I was amazed at the historical GS presence throughout. Before it was sold in 1978, Rockwood was a gathering place for all Girl Scouts. When the United States entered World War II, Rockwood National Girl Scout Camp joined the war effort. I reviewed the display text, answered questions about various people, buildings, and events; provided a photo or two; and replacedthemissing yellow tie for theuniform. Celebrating our volunteers at the 2021 GCNWI Adult Recognition Ceremony. Charity numbers: 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland). When members discovered it had been sold to developers, they took action to save their treasured gathering place. She was really a character, said Robertson. Further details of how to apply for this can be found from the YHA. Members of the Council Board, including President Carol Phelps Stokes, resolved to reach out to this underserved community. , the one thing Rockwood did was produce an impressive amount of postcards - 19 - by my count, and still looking. Many of the included items are routine and rather boringIve learned more than I probably need to about septic systems. GS-DC is a shorthand for the various versions of the Washington DC council. It was willed to the Girl Scouts in 1936 by Carolyn and John Wilson Caughey and was to be used as a character building center. Girls meet in lots of different spaces, from village halls in the Highlands to community centres onthe coast of Cornwall. I think the reason she went to the national organization is that by being national instead of local, the camp would be integrated, said Robertson. Subscribe to our newsletters. She was married to John Caughey, son of a Pittsburgh industrialist, though she had her own income from savvy speculation in Washington real estate. Did you ever visit Rockwood, the GSUSA camp located in Potomac, Maryland, from 1938 to 1978? Only Montgomery County Marylandwhere Rockwood was locatedstayed with the Washington organization. Segregation was widespread. Rockwood Archives - Girl Scout History Project Remembering Rockwood - Girl Scout History Project Remembering Rockwood Did you ever visit Rockwood, the GSUSA camp located in Potomac, Maryland, from 1938 to 1978? It was willed to the Girl Scouts in 1936 by Carolyn and John WilsonCaughey and was to be used as a character building center. (May 1961). Caughey created a trust that gave the Girl Scouts the 67-acre Rockwood immediately, while her other properties and investments would be liquidated and distributed to the Girl Scouts over timeprovided the Girl Scouts used Rockwood for character-building purposes. When GSUSA sold Rockwood to a residential developer in 1978, a group of adult volunteers argued that the sale violated the terms of Mrs. Caugheys bequest. The two uniforms are quite similar. She liked plucky women, being one herself, and she was moved by the story of Helen Hopkins, a survivor of the Knickerbocker Theatre disaster of 1922. How to find a local Girlguiding unit for your child to join or to volunteer with. It was very hard for me when I got older and began to see the reality of the world and have always been thankful of my blissful youth. A Girl Scout Leader with Four Girl Scout Brownies on a Nature Study at the Rockwood Girl Scout National Center, 1936-1982 Making new friends was as important as seeing the White House. Ann Robertson is a writer, editor and Girl Scout historian. From the plaque still outside the door, to GS displays. They might meet girls with physical challenges and discover that a wheelchair was no barrier to making smores. With our free time we ended up at Rockwood. While in the D.C. area, the girls and their leaders stayed at Rockwood National Girl Scout Program Center, located about 15 miles from the capitol in Bethesda, Maryland. Accommodations for women were especially scarce. A property like Rockwood is expensive to maintain. The national group had been bequeathed the property after the 1936 death of its owner, eccentric society dame Carolyn Gangwer Caughey. Girls left in their full Girl Scout Uniformincluding hat, black or brown flats or heels, hose (no anklets) white g1oves, and the two-piece Senior Green uniform.And then changed into their traveling clothes: Girl Scout green Bermudas, white Girl Scout blouse, white knee-high hose, white tennis shoes and red flashes.. Thats one of the details in a new book from Ann Robertson called Rescue Rockwood: How a Group of Determined Girl Scouts Rallied to Save a Beloved National Camp. Its a messy tale from the Carter/Reagan years that still rankles some in the Girl Scout community. As we were leaving, he mentioned that he had something we might like. Finding your nearest unit | Girlguiding The camp welcomed girls from across the United States, and was especially popular with troops from segregated areas. Life at Camp Rockwood - Girl Scout History Project Squirrel! Not only did I live in other countries but I had every ethnic background as my neighbors and classmates. Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Blog, Girl Scouts Join the Burbank, IL Community, Associate Board Reached New Heights at Camp Butternut Springs, Girl Scouts and travel adventures just go together, thanks to our Girl Scouts GCNWI Historians. Girl Scout Graves | Girl Scout Statues | Girl Scout Plaques, Memorials & Markers, Girl Scout Tea Houses | Camp Andree Clark - The Early Years, Rockwood National Camp | National Center West, Girl Scout Headquarters | University of the Woods - MACY | Girl Scout Little Houses, Juliette Gordon Low Girl Scout National Center (Birthplace), Site originally launched November 18, 2000, Dottie Farmer was able to date the secondpin to, Asidefrom 4 different pins, 2 patches and a small group of. Camp Rockwood and Segregation - Girl Scout History Project In 1915, John sued Carolyn, claiming he provided the funds for various properties that were in her name. Taking part in a class-action lawsuit can teach a lesson, too. Visiting Seniors of all shapes and sizes tried []. Rockwoods sole employee, Frances Hoopes, seldom had time to pick up passengers in the camp station wagon. The display case was dedicated in late November 2016. Another troop from the same city arrived the fourth week of the month and were to live in the same unit. Washington feels that if a negro group is accepted, the camp will soon become completely colored. They were so gracious, and let us explore inside and out, wandering at will. Two fathers and a bus driver joined in with the fun. There are some instances where you will see the same photo twice in color and in black and white; in these instances, we have been able to discover that Howard would operate the color camera and Ruth take the black and white shot. Washington may have been a national city, but it still held strong southern beliefs in the early twentieth century. Asidefrom 4 different pins, 2 patches and a small group of souvenirs, the one thing Rockwood did was produce an impressive amount of postcards - 19 - by my count, and still looking. - which was Jan. 20, 1965. Lately I have been reading monthly reports from the directors of Rockwood, the former Girl Scout camp outside Washington DC. In 1963, Washington and the surrounding councils reunited, forming a new council: Nations Capital. We went to thank the CEO, for allowing us to hang out at an important place in our history. From the plaque still outside the door, to GS displays. Volunteer Join Scouts. I fell in love with the place when my daughter camped there as a Brownie. The more I learned about the history of Rockwood, about the amazing women who built the original estate, transformed a country home into a national camp, and filed a class-action lawsuit to prevent its sale, the more I became enchanted. Girl Scout National Convention Highlights. While in the D.C. area, the girls and their leaders stayed at Rockwood National Girl Scout Program Center, located about 15 miles from the capitol in Bethesda, Maryland. The story of Rockwood, a Md. Girl Scout camp, is told in a new book Just six minutes from the Capital Beltway, Rockwood Manor is far removed from the hustle and bustle . Please consult this directory before planning a camp, or as a DC before granting approval for any camp to go ahead. Ive spent several weeks going through the files at the GSUSA National Historical Preservation Center in New York, and I have many documentsand scrapbooks from Washington-area Girl Scouts. Anne, as always, you have provided some great information. It truly was a desperate request. Robertson said some brides give a nod to Rockwoods history by offering Girl Scout cookies at the reception. I immediatelyrecognized two of thephotos, as they includeBobby Lerch, the beloved former president of the Girl Scout Council of the Nations Capital. Her lawyer believed that Mrs. Caughey had made that distinction because GS-DC still practiced segregation in the 1930s; the national organization did not. Jamie also had several pictures she wanted to incorporate into the display. What memories have stuck in your mind over the decades? Scout Adventures has a network of national centres across the UK who can provide a range of residential and activity options. As a national property, Rockwood would be available to all Girl Scoutsregardless of their race. They think that I do not know that they have it here. Robertson is the volunteer historian of the Girl Scout Council of the Nations Capital, the group that oversees local troops. The WAVES uniform was designed by Mainbocher, who designed new Girl Scout uniforms in 1948. Go, already! Rockwood National Camp | Vintage Girl Scout Pulled out a pewter GS plate from his desk drawer, and gave it to me. Add your recollections to the comments. Tenaz celebrates the very best in independent journalism. Some Washingtonians wondered why they were being asked to buy Thin Mints and Samoas when the Girl Scouts were getting $4 million for Rockwood. The monthly reports run about five pages each and provide statistics describing the groups using the camp in a particular month. GSUSA officials brushed off their inquiries, saying the national office dealt with councils, not individuals. The site itself remains a community park, and apparently is a hot wedding venue. It was used as a conference & training center,a way-station for traveling Girl Scout troops as well as a pleasant destination for local troops to camp out and explore that many trails. Hoopsie, as the girls called her, soon learned that hosting adult women was much more complicated than hosting Girl Scouts. Washingtons Black Girl Scouts were excluded from attending the local councils flagship Camp May Flather until 1955. Girlguiding units are all over the UK. 8-10 years. The sweltering cabins in August? Copyright The Scout Association 2023. Once you start the registration process you can search in a map for units near you. I love seeing the Ohio connections, Thank you. Readers may remember Durrett as executive director of the District of Columbia council. Memories of Rockwood Girl Scout Camp - Substack abolitionist sentiments of her native Ohio, Girl Scout National Convention Highlights. To find a local Rainbow, Brownie, Guide or Ranger unit for your child, start by registering online. The mansion Caughey had lived in hosted programs for adult Scout leaders. Told him it would be in a place of honor in my GS museum. On August 7, 1965, twenty-three girls and four leaders from Des Plaines Troop 64 and Wheeling Troop 609 boarded a bus for a 10-day trip to Washington, D.C. Case closed. Pants! Just doesnt sound like the DC we know today. On the third day members of the staff took turns sitting quietly in the unit doing office work. When I refused to go on this long planned adventure they would have none of it and then, when I said I would stay on the bus and rest as they went sightseeing they did not want that either. Subscribe to our newsletters. It didnt need both. Mr. Caughey, a sickly man in his 70s, surprised everyone by outliving his wife by 12 years. Officials regarded Rockwood as ideal for women posted at the new David Taylor Model Basin, part of the Naval Surface Warfare Center; the camp was just 2.4 miles away. There is at present a need for rooms in and near Washington to accommodate incoming war workers, and Uncle Sam wanted this thirteen or fourteen room house.. . Dottie Farmer was able to date the secondpin toPresident Johnson's Inauguration. Including these: A group of Senior Girl Scouts in perfect uniform is a beautiful sight to behold and Mr. Robert Kennedy evidently thought so too. Well keep you in the loop. Home | Email | Site Map | Updates | Girl Scout Badges, et.al. A map will appear to show the closest ones. Find your local group Now girls today can view a small part of our history. Please take a look and see if they trigger any memories. Thanks, Barbara. Rescue Rockwood: How a Group of Determined Girl Scouts Rallied to Save Get The 7 DMV newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. To find a local Rainbow, Brownie, Guide or Ranger unit for your child, start by registering online. Perhaps you camped at Weston Hill, took a training in the Manor House, or bunked in Carolyn Cottage when your troop toured Washington, DC? They were there to support nine plaintiffs who were suing the Girl Scouts of the USA: seven adults and two of their Girl Scout peers. Also, in the picture with my grandmother and me is my mother, Jessie Bradley Lerch, who was a troop leader throughout my childhood. (July 1964), Recently a staff member began to play a tape recording made at Shadowbrook All States encampment. [] created samples in sizes 6 through 20 and shipped them to Rockwood National Camp and the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah. Rockwood Manor Retreats & Events - Montgomery Parks They raised money with bake sales and garage sales. Trainers from GS-DC frequently scheduled classes at Rockwood so that adult volunteers from nearby councils could attend. Her main complaint was the late-night activities of the adults, so she documented their comings and goings. Nationals response was swift: The facilities of the camp are open to any Girl Scout group in the country provided such group has sufficiently trained leaders and applies for reservations a month in advance. Case closed. I met with Jamie, who told me the uniform had been donated by Barbara Lages. The site didn't become a "National Camp" until 1952, so none of these date prior to then. Lately I have been reading monthly reports from the directors of Rockwood, the former Girl Scout camp outside Washington DC. There are a number of ways you can find Scout campsites and Scout Adventures centres: Prohibited and restricted camping directory.
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