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221 Muscogee
June 15, 1942 marked two beginnings for scouting in central South Carolina. One was the official opening of the new Camp Barstow at its Gaston area location. The other beginning was the chartering of Muscogee Lodge #221. Mr. J. Rucker Newbery, editor of the first OA handbook, and the degree team from Augusta, GA helped to start the lodge and preformed the first ceremonies.
On March 14-16, 1947 Muscogee Lodge hosted the first Area Z Conclave meeting at Camp Barstow. Roscoe Stevens, who was then Scout Executive, was also the Area Z leader that year. This is probably the main reason why Muscogee Lodge was chosen to host this pioneer event. For only three dollars, the brothers of Area Z came together for this historic event.
In 1995 Muscogee Lodge and the Indian Waters Council said goodbye to Camp Barstow in Gaston, SC only to say hello to the new Camp Barstow on the Little Saluda River. The first summer of operation for the new Camp Barstow was in 1996; however Muscogee Lodge began holding Fellowships and Ordeals at the new camp as early as August 1995.
News
Muscogee Puts These Flap Designs To A Vote
Prior to the fellowship there was a Facebook discussion about the OA 100th anniversary flap design, most of the comments on the design were from adults in the lodge and a few designs were posted. The youth in the lodge were referring to the Facebook thread during the fellowship and submitted several more designs at …Read More
Creating The Definitive Muscogee 221 Insignia Guide – the Author’s Story Part 2
Despite my eagerness to get started, I needed to first plan out the book’s format and its scope. It is well-known in the patch collecting community that many issues fall into more than one category and are not always easy to label. I had to decide if I wanted to follow traditional cataloging conventions or …Read More
Muscogee Lodge 116 First Patch Designs
At the end of 2022 Muscogee Lodge 221 and Santee Lodge 116 merged as the councils had already tied the knot in August of that year. At a joint Winter Banquet held on January 7, 2023 in Sumter, SC the youth of the new lodge voted on bi-laws and elected officers for the coming year. …Read More
Creating The Definitive Muscogee 221 Insignia Guide – the Author’s Story Part 3
The nice thing about working alone for the majority of the book was that I was able to work at my own pace. I could sit down and knock out just a page or two, or I could work until two o’clock in the morning and finish an entire chapter. When I met up with …Read More
Muscogee Lodge Deja Vu
Sometimes when seeing a patch you have that déjà vu experience and you think to yourself, “Where have I seen that before?” Here are a few from Muscogee that conjure up that feeling. (Images are courtesy of Jason Shull unless otherwise noted) The 1985 Spring Fellowship patch was based on the 1959 Camp Barstow patch. …Read More
Memorabilia History
Muscogee Lodge 221 First Issue R1 – The 5″ Round
In 1949 Muscogee Lodge issued its first patch, a five-inch round neckerchief patch, was sold along with a white silk neckerchief that was made from an old parachute. The neckerchief and patch sold, as a set, for five dollars. Because of the high cost they sold rather slowly, and were still being sold in the …Read More
Muscogee Lodge 221 Deep Freeze
The weekend of March 12-14, 1993, was a great time to spend at Camp Barstow near Gaston, SC. It was during this Spring Fellowship that Muscogee held the dedication for the William B. O’Tuel Memorial Training Lodge named in honor of a past Lodge Chief and National Vice-Chief. The weekend was also a great “Spring” …Read More
Muscogee Lodge 221 YS2 prototype
I traded for this prototype with Jason Spangler around the winter of 1992 and it’s the only one that I’ve ever seen in nearly 20 years of collecting. This one has been tucked away since then in my brother’s collection. It resembles the 1977 Jamboree flap but it is fully embroidered like the S3/S4/etc. The …Read More