We are handling the council shoulder patch collection for long time collector Bob Walton of North Carolina. The collection is special in it’s own right. It is among the top 5 (3?) such collections in the country and arguably the deepest in some of its specific themes. It is what we call a “generational collection” as it represents over 20 years of collecting. His collection is near complete in first issue CSPs. I call these the “rookie cards” of the hobby. His collection includes virtually all of the toughest of first issues. It is one of the most extensive Eagle Scout CSP collections we have ever seen (and we’ve seen a lot.)
But I’m burying the lede here. What is the most significant message here is that we are not selling this for Bob. We are selling it for Cape Fear Council, BSA. Bob has donated this whole collection to the Scouts for the council’s restricted endowment fund! He will be helping the hobby as today’s collectors will have a chance to pick up needs that rarely come available as there are so few. He will also be helping to assure that Scouting continues going forward developing today’s youth that will become tomorrow’s leaders!
While Bob was here we shot a couple of interviews. The first part discusses his collecting history and a few of the special issues in his collection.
Attending the 1957 Jamborees
In the first part Bob mentions starting his collecting in 1981 at the BSA National Jamboree that year. This wasn’t his first jamboree. Bob attended the 1957 BSA National Jamboree AND the 1957 World Jamboree! We did a second part where we go over those experiences and what it was like to start from Valley Forge and head to England and Europe.
The 1957 World Jamboree was an “extra” jamboree (my term). The prior World Jamboree was in 1955. Normally jamborees are four years apart. What made 1957 special is it was the 50th anniversary of the founding of Scouting and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lord Baden Powell. Bob recounts seeing the young Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Phillip as they toured the entire jamboree site as well as other signatory experiences that such an event offers to the world’s youth.
In the early years of Scouting here in the USA there was as good partnerships with major companies. Here is an example of a booklet Kodak Camera company published talking about what Scouts do (and how to use a Kodak camera while doing it.)
Cover for Proof Positive – A Kodak Story for Boy Scouts
The booklet is undated but given some of the pictures and that it features Baden-Powell I am thinking this is from BSA’s earliest years. It is quite likely from pre-1915 and may be from 1910 or 1911.
Back Cover of Proof Positive – A Kodak story for Boy Scouts
The 64 page booklet features B-P but also the photography merit badge. It has a “story” of a Scout named “Bulb” using their camera.
Kodak made BSA branded cameras in the early 1900s. We occasionally get them in but rarely complete with the case and cover. Here is an example though of one such that came through our hands. This was likely after the booklet was issued as the booklet does not show any BSA branded products.
Going forward post BSA’s bankruptcy, we need to look again at what companies that might make suitable partners. I am sure Kodak Co. is a reason Scouting was so strong in Rochester, NY.
The first BSA camp was held at the YMCA’s Silver Bay facility near Lake George, NY from August 16 – September 1, 1910. Like what Baden-Powell did earlier in England at Brownsea Island, the Scout leaders tested out the concept and interest in a summer camp experience for youth.
Pictures from the Silver Bay Camp from the Paul Freitag Museum, Buffalo, NY. Note the Seton Woodcraft Indians flag behind the Scouts in the campfire ring. Lower left shows Dan Beard teaching axe throwing.
In the earliest days of the BSA, before James West was hired as Chief Scout Executive, it was Edgar Robinson Director of the YMCA in New York city, that was helping to administer the developing organization. Actually, Robinson was involved in the selection, recruitment and hiring of West.
From the BSA National Jamboree Silver Bay exhibit syllabus:
… in 1910 Robinson, Seton (Founder of the Woodcraft Indians) and others, like Dan Beard (Founder of Sons of Daniel Boone), had become national leaders in founding the Boy Scouts of America. This caused camp plans to shift, and an experimental Woodcraft Boy Scout Camp resulted.
Campers were instructed in advance on what equipment was needed for camp through the YMCA newsletter Association Boys. Among the items listed were a ‘khaki suit and khaki hat.’ This was the first effort toward any type of standard uniform for American Scouts.
Campers were told to bring five books with them to camp. Besides the Bible, there was Alice Fletcher’s book on Indian stories and songs, and Horace Kephart’s classic on camping. Both authors were considered the leading experts in their fields. Seton’s Birch Bark Roll and Baden-Powell’s Scouting for Boys were also listed. But by the time of the camp, the BSA’s first Handbook for Boys had come out. The new handbook combined parts of The Birch Bark Roll and Scouting for Boys into one book and credited both men. Several copies of the first Handbook for Boys were brought to the camp.
From Silver Bay syllabus excerpt courtesy of staff director Kelly Williams
YMCA Silver Bay facility in more modern times (about 15 years ago). The 1910 campfire ring can still be seen. It is to the left in the photo in the woods near the shoreline of the lake. Picture courtesy of Kelly Williams.
The Dallas Trade-o-ree is the best super-regional swap event for Scouting memorabilia. One of the features is their display contest. Collectors bring out some of the rarest and most interesting items to share with the show attendees. (BTW – The 2011 show is January 21-21. See the flyer. Be there if you can.)
For the 2010 show, Kelly Williams, President of Krelman Co., won “Best of Show” with is display of the military influences on the early Scouting program. This is a little known piece of history that he has well researched but even more so he has tracked down the memorabilia that is over 100 years old. It also speaks to what I am seeing as an increasing, positive trend in our hobby. It is not just about putting together a collection of items but reconstructing history through the items.
Here’s a video interview we did with Kelly at the show.
As part of the ISCA sponsored trade-o-ree in Dallas this past month there were a series of educational sessions. Silver Buffalo recipient and long time collector Dr. Hal Yocum presented one on re-enactment of Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts. We thought you might enjoy what Hal has learned over the years and recorded a part of his presentation.
Hal points out that many youth in the program today don’t know who BP was or would recognize him. For over twenty years now he has played BP at various Scout functions and Woodbadge training courses. Click on the video player below to start.
We’re starting something new here, what we’re calling “Legacy Interviews”. Technology is allowing us better than ever before to capture some of Scouting’s history, retain it, and share it with others.
Unfortunately our history is passing every day but we’re going to make an effort to capture it while we can. In this, our first “Legacy Interview” we interviewed Eagle Scout and Scouter Walter Helmreich. Still going strong at age 90, he joined Scouting in 1929 in Jefferson County Council, Jefferson City, Missouri. His father helped bring Scouting to Jefferson City. This council later became Lake of the Ozarks Council and then consolidated into Great Rivers Council.
Walter attended the 1933 World Jamboree where he spoke several times with Chief Scout Executive James E. West and even cooked corn for Baden-Powell.
In part 4 here, Walter discusses meeting James West, Bill Hillcourt, and Baden-Powell.
We’re starting something new here, what we’re calling “Legacy Interviews”. Technology is allowing us better than ever before to capture some of Scouting’s history, retain it, and share it with others.
Unfortunately our history is passing every day but we’re going to make an effort to capture it while we can. In this, our first “Legacy Interview” we interviewed Eagle Scout and Scouter Walter Helmreich. Still going strong at age 90, he joined Scouting in 1929 in Jefferson County Council, Jefferson City, Missouri. His father helped bring Scouting to Jefferson City. This council later became Lake of the Ozarks Council and then consolidated into Great Rivers Council.
Walter attended the 1933 World Jamboree where he spoke several times with Chief Scout Executive James E. West and even cooked corn for Baden-Powell.
In this, part 3, Walter discusses going to the 1933 World Jamboree and seeing a very disturbing Hitler Youth rally in Munich prior to the jamboree.
Posted on January 10th, 2006 in Baden-Powell by dhoffard
Long time collector Ken Kittelberger just sent us current pictures of his Baden-Powell memorabilia collection. It is one of the most extensive collections in the world. With this being the 99th anniversary, I thought you’d enjoy seeing these as well.
If we think sports heros of today generate a lot of memorabilia or Elvis or the Beatles or Disney ….they had nothing on what went on in Victorian England at the turn of the last century. There was less mass media so there was less passing promotion about persons of importance. Instead, promoters produced a nearly endless supply of different wares.
Ken has produced several manuscripts over the years of documenting items produced. He’s regularly made trips to England and elsewhere in the hunt for new items for his collection. I remember Bernie Miller having a nice smirk when he out-hustled Ken on a find but also grimacing about the ones that got away.
