Area F Meeting 1948

In 1948, the lodges of western Pennsylvania met at Camp Twin Echo near Ligonier PA, the site of the 1940 National Order of the Arrow meeting. The conference was hosted by Anicus Lodge 67 and featured the first “conclave patch” issued in Region 3. The patch was a felt arrowhead with a silk-screened design based on the standard Camp Twin Echo patches of the era.

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eBay recently announced a new requirement for sellers on their site, ending the option for their sellers to accept checks or money orders.     The policy states:

Paper payments end this October

Beginning late October 2008, all items listed on eBay.com must be paid for using one of the following approved payment options:

• Direct credit or debit card payment via a merchant credit card account
• PayPal
• ProPay
• Payment on pick-up

Paper payment methods such as checks and money orders will no longer be accepted on eBay.com…

There are some exceptions for a few categories.

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The lodges of eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia met in both 1948 and 1949, but there are no known memorabilia items from these meetings.

In 1948, the Area E conference was hosted by Octoraro Lodge 22 at Camp Horseshoe on May 1-2.

In 1949, the Area 3A conference was hosted by Pohopoco Lodge 44 at Camp Trexler on April 23-24. At the time, the Vigil Honor was often conferred at Area conferences rather than at lodge events; Ray Garrabrandt of Virginia was so honored at the 1949 conference.

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Region 3

This will be the first in what I hope will be a long series of entries covering the conferences of the old Region 3, following on John’s coverage of conferences and conclaves from North Carolina.

The old Region 3 consisted of the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia, along with Washington DC and the tip of the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Continue Reading »

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There has been some discussion on patch-l recently about storing neckerchiefs.   Specifically the question was whether they should be removed from their original plastic bag.     As can happen on lists like this messages, especially private emails, can stray from the original topic.

In this case I got into a small discussion with a friend who’s an archivist about Scouting memorabilia storage practices.   I noted that there seems to be a mindset in our hobby to only care about how the memorabilia will hold up during the collecting lifetime of the current owner.     Since many bigger collectors are already middle aged or older, this represents a time span of a few decades at best.     There doesn’t seem to be a sensitivity towards preserving stuff for posterity’s sake.

My archivist friend, who will remain anonymous unless he reveals himself, gave me permission to share his remarks.   He can be rather opinionated and to the point.     Consider well what he says:

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1977 SE-3A Conclave Patch

Nayawin Rar hosted the 1977 SE-3A at Camp Tuscarora.     This was the first time Nayawin Rar hosted in twenty years, since they hosted the 1957 Area 6-A fellowship.     The patch, pictured, prominently features the host lodge’s totem as it appears on most of its flaps.

The theme for this conclave looks like something concocted by a bureaucrat or professional rather than the youth members of the section’s Council of Chiefs.

For the first time since 1960, there was no neckerchief issued for this year’s event.   I am aware of no other memorabilia issued for this conclave.

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1976 SE-3A Conclave Patch

Tali Taktaki 70 hosted the 1976 SE-3A conclave at Camp Wenasa.   The pocket patch, pictured, was designed to commemorate the US bicentennial.   The heron which figures prominently on my of this lodge’s flaps is shown at the bottom of this patch.

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1975 SE-3A Conclave Patch

Uwharrie 208 hosted the 1975 SE-3A conclave at Camp Uwharrie.     This was the first time Uwharrie has hosted a section conclave or area fellowship since 1949.

I have been told part of the reason this lodge went so long without hosting was due to a long-time Scout executive who, to put it mildly, was not supportive of the OA.   Logistics also were part of it, as the lodge and their council’s camp were both small when compared to some of the other lodges in this section.

The pocket patch for this event is pictured here.     The design prominently features the totem of Uwharrie lodge.   It is based upon the lodge’s S5, also issued in 1975.

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States Covered Thus Far

I now turn to the “Bee Hive State” for this installment of the series These 50 States. We have now passed the halfway point in this series.

Scouting is very popular in Utah, thanks in part to the influence of the LDS church.   As a result, the lodges tend to be active and are known today for their numerous and attractive patches.   Yet, of the five lodges that have been headquartered in Utah only two of these lodge names have been used on patches in the shape of Utah, or using this state’s shape.

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1974 SE-3A Conclave Patch

Occoneechee 104 hosted the 1974 SE-3A conclave at Camp Durant.     Though this was the first event to go by that name, technically it was the second.     The 1973 Area 6-A fellowship was technically the first SE-3A conclave as the BSA’s reorganization went into effect on 1/1/1973.

Looking at the patch it appears there was still some confusion about the nomenclature for the new groupings of lodges, sections.   These lodges now formed section 3A within area 3 of the Southeastern region.   The correct shorthand for the section was SE-3A, not “Area 3-A”.     I think we can forgive them for being less than clear the first time this was used on a patch!

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