Cradle of Liberty Council (#525) | |||
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Owner | Boy Scouts of America | ||
Headquarters | Wayne, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||
Country | United States | ||
Coordinates | 39°57′32″N75°10′32″W / 39.959°N 75.17552°W | ||
Founded | 1996 | ||
Board Chairman | Mark J. Chilutti | ||
Council Commissioner | Dr. Nilesh Shah | ||
Scout Executive | Daniel Templar | ||
Website http://www.colbsa.org/ | |||
The Cradle of Liberty Council (#525) is a Boy Scouts of America council created in 1996 with the merger of the former Philadelphia Council (covering the city and county of Philadelphia) and the former Valley Forge Council (covering Delaware and Montgomery counties).
The present council is the result of the 1996 merger of Philadelphia and Valley Forge councils. The Philadelphia Council was founded in 1911. In 1913, the Council opened one of the earliest Scout camps in the United States, Treasure Island Scout Reservation, near Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania. Two years later, Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carrol Edson founded the Order of the Arrow there, inducting the first members on July 16, 1915. The Philadelphia Council opened Camp Hart (later Hart Scout Reservation) in Green Lane, Pennsylvania in 1930.
The Valley Forge Council began operation in the 1910s as Delaware and Montgomery County Council, although the council office was never within the council boundaries in Center City Philadelphia until the 1960s, when it was moved to Valley Forge in Chester County. The council was renamed "Valley Forge Council" in the late 1930s. The council was named for the George Washington's historic winter encampment of 1777–78 at Valley Forge. The council opened Camp Delmont (later called "Delmont Scout Reservation" as of the early 1960s) in 1916 in Green Lane, Pennsylvania. Camp Hart and Camp Delmont were adjacent properties. [1]
In 1955, some 4,600 acres became available in Marshall's Creek. Site of a hunting facility, it was found admirably suited for Scouting purposes and purchased jointly by the "Federation" of Philadelphia and Valley Forge Councils to create Resica Falls Scout Reservation. Joint development and use occurred until 1965, when Valley Forge Council bought out Philadelphia Council's interest and the federation was dissolved. When the two councils merged in 1996 to create Cradle of Liberty Council, Scouts from Philadelphia, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties once again camp together. Since February 22, 1913, Valley Forge Council, and its predecessor had hosted an annual Scouting event, the Valley Forge Pilgrimage and Encampment, which is sponsored by the Cradle of Liberty Council.
During the 1980s and 1990s, a large percentage of Philadelphia's population moved to the suburbs. [2] Accordingly, the two councils' executive boards began the merger process in 1993, which was finalized in 1996. [3]
When councils merge, so do their Order of the Arrow lodges. Philadelphia's OA lodge, Unami One, was founded in 1915 on Treasure Island, and recognized as the first lodge nationally. Valley Forge Council's OA lodge, Delmont Lodge 43, the much larger of the two lodges, was founded in 1929 at Camp Delmont. When the councils merged, Delmont decided to merge with Unami Lodge and retain Unami's name.[ citation needed ]
The council headquarters is located at the Cedar Run Corporate Center, 901 E 8th Ave, Suite 103, King of Prussia, PA 19406. The council sold the Roger S. Firestone Scout Resource Center, in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
The Bruce Marks Scout Resource Center in Philadelphia was built in 1929 and served as the council headquarters until 2013. The Beaux Arts style building was designed by architect Charles Klauder. [6] At the time city fathers invited the Scouts to move their offices to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. [7] The building was built and paid for by the Scouts, and turned over to the city with the understanding that the Scouts would be allowed to remain in it rent-free "in perpetuity." [8] [9] The building is located at 22nd and Winter Streets. [6] The first copy of the R. Tait McKenzie sculpture The Ideal Scout stood outside the building.
The City of Philadelphia tried to evict the council from their city-owned service center building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Historic Landmark building laden with Scouting symbols was built and paid for by the Scouts on city land at the city's request in 1929 and the cost of maintenance and renovation has been borne by the Boy Scout council ever since. [10]
This resulted in the Cradle of Liberty Council, Inc., Boy Scouts of America, v. City of Philadelphia also known as Cradle of Liberty Council v. City of Philadelphia, [2:08-cv-02429RB] which was a U.S. Court case involving the Cradle of Liberty Council versus the City of Philadelphia. The case was filed on May 23, 2008, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter presided over the case. The Boy Scouts were represented by Drinker Biddle. [10] The case ended with the court ruling in favor of the Boy Scouts of America that the City of Philadelphia illegally attempted to abrogate the council's federally protected civil rights. [11] [12] Under federal Civil Rights Law, the Cradle of Liberty Council is also entitled to collect its legal costs (estimated at one million dollars) from the city's unlawful action. While the Boy Scouts offered to then settle the dispute by having the City pay half of the legal fees in return for title to the building and the city accepted, the city council reneged. [13] On March 2, 2012, the Federal judge formally ordered the city pay all of the Boy Scouts legal fees and denied the motion for an appeal. The Boy Scouts may also continue reside in the building rent free as they have done since they had paid for construction of the building in 1929. [14]
Cradle of Liberty Council operates two camps: the Musser Scout Reservation and the Resica Falls Scout Reservation. The former was formed from the merger of Delmont Scout Reservation and Hart Scout Reservation, which are located near Green Lane, Pennsylvania. Hart and Delmont had been operated by the Philadelphia and Valley Forge councils, respectively, before their merger. Their consolidation under the name Musser Scout Reservation was a tribute to Pete Musser and the Musser family, longtime Scouting supporters.
Resica Falls is composed of Camp Firestone and Camp Big Springs, north of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania on the edge of the Pocono Mountains, near the controversial Tocks Island Dam project of the 1960s, now the present-day Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area. Big Springs is still an active summer camp, but the declining attendance and enrollment of Firestone's summer program has caused its closure.
Until recently, the council also operated Treasure Island Scout Reservation, sometimes called TI. The camp was damaged by Delaware River flooding in 2005 and again in 2006, forcing its closure for the 2005 and 2006 summer camp seasons. In September 2008, the Council Executive Board ratified the recommendation of the Camping Committee and the executive committee to close Treasure Island effective October 1, 2008. [15]
The council no longer owns any properties in or near Philadelphia. In 1929, Henry W. Breyer, Jr., purchased the abandoned Lindenhurst property once owned by John Wanamaker in Cheltenham on York Road, below Washington Lane. Breyer donated the former Wanamaker land to the Boy Scouts of America for use as a wildlife preserve. [16] The camp was accessible from the city by train to the Jenkintown station. Camp Henry W. Breyer ( 40°05′07″N75°07′52″W / 40.0853°N 75.1311°W ) was sold by the Philadelphia Council in 1990 and is now the site of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry.
At one time, the Philadelphia Council was also given a tract near the Roxborough Reservoir at Port Royal Avenue and Eva Street ( 40°03′20″N75°14′38″W / 40.0556°N 75.2438°W ). [17] and was called the "Boy Scout Tract." This land was eventually sold and is now part of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education . [18] Also, the Philadelphia council also owned Camp Biddle on the Darby Creek (Pennsylvania) in Marple Township. ( 39°59′48″N75°21′18″W / 39.9967°N 75.3550°W ). The camp was named after Anthony J. Drexel Biddle. [19]
The Dale Sea Scout Base was in Eddington, Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania on the Delaware River. The property was purchased from Major Charles Smith, a Philadelphia banker, and was established as Sea Scout Headquarters in 1935. It was named in honor of Commodore Edward C. Dale, who helped organize the area Sea Scouts.[ citation needed ]
The Cradle of Liberty's Order of the Arrow Lodge, Unami Lodge, One, was where the OA began at Treasure Island Scout Reservation in 1915, and in 2015 will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
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.
Scouting in New Jersey 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. The second Boy Scouts of America National Headquarters was in North Brunswick, although it was referred to in BSA publications as being in neighboring New Brunswick.
Scouting in New York 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. The first National Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Headquarters was in New York City, and the Girl Scouts of the USA National Headquarters is currently located at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
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.
Treasure Island is a former Boy Scout property located between Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania and Frenchtown, New Jersey, United States. The property is situated on two islands in the middle of the Delaware River and was owned by the Cradle of Liberty Council. Treasure Island was the second oldest continually operated Boy Scout Camp, behind Owasippe Scout Reservation in Michigan, in the country and had been continuously associated with Scouting since 1913.
Edward Urner Goodman was an influential leader in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) 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 established. He developed the BSA's national training center in the early 1930s and was responsible for publication of the widely read Boy Scout Handbook and other Scouting books, writing the Leaders Handbook used by Scout leaders in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. In the 1950s, Goodman was executive director of Men's Work for the National Council of Churches in New York City and active in church work.
The Chester County Council is a Boy Scouts of America service council that serves members of the Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Venturing programs in Chester County, Pennsylvania and Northeastern Cecil County, Maryland. It is one of the oldest councils in the nation, and is one of two single-county councils left in Pennsylvania, the other being Chief Cornplanter Council in Warren, PA.
Minsi Trails Council is a council of the Boy Scouts of America that serves Scouts in the Lehigh Valley and the Pocono Mountains regions of eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey. In Pennsylvania, the council serves five counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Monroe, Carbon, and Luzerne. In New Jersey, it serves Warren County.
Colonel Carroll Andrew Edson was an influential leader in the Boy Scouts of America movement. He helped to found the Order of the Arrow (OA) along with E. Urner Goodman. The OA is an official program of the Boy Scouts of America designed to recognize Scouts and Scouters for their service, and to aid in the retention of older boys in the Scouting program.
Resica Falls Scout Reservation is a camp in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania operated by the Cradle of Liberty Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
The Del-Mar-Va Council serves members of the Boy Scouts of America in the Delmarva Peninsula.
The Valley Forge Pilgrimage and Encampment is the oldest annual scouting event in the world. It was first held on February 22, 1913, and has been held every year since. The event is hosted by the Cradle of Liberty Council and commemorates the soldiers of the Continental Army who braved the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. Each year more than 2,000 brave the winter chill of the Delaware Valley to participate.
Musser Scout Reservation is a Boy Scouts of America camp located along the Unami Creek on over 1,400 acres (6 km2) of Marlborough Township, Pennsylvania. The Reservation is made up of three distinct camps: Camp Delmont, Camp Hart, and Camp Garrison. The reservation is part of the largest contiguous forest in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The camp is owned by the Cradle of Liberty Council.
Founded in 1915, the Greater Los Angeles Area Council (GLAAC) (#033) served most of the City of Los Angeles as well as several other cities in the greater Los Angeles area. It was one of five Boy Scouts of America councils in Los Angeles County, California. Since its founding in 1915, the Los Angeles Area Council has brought its purpose and values to millions of youth. The Council served 54,567 youth in the Greater Los Angeles Area in 2008 alone.
Northeastern Pennsylvania Council, with headquarters in Moosic, Pennsylvania, formed in 1990 from the merger of Forest Lakes Council and Penn Mountains Council of the Boy Scouts of America. It covers the metropolitan area of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The council serves Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne, Wyoming counties, and portions of Susquehanna county.
Unami Lodge, One is the Order of the Arrow (OA) lodge of the Cradle of Liberty Council, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and the founding Lodge of the OA, having celebrated its centennial in 2015. The current Unami Lodge resulted from the 1996 merger of Unami Lodge 1 and Delmont Lodge 43, caused by the merger of Philadelphia Council and Valley Forge Council. The chiefs of each lodge agreed to preserve Unami's rich history and traditions by retaining the founding lodge's name and number. Delmont Lodge's history, including its roster of Vigil Honor, Founder's Award, and David Fortunato Outstanding Service Award recipients, is preserved as part of Unami Lodge's history. The lodge's totem is the turtle, reflecting both the name of the animal (unami) in the Delaware language, but also its association with its peoples.
The Northern New Jersey Council was formed in January 1999 and serves Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties as an effort to better serve the Scouting communities encompassed in these areas.
The Ideal Scout, also known as The Boy Scout, is a work by Canadian sculptor R. Tait McKenzie (1867–1938). The original statue stood in front of the Cradle of Liberty Council at 22nd and Winter Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1937 to 2013. Replicas can be found at Boy Scouts of America councils across the United States, as well as at Gilwell Park in London, England, and at Scouts Canada's national office in Ottawa. The Smithsonian American Art Museum's database lists 18 copies.
Greater Los Angeles Area Council (GLAAC) is a Boy Scouts of America Council created from the merger of the Los Angeles Area Council and the San Gabriel Valley Council. The vote to merge was held on March 21, 2015. The new name for the Council, Greater Los Angeles Area Council, was announced on June 11, 2015. The new Council will continue with Scouting Service centers in Los Angeles and Pasadena. GLAAC has three Scout shops located in Downtown Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Pasadena. Also in Pasadena is a local service center. GLAAC operates seven camps in the greater Los Angeles area. Due to the large size of the two original councils, the merger was a process that was completed over a time span, and completed in 2017.
There are hundreds of scout camps around the world. Some of these are historically notable Scout camps. Each Scouting association runs its own camp. For example, in the United States, a number of national camps are run by the Boy Scouts of America, and the local councils run the greatest number of camps. The two most important factors in establishing notability are the age of the camp, and its impact on the local community or country where it is located.
Musser Scout Reservation