Published History Documents
A Timeline of Shenandoah Lodge: 1944 – Present (BETA)
1915
The Founding of our Order
In 1915, Camp Director E. Urner Goodman and Assistant Camp Director Carroll A. Edson searched for a way to recognize select campers for their cheerful spirits of service at Treasure Island Scout Camp in the Delaware River. Goodman and Edson founded the Order of the Arrow when they held the first Ordeal Ceremony on July 16th of that year. As the years went on and more camps adopted the Order of the Arrow’s program, it gained prominence and became part of the national Boy Scout program in 1934.
1944
The Founding of Our Lodge
Early in 1944, the Executive Board and the Camp Committee of the Stonewall Jackson Area Council met and discussed the formation of an Order of the Arrow Lodge. On February 19, 1944, Mr. Robert E. ‘Pop’ Bruce, a field commissioner for the Stonewall Jackson Area Council, received a letter from H. Lloyd Nelson, the National Chief at that time, detailing the procedure to establish a lodge. The official establishment of the lodge was finalized on March 29, 1944, by the Stonewall Jackson Area Council Executive Board. That evening, by formal action on a motion by ‘Pop’ Bruce, the Council Executive Board created Shenandoah Lodge #258.
1944
1944
The Lodge Name & Totem
The Lodge name was derived from the Council camp, Camp Shenandoah, which was then located on the banks of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. The river flows through the Shenandoah Valley which served as the hunting grounds and war paths for the Tuscaroras, Catawbas, Delawares, Iroquois, Shawnees, Cherokees, and many other wandering bands. Shenandoah comes from the Indian word Sherando and its most widely accepted definition is “daughter of the stars.” The final burial grounds of the massacred Senedos were located near the old site of the Scout Camp. The Lodge totem chosen was an arrowhead with the profile of an Indian Chief superimposed upon it. The arrowhead is found throughout the Shenandoah Valley and at the present home of the Lodge, Camp Shenandoah, near Swoope, Virginia.
1944
The First Induction
On May 17, 1944, a meeting was held to draft the Lodge’s By-Laws and complete the first Induction. A total of 15 members were inducted that evening.
1944
1944
The First Summer
The calling-out ceremony was perfected during the early part of
the 1944 camp season. Those scouts and Scouters called out for OA
membership during the summer of 1944 at Camp Shenandoah were:1945
The First Brotherhood Honor Members
On May 5, 1945, Brotherhood membership was conferred for the first time. The following Ordeal members took their Brotherhood that day:
- Cecil A. Barnett
- Robert Cahoon
- Robert E. Bruce
- J. W. Fix
- Garland Huddlestun
1945
1950
The First Vigil Honor Members
On April 29, 1950, the first Vigil Honor recipients were chosen. These recipients took their Vigil at the 1950 Area III-A Pow Wow hosted by Nentico Lodge 12 at Camp Broad Creek. On September 16, 1950, a third Shenandoah Lodge member was recognized with the Vigil Honor. The following made up the class of 1950 Vigils:
- Eugene Nuckols (4/29/50)
- Jack Lee (4/29/50)
- Garland Huddlestun (9/16/50)
1950
The New Camp Shenandoah
To fit the growing size of the council, a new summer camp was needed. The new Camp Shenandoah was a 300+ acre farm purchased by SJAC in Swoope, Virginia. Increased size of the tract and potential for expansion of facilities (including a 15-ac lake) and attendance were attractive factors in acquiring the new camp property which would retain the same name as the Council’s camp at Island Ford.
1950
1950
Tragic News
On September 21, 1950, the lodge received tragic news. Cecil A. Barnett–the lodge’s first chief–died in a hospital in Yokohama, Japan from wounds received two weeks earlier in combat during the Korean War. The lodge was deeply saddened by his loss.
1971
E. Urner Goodman Camping Award
At the 1971 NOAC, Shenandoah Lodge was presented the first E. Urner Goodman Camping Award. The Award is presented to one lodge in each Region that does the most effective job of Camp Promotion, meeting certain minimum requirements. Shenandoah Lodge was a member of Region 3 at that time and since no lodges in Regions 1 or 2 met the minimum requirements, Shenandoah was the very first lodge in the nation to receive this prestigious recognition. In 1981, Shenandoah Lodge 258 would become the first lodge in the nation to earn the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award twice.
1971
2019
Council Rebrand
The Council Executive Board voted to change its name to Virginia Headwaters Council to represent the geographical area. This Council is home to the spring-waters of all 4 of the great rivers of Virginia and NE West Virginia that enter the sea directly out of Virginia. The James, York, Rappahannock, and Potomac Rivers all rise in our beloved council territory. No other place on earth is home to these headwaters.
2020
Lodge Totem Rebrand
During the Lodge Business Meeting in August, a motion was made to officially change the Lodge totem from the Indian Chief and arrowhead to the black bear in an effort to align with National’s decision to move away from American Indian imagery. The black bear was chosen as the new totem for its connections to the region, ursa major, and the polestar.
2020
Present
Looking to the Future
Shenandoah Lodge looks forward to continuing the everlasting tradition of Brotherhood, Cheerfulness, and Service that was started all the way back in 1944.
