (now the National Chief of the Order of the Arrow). After a failed attempt in trying to get the Philadelphia Council's OA Lodge, Unami Lodge
Unami Lodge
Delmont Lodge was the Order of the Arrow Lodge of the Valley Forge Council, Boy Scouts of America . It was the 43rd chartered OA lodge. With the merger of Valley Forge Council and Philadelphia Council in 1996 to form the Cradle of Liberty Council, Delmont Lodge merged with Unami Lodge...
, to install its chartered members, Dr. Goodman himself conducted the first induction ceremony, at Camp Hillsdale, near West Chester. Mr. Heistand, Joseph Brunton
Joseph Brunton
Joseph A. Brunton, Jr. was a career professional for the Boy Scouts of America, and served the BSA National Council as the fourth Chief Scout Executive from 1960 to 1966.-BSA career:...
(who later became the National OA Conference Chief and Chief Scout Executive), and several other members were inducted, and Octoraro Lodge #22 was born.
Since the opening of the camp, and the founding of the OA lodge, the council has seen its fair share of growth throughout the county, eventually extending down into Cecil County, Maryland with the formation of several Boy Scout troops and Cub Scout packs as far south as Port Deposit, Maryland
Port Deposit, Maryland
Port Deposit is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. It is located on the north bank of the Susquehanna River near its discharge into the Chesapeake Bay...
. Most of this achievement was under the direction of Lewis Lester, who was the longest serving Scout Executive of the council (in the 1940s and 1950s), and was influential in expanding the facilities at both Camps Horseshoe and Jubilee (later to become Camp John H. Ware, III). More recent additions to the council included the relocation of the council service center from downtown West Chester to an office building just off of the U.S. Highway 202 bypass in Westtown Township, Pennsylvania
Westtown Township, Pennsylvania
Westtown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,827 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.23%, is water.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...
, and the opening of the new "Cub Town" facilities at Camp Ware in 2004.
Organization
The council is administratively divided into four districts:- Diamond Rock District
- Horseshoe Trail District
- Lenni Lenape District
- Octoraro District
Horseshoe Scout Reservation
The Horseshoe Scout Reservation is a Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy 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...
camp, owned by the Chester County Council, and located on the Mason-Dixon line
Mason-Dixon line
The Mason–Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. It forms a demarcation line among four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and...
separating 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...
and 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...
. The name of the camp derives from the Octoraro Creek
Octoraro Creek
Octoraro Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, joining it above the Susquehanna's mouth at Chesapeake Bay. The Octoraro rises as an East and West Branch in Pennsylvania. The East Branch and Octoraro Creek form the southern half of the border between Lancaster and Chester counties until...
, a tributary of the 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...
, that makes a meandering 4-mile horseshoe through the property.
The Horseshoe Scout Reservation is divided into two camps: Camp Horseshoe (in Rising Sun, Maryland
Rising Sun, Maryland
Rising Sun is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,702 at the 2000 census.-Overview:Rising Sun is located at ....
), a Boy Scout-only camp, and one of the few long-term camps left in the United States that operates a 7-day program. The other is Camp John H. Ware, III
John H. Ware, III
John Haines Ware III was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. John H. Ware was born in Vineland, New Jersey. He graduated from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania in 1930. He was a public utility executive, and a burgess of the borough of Oxford...
(in Fulton Township
Fulton Township, Pennsylvania
Fulton Township is a township in southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and it is the only municipality in the county to touch the Maryland border. At the 2000 census the population was 2,826. It is part of the Solanco School District....
, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
), known before 1985 as Camp Jubilee, which was first opened in the 1950s as an Explorer base, but later acquired permanent facilities.
The camp is a "multi-use" facility and hosts Boy Scout, Cub Scout, Venturing
Venturing (Boy Scouts of America)
Venturing is part of the program of the Boy Scouts of America for young adults, men and women, from the age of 14 years old or 13 years old and completed eighth grade through 21....
(BSA's co-ed Scouting) and other programs, including a Disabled Scout camporee, every year since 1994. In 2004, Camp Ware opened its "Cub Town," allowing barrack-style sleeping accommodations to Cub Scouts, while several "Webelos
Cub Scouts (Boy Scouts of America)
Cub Scouting is part of the Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America , available to boys from first through fifth-grade, or 7 to 11½ years of age and their families. Its membership is the largest of the three BSA Scouting Divisions...
sites" allowed 4th and 5th graders to sleep on platform tents similar to those found on most of the tent sites at both Camps Horseshoe and Ware. Wood Badge
Wood Badge
Wood Badge is a Scouting leadership program and the related award for adult leaders in the programs of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, and by creating a bond and commitment to the Scout movement...
, Powder Horn
Powder Horn (Boy Scouts of America)
Powder Horn is a high adventure resource course for Venturing, Boy Scouting and Varsity Scouting leaders of the Boy Scouts of America . The goals of Powder Horn are to: help Scout leaders to safely conduct outdoor activities of a fun and challenging nature, provide an introduction to the resources...
, and other adult leader training courses are held at Camp Ware during the off-season period.
History
The Horseshoe Scout Reservation opened for the first camp season in 1928 under the leadership of Charles M. 'Chief' Heistand. Chester County Council purchased the property from the Reynolds Family, who occupied the land since the late 18th century. At the time, the property was haven for moonshiners operating illegal stills. When officials from the council first visited, it is said that the moonshiners fled the camp having mistaken their uniforms and campaign hats for those worn by Pennsylvania State Troopers .Visitors to the camp can see stones marking off the Mason-Dixon line.
Facilities
Upon purchasing the property, the members of the council built three buildings, Browning Lodge on the old carriage shed foundation, the Allen Memorial Dining Hall (since expanded), and on the foundation of the old barn, the Kindness Center, a building built with funding from the ASPCA to remind the Scouts not to be cruel to animals. Other original facilities include an Olympic-size swimming pool (the largest pool east of the Mississippi River at the time), the Reynolds Family farmhouse (known as the "White House"), and five "stockade" sites: Sherwood Forest, Boonesboro (named for Daniel BooneDaniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
), Kit Carson
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
, Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
, and Bayard Taylor
Bayard Taylor
Bayard Taylor was an American poet, literary critic, translator, and travel author.-Life and work:...
.
Since then, the camp has expanded to include the following sites: Octoraro, Timberline, (Harold) Schramm, (Col. Clifton) Lisle, Dan Beard, (Gilbert) Rothrock, and Owen J. Roberts. Five of the sites; Octoraro, Timberline, Schramm, Lenni Lenape, and Dan Beard, are tent sites, while Rothrock and Roberts have adirondack shelters. Lisle, originally a tent site, was converted to a site with large pavilions.
Other buildings at Camp Horseshoe include the Morrison Health Lodge (rebuilt in 2003), the Mahlon Rossiter Visitors Center, which is the Camp's headquarters, the Octoraro Memorial Lodge, which is the 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 for the Chester County Council, Schramm Lodge, McIlvain Lodge, Roberts Lodge (Horseshoe's Nature Lodge during summer camp), and Rothrock lodge. The camp's rifle range is located near Rothrock lodge, adjacent to the camp road, while the archery range is near the swimming pool, and an original Mason-Dixon
Mason-Dixon line
The Mason–Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. It forms a demarcation line among four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and...
stone marker.
The site for the "Trailblazer" program is located adjacent to the parking lot and Campcraft. This program is a first year camper program started by Tom Hillhouse that combines fun activities in every program area of camp with skill development for first-class rank. The C.O.P.E. (Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience) course is located near flag-pole hill and the chapel, adjacent to the main camp road, which was built in the late 1970s that replaced a road that was partially destroyed by Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes
Hurricane Agnes was the first tropical storm and first hurricane of the 1972 Atlantic hurricane season. A rare June hurricane, it made landfall on the Florida Panhandle before moving northeastward and ravaging the Mid-Atlantic region as a tropical storm...
. New additions to the camp facilities over the past few years include a new Scout shower house, William R. Hess Trading Post (called Trader Bills), and a renovated Parade Field.
Program
Retreat CeremonyThis daily observance has changed little since the first season over 80 years ago. Scouts and leaders attend in full uniform. Scouts form as a troop, stand retreat, and pass in review. Leaders stand on the review line with the staff.
Troops are judged on their marching skills and uniform appearance with a trophy awarded to the winner each evening. The judges consider if the troop is in step with a full stride, holds its ranks, executes a right column and two right flanks properly, and wears a complete Scout uniform.
Saturday Night Campfire
A special closing campfire is held at "Achgeketum" circle. Named for G. Ernest Heegard's vigil honor name, the camp's director for 29 years. Achgeketum is the Lenni Lenape word for "Teacher". The entire camp assembles at the entrance to Sherwood Forest and follows a switchback trail to the circle. Following camp traditions, all Scouts who are attending Horsehoe for the first time are seated in the seats farthest from the fire while older scouts enter through the "Skull Gate" and are seated closer to the fire. The center and outer fires are ceremoniously lighted and Order of the Arrow pageant follows. Next, the Camp Director serves as the master of ceremonies awarding the Horseshoe patch and year segment to Scouts in order of the number of years they have attended a week of camp. After Scout leaders are presented their patch and segment, they remain in the circle to present the "Silver Buckle,"
The Silver Buckle is awarded to one youth member from each troop who, in the opinion of his fellow scouts, has above all others, demonstrated the finest example of Scout Spirit, the Scout Oath, and the Scout Law in his conduct throughout the week. The scout selected must be from a troop of at least eight members, been in camp all week, be under the age of eighteen, and never have received the award before. The Saturday Night Campfire closes with the staff singing the Horseshoe song.
Camp Horseshoe Song - The Loop of the Octoraro Bend
Words credited to Kevin Grewell and Vance Hein
Tune "Beaucatcher's Farewell" By Bob Zentz
It all began with the dreams of old
The Indian Brave and the Pioneer bold.
By campfire light old tales retold,
In the Loop of the Octoraro Bend.
Those early Scouts with their campaign hats,
Their pressed wool shirts, their boots and spats.
Rekindled the dream that had gone before,
In the Loop of the Octoraro Bend.
Chorus:
They built a camp upon the Mason-Dixon Line
Historic land where values shine
Old Horseshoe you memory will 'er be mine
In the Loop of the Octoraro Bend.
The sun comes up over Flagpole Hill
Where Old Glory flew and is flying proudly still.
And we'll march to the call at the end of the day
In the Loop of the Octoraro Bend.
So let's hoist our packs once again my friend
Where the waters flow round the tranquil Horseshoe bend
And we'll hike and we'll camp in the old Scout way
In the Loop of the Octoraro Bend.
He served the camp upon the Mason-Dixon Line,
His years as chief numbered twenty nine,
Achegektum your lessons will e'er be mine,
In the Loop of the Octoraro Bend.
Camp John H. Ware, III
Camp John H. Ware, III is a Boy Scout and Cub Scout summer, winter, and weekend camp located in Peach Bottom, PennsylvaniaPeach Bottom, Pennsylvania
Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated village in Fulton Township, Lancaster County, in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. It lies on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, at ....
on the Horseshoe Scout Reservation. It is organized by 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...
. It shares the reservation with Camp Horseshoe, located on the other side of the Octoraro River
Octoraro Creek
Octoraro Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, joining it above the Susquehanna's mouth at Chesapeake Bay. The Octoraro rises as an East and West Branch in Pennsylvania. The East Branch and Octoraro Creek form the southern half of the border between Lancaster and Chester counties until...
. The camp, formerly known as Camp Jubilee, offers a wide variety of activities for young men to participate in while earning merit badges and advancing in rank.
The camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
offers its accommodations in all seasons, however it is not staffed throughout the year. The only time when a full complement of staff is present is summer camp. During the winter camping season, the rangers
Park ranger
A park ranger or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands – national, state, provincial, or local parks. Different countries use different names for the position. Ranger is the favored term in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Within the United...
staff the Trading Post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
, offering food and small souvenirs, including t-shirts and other supplies.
Summer camp
We ask ourselves what was our good turnAnd what have I done and what did I learn
And what will I do 'till I return?
Chorus
Camp Ware, at the bottom of the hills
Where values hold and scouts learn skills
I'll take what I learned and my duty I'll fulfill
At dear Camp Ware at the bottom of the hills.
As the bright sun sets in the azure sky
Darkness come as the embers slowly die
I'll keep my head and my spirits high
As I bid Camp Ware a last goodbye.
Chorus
As I walk through life with scouting care
As I travel the land and the sea and the air
I won't forget what I learned at Camp Ware
The Scout Laws and Being Prepared.
Chorus
On Scouting's 50th Anniversary
A camp was built in the land of the free
They took all the best, and they called it Jubilee
Deep in the hills of the land of the free.
Chorus
This is the most popular time at Camp Ware. Many weeks the camp is filled up to full capacity (250 persons, not including staff), and every area of the camp is open for use. This is when scouts have the opportunity to earn merit badges toward their next rank, and the staff act as instructors and councilors to help them complete the requirements. The pool, while offering merit badges such as Swimming and Lifesaving, also serves as a recreational area for scouts when they are not working on another merit badge, or during scheduled free swims for each troop. Scouts are encouraged to use the pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
often as temperatures can be in excess of 100°F. However, when it does reach these extreme temperatures, water coolers are set up at each area and everyone is required to drink plenty of water arriving and leaving (even at the pool). Troops staying during summer camp have seven campsites to choose from: Hawkeye, Pathfinder, Deerslayer, Mohican, Jubilee, Leatherstocking, and Trapper (the largest). The sleeping quarters consist of A-frame "butterfly" tents, with two scouts or adults per tent. In the off season, the tarps that cover the tents are stored until next year, as are the metal cots.
Winter camp
Winter Camp is usually not used for merit badges so much as bonding trips for troops who attend. Snowball fights are not uncommon in the parade field, and sleddingSledding
Sledding , sledging , sleding or tobogganing is a common activity in wintry areas, similar to sliding, but in a prone or seated position requiring a device or vehicle generically known in the US as a sled or in other countries as a sledge or toboggan...
is encouraged on the hill beside the rifle range. Usually troops make use of Macaleer Lodge (affectionately referred to by most as Cubtown, or the Red Roof Inn) during this time, because of its heating system and indoor facilities.
Notable people
Because of the council's history, members have gone onto higher office at the Area, Regional, and National levels of the BSA. A list of those who served at the national level, or in public office, is listed below.- Arthur A. SchuckArthur A. SchuckArthur Aloys Schuck was a long time professional Scouter of the Boy Scouts of America who served as the Chief Scout Executive for twelve years from 1948 to 1960.-Early career:...
– 1st Scout Executive, later the third Chief Scout ExecutiveChief Scout ExecutiveThe Chief Scout Executive is the top professional of the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In most similar non-profit organizations, this is equivalent to the position of executive director....
of the BSA - Joseph BruntonJoseph BruntonJoseph A. Brunton, Jr. was a career professional for the Boy Scouts of America, and served the BSA National Council as the fourth Chief Scout Executive from 1960 to 1966.-BSA career:...
– 1st Lodge Chief of Octoraro Lodge, later National OA Chief - Bill Folger – President of the American Society For The Adoption Of The Metric System
- Hon. Owen J. Roberts – Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
- Hon. John H. Ware, IIIJohn H. Ware, IIIJohn Haines Ware III was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. John H. Ware was born in Vineland, New Jersey. He graduated from the Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania in 1930. He was a public utility executive, and a burgess of the borough of Oxford...
– U.S. Congressman from Oxford - Harris A. "Hab" Butler – former Council and Area President, served, along with his wife, as a host couple for the annual "Report to the President." He also has served on the committees that created the new "21st Century Wood BadgeWood BadgeWood Badge is a Scouting leadership program and the related award for adult leaders in the programs of Scout associations throughout the world. Wood Badge courses aim to make Scouters better leaders by teaching advanced leadership skills, and by creating a bond and commitment to the Scout movement...
," and the current (12th Edition) of the Boy Scout HandbookBoy Scout HandbookThe Boy Scout Handbook is the official handbook of the Boy Scouts of America. It is a descendant of Baden-Powell's original handbook, Scouting for Boys, which has been the basis for Scout handbooks in many countries, with some variations to the text of the book depending on each country's codes and...
. He has received the Silver Buffalo award through the Council, and currently serves as Regional Commissioner for the Northeast Region of the BSA. - William R. "Bill" Hess – Former Horseshoe Scout Reservation Director, served in various positions at the Area and Regional levels. A new trading post at Camp Horseshoe was named in his memory.
- Dick VermeilDick VermeilRichard Albert "Dick" Vermeil is a former American head coach for the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles , St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs...
– Retired NFL coach and member of the council's executive board. His annual "Dick Vermeil Invitational" golf tournaments bring in over $1 million each year to help with council operations.
Octoraro Lodge
Octoraro Lodge #22 is the local chapter of the Order of the ArrowOrder 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...
affiliated with Chester County Council.
Octoraro Lodge #22 supports Horseshoe Scout Reservation, including both Camp Horseshoe and Camp Ware, with thousands of annual volunteer hours of service and multiple fundraisers throughout the year. The purpose of Octoraro Lodge #22 is to support camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
throughout Chester County Council.
The council's Order of the Arrow lodge, Octoraro Lodge #22, was formed in 1927 under the leadership of Charles Heistand and Joseph Brinton, with its first members being inducted by Dr. E. Urner Goodman
E. Urner Goodman
Edward Urner Goodman was an influential leader in the Boy Scouts of America movement for much of the twentieth century. Goodman was the national program director from 1931 until 1951, during the organization's formative years of significant growth when the Cub Scouting and Exploring programs were...
himself. Octoraro #22 celebrated it Diamond Jubilee in the 2001-2002 season.
In 1946, in the spirit of the lodge's chartering by Dr. Goodman, members of the lodge traveled south to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
and inducted the first members of Blue Heron Lodge 349. Both Octoraro and Blue Heron share good relationships and invite members to each others fall fellowship weekends in September (Octoraro Lodge) and October (Blue Heron).
Octoraro Lodge, which takes its name from the Octoraro Creek
Octoraro Creek
Octoraro Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, joining it above the Susquehanna's mouth at Chesapeake Bay. The Octoraro rises as an East and West Branch in Pennsylvania. The East Branch and Octoraro Creek form the southern half of the border between Lancaster and Chester counties until...
, a tributary of the 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...
, uses the Canada Goose
Canada Goose
The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....
as its lodge "totem" or symbol. Early lodge patches and pocket flaps had white geese, with the "W.W.W." stitched in the center and bisected with a horizontally-facing arrow, but since 1971, all flaps used real-colored geese, and a horseshoe (representing the Horseshoe Scout Reservation) diagonally bisected by a red arrow. Prized flaps include the "Cut-Edge Blue," which is the very first pocket flaps issued by the lodge in the mid-1950s, and the gold-bordered 50th Anniversary flap, issued in 1976 for the lodge's golden anniversary. Both flaps fetch over $100 at auctions.