Scouting in New Jersey facts for kids

Scouting in New Jersey has a rich history, helping thousands of young people since the 1910s. It offers programs that fit the local environment. The second main office for the Boy Scouts of America was even located in North Brunswick, New Jersey, though it was often called New Brunswick in their books.

How Scouting Began in New Jersey (1910–1950)

In the early days of Scouting, many local groups, called councils, started forming across New Jersey. These councils helped organize Scout troops and activities in different towns and areas.

For example, the Ridgewood Council began in 1915. Over time, it changed its name and merged with other councils. The Englewood Council also started in 1919. Many councils, like Paterson Council, changed their names several times as they grew.

Some councils joined together to become bigger. In 1929, the Bloomfield Council and Nutley Council merged to form the Bloomfield-Nutley Council. Later, in 1935, this council became the Tamarack Council.

Other mergers happened too. In 1931, the Montclair Council, Caldwell Council, and Glen Ridge Council combined to create the Eagle Rock Council. In 1933, several councils in the Orange area, like East Orange Council and West Orange Council, merged to form the Oranges and Maplewood Area Council.

In northern New Jersey, the North Hudson Council started in 1919 and later became the Alexander Hamilton Council. The Hoboken Council and Jersey City Council merged in 1936 to form the Hudson Council. These mergers helped Scouting grow and become more organized across the state.

Scouting in South Jersey's Early Days

Scouting also grew in South Jersey. The Cumberland County Council existed from 1919 to 1944. It then became part of the South Jersey Council.

The Lenape Area Council eventually joined with the Atlantic Area Council. In 1992, the Atlantic Area Council and the Ocean County Council merged. This created the Jersey Shore Council.

The Burlington County Council started in 1925. Later, in 1967, the Gloucester-Salem Council and the South Jersey Council merged. They formed the Southern New Jersey Council. In 2013, the Southern New Jersey Council and Burlington County Council joined forces. This created the Garden State Council.

Camp Glen Gray: A Special Place for Scouts

Camp Glen Gray is a historic Scout camp in Bergen County, New Jersey. It has been active since 1917. The camp is located in a valley in the Ramapo Mountains. It was named after Frank Fellows Gray, an early Scouting leader.

Frank Gray chose and developed this land to create a permanent summer camp for Scouts. It was the first camp built specifically for Scouting in New Jersey. Before this, Scout camps were often temporary. Frank Gray was one of America's first Scoutmasters. He started Troop 4 in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1909. This troop was known as the "Lord Baden-Powell Troop."

The camp grew to about 840 acres. It was run by different councils over the years. In 2003, Bergen County Parks Commission bought the camp. A non-profit group called Friends of Glen Gray now manages it. While it's no longer an "official" Boy Scout Camp, it still hosts many Scouting groups. It also runs a summer day camp for a special-needs school.

Famous Scout: Walter Marty Schirra, Jr.

Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. (1923–2007) was a notable Scout from New Jersey. He earned the rank of First Class in Troop 36 in Oradell. Walter Schirra was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts. He was also the only person to fly in all three of America's first space programs: Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.

How Cub Scouting Began

To include younger boys in Scouting, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) started looking into new programs. James E. West approved the creation of the Boy Rangers of America. This was a separate group for boys aged eight to twelve. It was based on American Indian themes. The Boy Rangers used the Scout Law.

The BSA began testing Cubbing units in 1928. In 1930, the BSA officially started registering the first Cubbing packs. The Boy Rangers group was then absorbed into Cub Scouting. The Cub Scouting program used ideas from Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book series. For example, the Cubmaster was called Akela. The assistant Cubmaster was called Baloo.

The American program also blended in American Indian elements. All Cub Scouts belonged to the Webelos tribe. This was symbolized by the Arrow of Light. Webelos was also an acronym meaning Wolf, Bear, Lion, Scout. The first ranks were Wolf, Bear, and Lion, for ages 9, 10, and 11. Dens of six to eight Cubs were led by a Boy Scout called a den chief.

Important Leaders in New Jersey Scouting

Mortimer L. Schiff was a vice-president of the BSA starting in 1910. He even appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1927. In 1931, he was elected president but sadly passed away after only one month. His mother bought and donated 400 acres of land in New Jersey to the BSA. This land became the Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation. It served as a national training center for Scouting leaders. Both Mortimer and his son, John M. Schiff, received the Silver Buffalo Award from the BSA for their contributions.

William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt was a very important writer for the BSA. He wrote many articles for Boys' Life and Scouting magazines. He had a popular column for patrol leaders called "Patrol Leader Green Bar Bill." He wrote three editions of the Boy Scout Handbook, with over 12 million copies printed. Hillcourt passed away in Europe in 1992 while on a Scouting tour. He is buried in Mendham, New Jersey, near the Mortimer L. Schiff Scout Reservation. His writings and influence continue to shape Scouting programs and training today.

Order of the Arrow in New Jersey

The Order of the Arrow is Scouting's National Honor Society. The first ceremony for the Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow was held in New Jersey. E. Urner Goodman led this ceremony with Scouts from the Treasure Island Scout Reservation. The national meetings for the Order of the Arrow were held at Treasure Island, New Jersey, in both 1925 and 1936.

Scouting in New Jersey: More Recent Times (1950–2010)

In 1954, the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America moved its main office from New York City to North Brunswick, New Jersey. This new location was at the corner of U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 130. The Johnston Historical Museum and a nature trail were also there. The national headquarters later moved to Irving, Texas, in 1979.

More councils continued to merge. In 1968, the Hudson and Alexander Hamilton councils combined to form the Hudson-Hamilton Council. In 1993, the Bayonne and Hudson-Hamilton councils merged to become the Hudson Liberty Council.

In 1972, the Aheka and Alhtaha councils merged to form the Passaic Valley Council. In 1976, the Orange Mountain, Eagle Rock, and Robert Treat councils merged. They formed the Essex Council.

On January 1, 1999, four major councils in northern New Jersey merged. These were the Essex, Hudson Liberty, Bergen, and Passaic Valley councils. They all came together to create the Northern New Jersey Council.

Boy Scouting in New Jersey Today

Today, there are seven local Boy Scouts of America (BSA) councils that serve young people in New Jersey.

Washington Crossing Council

The Washington Crossing Council serves Scouts in parts of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It also serves two districts in Western New Jersey. These districts are Mercer Area in Mercer County, New Jersey and Hunterdon Arrowhead in Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

Garden State Council

The Garden State Council serves all Scouting groups in Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties. It also serves Buena Vista Township and Buena Borough in Atlantic County. This council was formed on January 1, 2013. It was created by the merger of the Southern New Jersey Council and the Burlington County Council.

Camps of the Garden State Council

• [Roosevelt Scout Reservation] (a camp for Scouts BSA)
• Camp Diller (a tent camp for Scouts BSA)
• Camp Grice (a Cub Scout camp)
• [Pine Hill Scout Reservation] (a Cub Scout camp)
• [Pine Tree Education and Environmental Center] (a Cub Scout Camp)

Order of the Arrow Lodge for Garden State Council

The [Lenape Lodge #8] is the Order of the Arrow lodge for this council. It was formed by the merger of two older lodges, Te'kening 37 and Hunnikick 76.

Jersey Shore Council

The Jersey Shore Council serves all of Ocean and Atlantic Counties. It also serves parts of Burlington County.

Minsi Trails Council

The Minsi Trails Council serves Scouts in eastern Pennsylvania. This includes the Lehigh Valley and the Pocono Mountains. It also serves Warren County, New Jersey.

Monmouth Council

The Monmouth Council serves Scouts in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Northern New Jersey Council

The Northern New Jersey Council serves Scouting in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Passaic counties. This council has three districts: Three Rivers, Ramapo Valley, and Lenape Trail. In 2013, this council served over 13,000 young people.

Patriots' Path Council

The Patriots' Path Council includes Morris, Sussex, Somerset, Middlesex, and Union counties.

Girl Scouting in New Jersey

Map of Girl Scout Councils in New Jersey

New Jersey has four main Girl Scout councils. These were created in 2007 by combining eleven older councils.

Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey

This council covers more than nine counties in central and southern New Jersey. It serves over 27,000 girls and 11,000 adults. The council has three service centers, six camps, and two mobile resource centers. It was formed on October 1, 2007, by merging three previous councils.

Their main office is in Cherry Hill.

Service Centers

• Cherry Hill
• East Brunswick
• Newfield

Camps

• Inawendiwin in Tabernacle, NJ
• Oak Spring in Somerset, NJ
• Camp Sacajawea (SACY) in Newfield, NJ
• Kettle Run in Medford, NJ

Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey

This council serves over 17,000 girls in Hudson, Essex, Union, Somerset, Hunterdon, Southern Warren, and parts of Middlesex counties. It was formed by merging three councils: Great Essex and Hudson Counties, Rolling Hills, and Washington Rock.

Their main office is in Westfield, NJ.

Service Centers

• East (in Montclair, NJ)
• West (in North Branch, NJ)
• Central (in Westfield, NJ)

Camps

• Camp Lou Henry Hoover: 340 acres in Stillwater Township, New Jersey in Sussex County. It opened in 1953.
• Camp Agnes DeWitt Day Camp: 152 acres in Hillsborough, NJ.
• The OVAL in the South Mountain Reservation in Maplewood, NJ.

Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore

This council serves about 16,000 girls and has 6,000 adult volunteers. It covers Ocean and most of Monmouth counties. It was created in July 2007 by merging the Monmouth and Ocean County Councils.

Their main office is in Farmingdale, New Jersey.

Service Centers

• Toms River, NJ (Ocean Service Center)
• Farmingdale, NJ (Monmouth Service Center)

Camps

• Camp Sacajawea: 143 acres in Farmingdale, NJ.
• Camp Amity Acres: 57 acres of pine barrens in Waretown, NJ.

Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey

This council serves a large number of girls aged 5–17 in 160 towns. It includes all of Bergen, Morris, Passaic, and Sussex counties. It also covers the northern half of Warren County. In 2011, it had over 33,000 girl members and 17,000 adult members. It was formed on October 1, 2007, by merging three councils.

Their main office is in Riverdale, NJ.

Service Centers

• Paramus, NJ
• Randolph, NJ
• Riverdale, NJ (closed for renovations until late 2011)

Resource Center

• Paterson, NJ (Center City Mall)

Camps

• Camp Glen Spey: 600 acres in Glen Spey, NY. It has a 70-acre glacial lake.
• Lake Rickabear: 332 acres in Kinnelon, New Jersey.
• Jockey Hollow Camp: 212 acres in Mendham, New Jersey.

International Scouting in New Jersey

The Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség (Hungarian Scouting) has two troops in Passaic, New Jersey and two in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Scouting Museums in New Jersey

The New Jersey Scout Museum is located in Morganville. It was started in 2004 as a non-profit organization. Its main focus is to preserve the history of Scouting in New Jersey.

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