Scouting in 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. Many of the local groups and districts took names of historic Virginia Indian tribes in the state.

Early history (1910-1950)

Until 1948, most southern councils of the Boy Scouts of America were racially segregated

Racial segregation

Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...

, as the southern states had legal segregation of public facilities. Colored troops, as they were officially known, were given little financial support from districts and councils. The National Council began a program of integrating local councils in 1940, a process which lasted until 1974.

Today

Since the 1981 National Scout Jamboree, all Jamborees have been held at Fort A.P. Hill

Fort A.P. Hill

Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, is an active duty installation of the United States Army, located near the town of Bowling Green, Virginia.Named for Confederate Lieutenant General Ambrose Powell Hill, Fort A.P...

, Virginia.

There are ten 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...

 local councils in 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...

. Loudoun, Fairfax, Stafford, Prince William, King George, Westmoreland and Northumberland counties are part of the Northeast Region. Most of Virginia is within Southern Region. Tazewell, Bland and Giles counties are included in the Central Region.

Blue Ridge Mountains Council

The Blue Ridge Mountains Council

Blue Ridge Mountains Council

The Blue Ridge Mountains Council is a Boy Scouts of America council located in Roanoke, Virginia that serves Scouts in southwest and south central Virginia. The Blue Ridge Mountains Council owns and operates the Blue Ridge Scout Reservation in Pulaski County, Virginia...

 (BRMC) serves Scouts in southwest and south central 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...

.

Buckskin Council

Buckskin Council serves Scouts in West Virginia, Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, and Giles, Bland and Tazewell Counties in Virginia.

Colonial Virginia Council

Served by the Wahunsenakah Lodge of the Order of the Arrow.

• Chesapeake Bay District
• Colonial Trail District
• First Colony District
• Heritage District
• James River District
• Siouan District (named after the language spoken by historic Virginia Indian tribes in the Piedmont)

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...

, 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 Northampton and Accomack Counties in Virginia.

Heart of Virginia Council

Formerly Robert E. Lee Council, this council was renamed in 2003.

• Arrohattoc District (formerly the southern half of Shawondasee District)
• Battlefield District
• Capitol District
• Cardinal District
• Crater District
• Huguenot Trail District (formerly the northern half of Shawondasee District, named after French immigrants of 1700)
• Meherrin District, named after historic tribe
• Northern Neck District
• Rappahannock District, named after tribe and river
• Weyanoke District, named after historic tribe

National Capital Area Council

The National Capital Area Council (NCAC) serves Scouts in the District of Columbia, 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 Loudon, Fairfax, Prince William, Fauquier, Stafford, King George, Caroline, Spotsylvania and Culpeper Counties in Virginia. NCAC operates two council camps: Goshen Scout Reservation, in Goshen, Virginia

Goshen, Virginia

Goshen is a town in Rockbridge County, Virginia, United States. The population was 406 at the 2000 census. The town is known amongst the Boy Scouts of America for hosting Goshen Scout Reservation, one of the largest Boy Scout camps in America....

 (physically within the Stonewall Jackson Area Council) and Camp Snyder in Haymarket, Virginia

Haymarket, Virginia

Haymarket is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 879 at the 2000 census, but the 2009 is 1,252. Haymarket is home to the Haymarket Senators of the Valley Baseball League...

.

Sequoyah Council

Sequoyah Council serves Scouts in Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 and Virginia.

Shenandoah Area Council

Shenandoah Area Council headquarters is in Winchester, Virginia and serves Scouts in Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren counties in Virginia and Berkeley, Morgan and Jefferson Counties in West Virginia.
http://www.sac-bsa.org/

Camp Rock Enon was established in 1944, and is located at Rock Enon Springs near Gore, Virginia

Gore, Virginia

Gore is an unincorporated town in western Frederick County, Virginia, United States located off the Northwestern Turnpike on Gore Road west of Winchester. The community is nestled in the Back Creek valley....

. 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...

 is represented by the Shenshawpotoo Lodge.

Districts

• Mannahoac District: (named after the historic Manahoac tribe) Clarke County
  Clarke County, Virginia
  Clarke County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 14,034. Its county seat is Berryville.-History:Clarke County was established in 1836 by Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron who built a home, Greenway Court, on part of his 5 million acre property,...
  
   in Virginia and Jefferson County
  Jefferson County, West Virginia
  Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 53,498. Its county seat is Charles Town...
  
   in 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...
  
  
• Potomac District: serves Berkeley
  Berkeley County, West Virginia
  Berkeley County is a county located in the Eastern Panhandle region of the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population is 104,169, making it the second-most populous county in West Virginia, behind Kanawha...
  
   and Morgan
  Morgan County, West Virginia
  Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, it's population was 17,541. Its county seat is Berkeley Springs. The county is one of three in Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area...
  
   counties, West Virginia
• Shawnee District: (named after the historic tribe) serves the Winchester
  Winchester, Virginia
  Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
  
   and Frederick County
  Frederick County, Virginia
  Frederick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is included in the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. For ten years it was the home of George Washington. As of 2010, the population was...
  
   in Virginia and Capon Bridge
  Capon Bridge, West Virginia
  Capon Bridge is a town located in eastern Hampshire County, West Virginia along the Northwestern Turnpike , approximately twenty miles west of Winchester, Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,178, 200 of which live within the town limits. Originally known as Glencoe, Capon...
  
   and Paw Paw
  Paw Paw, West Virginia
  Paw Paw is a town in Morgan County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 524 at the 2000 census. The town is known for the nearby Paw Paw Tunnel. Paw Paw was incorporated by the Circuit Court of Morgan County on April 8, 1891 and named for the pawpaw, a wild fruit which formerly grew in...
  
   in West Virginia
• Shenrapawa District: serves Page
  Page County, Virginia
  As of the census of 2000, there were 23,177 people, 9,305 households, and 6,634 families residing in the county. The population density was 74 people per square mile . There were 10,557 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile...
  
  , Rappahannock
  Rappahannock County, Virginia
  As of the census of 2010, there were 7,373 people, 2,788 households, and 2,004 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 3,303 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
  
  , Shenandoah
  Shenandoah County, Virginia
  As of the census of 2000, there were 35,075 people, 14,296 households, and 10,064 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 16,709 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
  
  , and Warren
  Warren County, Virginia
  As of the census of 2000, there were 31,584 people, 12,087 households, and 8,521 families residing in the county. The population density was 148 people per square mile . There were 13,299 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile...
  
   counties in Virginia

Order of the Arrow

• Shenshawopotoo Lodge #276, established in 1944. Shenshawpotoo is a composite word, made up of the first syllables of the Council name, and the three districts in the council at the time the lodge was formed - Shawnee, Potomac, and Two Rivers.

Tidewater Council

Tidewater Council

Tidewater Council

Tidewater Council is the local council of the Boy Scouts of America that serves southeastern Virginia and north-eastern North Carolina. This region is often referred to as South Hampton Roads or the Tidewater or Tidewater Virginia area; hence the name of the council...

 is the local council of the 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...

 (BSA) that serves southeastern 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...

 and north-eastern North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

. This region is often referred to as South Hampton Roads

South Hampton Roads

South Hampton Roads is a region located in the extreme southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States, and is part of the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC MSA with a population about 1.7 million....

 or the Tidewater or Tidewater Virginia area; hence the name of the council. One of the first councils in the country, Tidewater Council was established in 1911, just one year after William 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...

 of Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 founded scouting in the United States. It was only three years after Sir Robert Baden-Powell founded the movement in England. In 1914 the local council was issued a second-class charter, as it did not have a professional scout executive.

Its 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...

 counterpart is the Blue Heron Lodge, which was founded in 1946 when a team from Octoraro Lodge in Pennsylvania

Scouting in Pennsylvania

Scouting in Pennsylvania has a long and rich tradition, from 1908 to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.-Early history :...

 inducted the first members of Blue Heron Lodge.

Girl Scouts of the USA

There are seven Girl Scout councils serving girls in Virginia; three are headquartered in the state.

Girl Scouts of The Appalachian Council

See Scouting in Tennessee

Scouting in Tennessee

Scouting in Tennessee 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.-Early history :...

. Serves Virginia girls in the extreme southwest of Virginia.

Headquarters; Johnson City, Tennessee

Johnson City, Tennessee

Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...

Website: http://www.girlscoutsappalachian.org

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:...

. Serves Virginia girls in Bland, Buchanan, and Tazewell counties.

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 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 Virginia 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 Colonial Coast

Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast serves over 16,500 girls, with 5,500 adult volunteers in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina

Scouting in North Carolina

Scouting in North Carolina 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.-Early history :...

. It was established in 1981.

Headquarters: Chesapeake, Virginia

Chesapeake, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 199,184 people, 69,900 households, and 54,172 families residing in the city. The population density was 584.6 people per square mile . There were 72,672 housing units at an average density of 213.3 per square mile...

Website: http://www.gsccc.org

Camps:

• Camp Darden is almost 100 acre (0.404686 km²) near Franklin, Virginia
  Franklin, Virginia
  Franklin is an independent city in Virginia. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Franklin with Southampton county for statistical purposes. The population was 8,582 in 2010.-History:...
  
  . It was acquired in 1961 and named after Colgate Darden
  Colgate Darden
  Colgate Whitehead Darden, Jr. was a Democratic Congressman from Virginia , the 54th Governor of Virginia , Chancellor of the College of William and Mary and the third President of the University of Virginia...
  
   and his wife.http://www.blueheronlodge.org/history_chronicle_002.asp
• Camp Skimino is a 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) camp near Williamsburg, Virginia
  Williamsburg, Virginia
  Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
  
  .
• Camp Apasus is located in Norfolk, Virginia.
• Camp Burke's Mill Pond is a 30.06 acres (121,648.6 m²) camp located in Gloucester County, Virginia
  Gloucester County, Virginia
  Gloucester County is within the Commonwealth of Virginia in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area in the USA. Formed in 1651 in the Virginia Colony, the county was named for Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester, third son of King Charles I of Great Britain. Located in the Middle Peninsula region, it...
  
  . It was donated to the Heritage Girl Scout Council in 1975, along with an additional 6.23 acres (25,211.9 m²) tract which contains the original mill house. Heritage Girl Scout Council and Tidewater Girl Scout Council merged to become the Girl Scout Council of the Colonial Coast.

Girl Scout Commonwealth Council of Virginia

The Girl Scout Commonwealth Council of Virginia serves more than 16,000 girls and has about 5,700 adult volunteers in 30 central Virginia counties. It was chartered in 1963, when three smaller councils serving Fredericksburg, Richmond, and Southside Virginia merged. In 2007, Surry County was moved from this council to Colonial Coast. The first troop formed in central Virginia was Troop #1, Highland Springs in 1913.http://www.comgirlscouts.org/PDF/marketing/PressRelease06/Realignment.pdfhttp://www.comgirlscouts.org/PDF/marketing/newesthistory.pdf

In 1932 the first African-American troop in the South, Girl Scout Troop 101, was founded in Richmond by Lena B. Watson. It was first led by Lavnia Banks, a teacher from Armstrong High School. It first met in Hartshorn Hall, Virginia Union University

Virginia Union University

Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...

. In 2008 a tree was
planted in commemoration at Hartshorn Hall.http://www.comgirlscouts.org/News%20Room/vuu.pdf

In 1922 Girl Scouts of Richmond was chartered. In 1942 Petersburg Girl Scout Council was formed and in 1944, Hopewell Girl Scout Council. In 1953 Petersburg and Hopewell merged to form Southside.
In 1963 Southside, Richmond, and Fredericksburg councils merged to form the current council.

Headquarters: Mechanicsville, Virginia

Mechanicsville, Virginia

Mechanicsville is the name of four places in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States of America:*Mechanicsville, Hanover County, Virginia*Mechanicsville, Loudoun County, Virginia*Mechanicsville, Rockbridge County, Virginia...

 

Website: http://www.comgirlscouts.org

Camps:

• Pamunkey Ridge Girl Scout Camp is 240 acre (0.9712464 km²) in Hanover, Virginia along the banks of the Pamunkey River
  Pamunkey River
  The Pamunkey River is a tributary of the York River, about long, in eastern Virginia in the United States. Via the York River it is part of the watershed of Chesapeake Bay.-Course:...
  
  . It was opened in 1996.
• Camp Kittamaqund is 387 acres (1.6 km²) and 5 miles (8 km) of shoreline on the Northern Neck
  Northern Neck
  The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This peninsula is bounded by the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River on the south. It encompasses the following Virginia counties: Lancaster,...
  
  . It was named after the chief in power at the time of English arrival. The property was acquired in 1964. In 2006 the council attempted to sell the property, but the sale fell through due to zoning regulations that limited redevelopment.

Earlier camps include Camp Pocahontas acquired in 1928; Camp Pinoaka, created in 1936 for African-American girl scouts; and Camp Holly Dell in 1951 (sold in 1996).

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:...

. Serves girls in northern Virginia as well.

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

Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council

This council serves about 10,500 girls in 36 Virginia counties. It was established in 1963.

Headquarters: Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...

Website: http://www.gsvsc.org

Camps:

• Camp Sacajawea is 119 acre (0.48157634 km²) on the James River
  James River (Virginia)
  The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
  
   near Lynchburg
  Lynchburg, Virginia
  Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
  
  . It was named after the Native American woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition
  Lewis and Clark Expedition
  The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
  
  .
• Camp Sugar Hollow is 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains
  Blue Ridge Mountains
  The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
  
   near Charlottesville
  Charlottesville, Virginia
  Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
  
  
• Icimani Adventure Program Center in Roanoke
  Roanoke, Virginia
  Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
  
  

Scouting museums in Virginia

• Gregson Center and Museum, Pipsico Scout Reservation, Spring Grove, Virginia
• Nawakwa Lodge #3 Museum

See also

• President Hoover's Camp Rapidan: Use by Boy Scouts

External links

• Blue Ridge Mountains Council
• Buckskin Council
• Colonial Virginia Council
• Del-Mar-Va Council
• National Capital Area Council
• Heart of Virginia Council
• Sequoyah Council
• Shenandoah Area Council
• Stonewall Jackson Area Council
• Tidewater Council
• record 11 Eagle Scouts in one patrol-Viking Patrol's Eagle Scout 11