Cradle of Liberty Council

Cradle of Liberty Council
Owner	Boy Scouts of America
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Country	United States
Coordinates
Founded	1996
Scout Executive	Thomas Harrington
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 both Delaware and Montgomery counties).

History

thumb|140px|Valley Forge Council shoulder patch

thumb|140px|Philadelphia Council shoulder patch

File:PhiladelphiaScout.jpg

50th anniversary patch

The present council is the result of the 1996 merger of two previous councils, Philadelphia and Valley Forge councils. The Philadelphia Council was founded in 1911. In 1913, Philadelphia Council opened the first American Scout camp, Treasure Island Scout Reservation, near Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania. Two years later, Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carrol Edson founded the Order of the Arrow, which inducted its first members on July 16, 1915. The council is host to the oldest annual Scouting event in the nation, the Valley Forge Pilgrimage and Encampment.

The Valley Forge Council was created from the Delaware and Montgomery County councils in a BSA-directed merger in the 1950s. Valley Forge was named for the historic winter of 1776-77 camp by George Washington's troops. It opened its first camp, the Delmont Scout Reservation in Green Lane, Pennsylvania, and acquired land to open the Resica Falls Scout Reservation near the Delaware Water Gap in 1962.

Because of a shifting population (with city residents moving to the suburbs), and two councils each trying to gain capital funds for their camps, the BSA suggested to the executive boards of both councils that they merge, a process started in 1993 and made final in 1996.

When councils merge, they are given a new council number. The new council retained the former Philadelphia Council's number, and the new council became number 525. Philadelphia's Order of the Arrow lodge (Unami One), the one founded in 1915 on Treasure Island, and recognized as the first lodge nationally, would be lost in the merger. To prevent this, the members of Valley Forge's OA lodge, Delmont Lodge 43, voted to fold their lodge and became part of the Unami Lodge in 1997.

Organization

• Baden-Powell District — Serving Ambler, Blue Bell, Conshohocken, Lafayette Hill, Lower Gwynedd, Oreland, Plymouth Meeting, Upper Dublin and Whitemarsh
• Conestoga District — Interboro, Ridley, Southeast Delco, Springfield, Upper Darby and William Penn School Districts in Delaware County, PA
• Continental District — Serving Pottstown, Pottsgrove, Boyertown & Upper Perkiomen School Districts (North-West Montgomery County)
• Constellation District — Haverford, Lower Merion, Marple Newtown & Radnor School Districts
• Delaware District — Serving Northeast Philadelphia
• Frontier District — Serving Northwest Philadelphia
• General Nash District — Souderton and North Penn School Districts in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
• Lafayette District — Serving the Communities & School Districts of Upper Merion, Norristown, Methacton, Perkiomen Valley, and Royersford/Spring City
• Minquas District — Serving the youth of Chichester, Chester-Upland, Garnet Valley, Penn-Delco, Rose Tree-Media, and Wallingford-Swarthmore School Districts.
• Northern District — Serving Northwest Philadelphia
• Triune District — Serving South Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia and Center City Philadelphia
• Washington District — Serving Cheltenham, Jenkintown, Abington, Upper Moreland, Lower Moreland, Hatboro-Horsham, and Bryn Athyn School Districts.

Council offices

Roger S. Firestone Scout Resource Center

Bruce S. Marks Scout Resource Center

The Ideal Scout

As a result of the merger of the Valley Forge and Philadelphia councils, the Cradle of Liberty Council maintains two offices - the Bruce S. Marks Scout Resource Center in Philadelphia, and the Roger S. Firestone Scout Resource Center, in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

The Bruce Marks Scout Resource Center in Philadelphia was built in 1929. The Beaux Arts style building was designed by architect Charles Klauder. At the time city fathers invited the Scouts to move their offices to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. 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." The building is located at 22nd and Winter Streets. The first copy of the R. Tait McKenzie sculpture The Ideal Scout stands outside the building.

The Roger S. Firestone Scout Resource Center, the former Valley Forge office, serves as the suburban access point. It is located in Wayne, on the northern fringes of the Main Line area. Most of the council's activities and training sessions occur in the suburban office. Due to its size and flooring area, and it has been slated for expansion since the merger. The city office, which houses the Scout Executive and District Executives for the districts within the city limits, has less space for training, and has been maintained mainly for easier access to city residents.

Headquarters controversy

Main article: Cradle of Liberty Council v. City of Philadelphia

See also: Boy Scouts of America membership controversies

The City of Philadelphia says that it cannot allow organizations that receive city benefits to discriminate and are poised 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.

The Council claims:

The City has imposed an unconstitutional condition upon Cradle of Liberty's receipt of a benefit that Cradle of Liberty has enjoyed for nearly eight decades, and that many other organizations that limit members or services to members of a particular group continue to enjoy without punishment or the threat of punishment

— COLBSA Court Filing

The Boy Scouts of America is a private, non profit organization engaged in instilling its system of values in young people. It asserts that homosexuality is inconsistent with those values. The Scouts contend that the city's ultimatum violates their rights under the U.S. and Pennsylvania Constitutions, namely, the right to Freedom of Assembly guaranteed under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Camps

Cradle of Liberty Council operates two camps in Pennsylvania -- the Musser Scout Reservation, near Green Lane, Pennsylvania, and the Resica Falls Scout Reservation, north of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

The council also operated Treasure Island Scout Reservation on the Delaware River. The camp was damaged by flooding in 2005 and again in 2006, forcing its closure for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. In September 2008, the Council Executive Board ratified the recommendations of the Camping Committee and the executive committee to close Treasure Island effective October 1, 2008.

Musser Scout Reservation

Camp Hart Bridge traversing Unami Creek at Musser Scout Reservation

Musser Scout Reservation is located along the Unami Creek in Marlborough Township, Pennsylvania. The Reservation is made up of three distinct camps: Camp Delmont, Camp Hart, and Camp Garrison.

Prior to 1996 the Philadelphia Council owned and operated Camp Hart, while the Valley Forge Council owned and operated Camp Delmont. Subsequent to the merger of these councils in 1996, these adjacent camps joined to create a new reservation. Initially, this merged Scout camp was called "Delmont-Hart Scout Reservation". Later, the camps were renamed under "Musser Scout Reservation", to honor long-time Scouting supporter Warren V. "Pete" Musser.

Camp Delmont was named after the two counties that made up the original Delmont Council (DELaware and MONTgomery Counties Council, later known as The Valley Forge Council). Summer camp was first held there in 1916.

Hart Scout Reservation was provided in an endowment by Dr. Charles D. Hart, and he was honored in the titling of the Camp. The camp was first opened in 1930.

There are two distinct areas of Camp Hart divided by the Unami Creek. The western portion of Camp Hart currently hosts Cradle of Liberty Council Leader training programs, and acts of the focal site of the council Cub World summer resident camp for Cub Scouts and Webelos. The eastern portion of the camp, Webelos planet, is used as a primitive camp and training area specializing in Webelos advancement since the summer of 2009.

Camp Garrison, named after Walter R. Garrison, opened in 2000 and operates the Cub World summer program entirely devoted to the Cub Scouting program. There are four themed encampments: Fort Akela, Safeguard Castle, U.S.S. Cradle of Liberty, and the Native American Village.

The Cradle of Liberty Council, Natural Lands Trust, Montgomery County Lands Trust and Montgomery County signed a conservation easement permanently protecting over 1,200 acres (5 km²) of the Musser Scout Reservation. The easement is a perpetual, legally binding agreement to remove certain rights from the property owner.

Resica Falls Scout Reservation

The Resica Falls

Resica Falls Scout Reservation is another council camp in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania (near the Pocono Mountains). The reservation is part of a conservation easement with the Natural Lands Trust.

In 1955 the Philadelphia and Valley Forge Councils purchased the property jointly. Dedicated in April 1956, the camp opened in 1957 and operated the camp together until 1965 when Valley Forge Council bought out the Philadelphia Council's interest. Originally, the reservation was to consist of six camps, each holding two hundred and fifty boys. Two camps - Camp Big Springs and Camp Firestone - were built on the reservation. Camp Firestone is currently closed because of lack of campers.

Big Bushkill Creek runs through the camp and also runs into neighbor camps. The camp is built around, and gets its name from the 45-foot waterfall on the property.

The camp is used by hunters and fishermen with the permission of the scouts. It is known among fisherman, especially fly fisherman. During the fall fishing season, the camp rents cabins to fishermen looking to fish along the Bushkill Creek. Even though there are certain retrictions, fisherman still fish along the eponymous falls.

In February 2006, the Natural Lands Trust completed a conservation easement on the reservation on behalf of Middle Smithfield Township, Monroe County. The Pennsylvania DNCR contributed a $900,000 in grants to the project. The easement restricts development on the property and ensures that an additional 1,028 acres (4.16 km²) of valuable natural open space will be permanently preserved.

Treasure Island

Scouts on the parade field at Treasure Island

The property of Treasure Island is located between Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania and Frenchtown, New Jersey, United States. The former campg is situated on two islands in the middle of the Delaware River - Treasure Island and Marshall Island. Marshall Island (also known as Eagle Island) is connected to Treasure Island by a small footbridge. Treasure Island is in New Jersey, whereas Marshall Island is in Pennsylvania. Before closing in 2008, Treasure Island was the oldest continually operated Boy Scout Camp in the country and has been continuously associated with Scouting since 1913.

In April 2005, storms caused some of the highest flooding since 1955. As a result, Treasure Island was closed to summer campers in 2005 for the first time in twenty-five years. The council spent more than $1-million to rehabilitate the camp in preparation for reopening in June 2006. On June 28, 2006, the camp was once again inundated. While its long-term future was in doubt, it opened again successfully in 2007 and 2008. However on September 10, 2008, the Council Executive Board voted to close Treasure Island for the 2009 season, the camp has remained closed since.

Tube rafting was offered to Scouts during the summer, and Scouts floated downstream to Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania, where they were driven by bus back up to the mainland across from Treasure Island, and taken by a boat back to the island. Bike and canoe trips in the surrounding area were conducted along the old Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal. Additionally, Climbing and rappelling trips were offered at Ralph Stover State Park.

Other facilities

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. The camp was accessible to city-scouts by taking the train to the Jenkintown station. Camp Henry W. Breyer (40.0853°N 75.1311°W / 40.0853; -75.1311) was sold by the Philadelphia Council in 1990 and is now the site of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry.

At one point, the Philadelphia Council was also given a tract of land near the Roxborough Reservoir at Port Royal Avenue and Eva Street (40.0556°N 75.2438°W / 40.0556; -75.2438). This land was eventually sold and is now part of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. Also, the Philadelphia council also owned Camp Biddle on the Darby Creek (Pennsylvania) in Marple Township. (39.9967°N 75.3550°W / 39.9967; -75.3550). The camp was named after Anthony J. Drexel Biddle.

Unami Lodge

Main article: Unami Lodge

The Cradle of Liberty's Order of the Arrow Lodge, Unami Lodge One, is the oldest OA lodge in the country. The Order of the Arrow was founded in 1915 at during a summer camp on Treasure Island. The two men principally responsible for its creation were camp director E. Urner Goodman and his assistant Carroll A. Edson.

Alumni

• Tommy Lasorda

See also

• Scouting in Pennsylvania