Scouting Heritage merit badge is easier than I thought....

[mrkstvns]

When I first heard about the Scouting Heritage merit badge, I thought it was a challenge for many scouts because it seemed like "the way" to earn it was to go to a jamboree or visit BSA's scouting museum, with merit badge classes doing a cheesy workaround to write a letter to the scouting museum asking for info.

After reading RememberSchiff's interesting post in the Scouting History forum about an Eagle scout who put together an exhibit about scouting during World War I, I started googling around the web to see if there were other exhibits about scouting that could be used to meet requirement 4c.  Boy was I surprised!

Turns out there are many scouting museums around the country and scouting exhibits are not uncommon.  A scout who wants to earn that badge (or a troop looking for a day trip activity) might easily find relevant places right in their own backyard....

Here's a list of scouting museums and exhibits that look like they would satisfy that requirement....

Scout Museums

• BSA National Scouting Museum, Cimarron NM
  https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/museums/
• International Scouting Museum, Las Vegas NV
  http://www.worldscoutingmuseum.org/ 
• L.L. Lee Scouting Museum, Manchester NH
  http://scoutingmuseum.org/ 
• Museum of Ozarks Scouting, Springfield MO
  https://ozarktrailsbsa.org/about/museum-of-scouting 
• North Star Museum of Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting, St Paul MN
  http://www.nssm.org/ 
• Otis Chidester Scout Museum, Tucson AZ 
  http://azscoutmuseum.com/ 
• Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum, Ottawa IL
  https://pickusottawail.com/attractions/scouting-museum/ 
• Post Rock Scout Museum, Lincoln KS
  http://www.kansastravel.org/postrockscoutmuseum.htm 
• Scout Heritage Museum, Milwaukee WI
  http://www.threeharborsscouting.org/council/scout-heritage-museum/51539 
• Scouting Heritage Museum, Denver CO
  http://www.denverboyscouts.org/scouting-heritage-museum/65659 
• World of Scouting Museum, Valley Forge PA
  http://www.worldofscoutingmuseum.org/exhibits.html 

Scout Exhibits

• The Casements, Ormond Beach FL
  http://thecasements.net/visit.html 
• Museum of the American G.I., College Station TX
  http://americangimuseum.org/exhibits/exhibits-bsawwi/ 
• Osage County Historical Society Museum, Pawhuska OK
  http://www.visittheosage.com/things-to-do/museums/0sage-county-historical-society-museum 
• Parsons Historical Museum,  Parsons KS
  http://www.parsonssun.com/news/article_08cf718c-4531-11e9-b934-439f5616c6a2.html 

 

 

[HashTagScouts]

Quite a few camps also have museums and/or memorabilia displays, often cared for by the alumni associations.  We've done a weekend campout themed around the MB at a camp with a museum, and it makes it a pretty easy way to accomplish the activities during the weekend to have the kids check off most, if not all, of the requirements to earn the badge, without it feeling much like they were in a "class".  Had the PLC plan some games during the day (orienteering games are really right in line with the activities from the original Brownsea), a visit to the museum after lunch with some very engaged "curators" who loved to talk about the early days of Scouting, invited a past SM of the troop come and give a talk at the evening campfire about the history of the troop some of us older adults shared a short riff on our time in Scouting for their "interviews". We were fortunate to have had another troop in camp that weekend with us with an ASM who grew up in the UK and had been to Brownsea and gave the kids a perspective on Scouting different than what we could. Kids brought some of their patch collections to the next troop meeting and they could walk around and see each others collection.       

[mashmaster]

My son visited the scout museum but as most scouts that are at Life rank, has very little interest in getting another merit badge

 

[Eagledad]

6 minutes ago, mashmaster said:

My son visited the scout museum but as most scouts that are at Life rank, has very little interest in getting another merit badge

 

I think it's an age thing. I found that most scouts didn't really care until about 15. 

Barry

[The Latin Scot]

There's a gentleman in our district who sets up a large booth at every major district event with a VAST collection of Scouting memorabilia for sale or trade, and he is profoundly knowledgeable about nearly every item he shares. At the last Camporee I told my boys to spend some time there talking with him, and invariably each boy returned with some special treasure he had "discovered" and a solid understanding of that item's history as shared by this good man. As a Scouting Heritage counselor, I couldn't imagine a better way for my boys to pass off this requirement.

[RememberSchiff]

Found this today

The West Baton Rouge Museum announced a new exhibition entitled “Prepared for Life: Scouting in West Baton Rouge”, which will open on June 8 and run through August 18, 2019...

Artifacts from Port Allen’s old Scout Hut will be on display along with items loaned by local Scouters, including uniforms, photographs, and scrapbooks. In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, a portion of the exhibit will focus on the special badges that can be earned by Scouts related to Space Flight, Aeronautics, and Engineering. The exhibit will kick off with a Scouting Reunion Celebration on June 8 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Attend for a night of Scout themed entertainment, refreshments, and reminiscing with fellow troop members. Visitors are welcome to bring an item from their Scouting days to “show and tell” with fellow guests.

https://www.thewestsidejournal.com/lifestyle/this-weekend-at-the-wbrm-prepared-for-life-scouting-in/article_2c4ef0f2-87b6-11e9-8b33-832162868fae.html

[Buggie]

My son signed up to earn this badge at summer camp the first year it was offered there. I don't know how they handled that particular requirement, but I strongly suggest if you have the chance to do so, sit with your scout to hear an old timer talk about times long ago. It's a kick watching scouts hear the tales and honestly, it was super entertaining for me too. We had the luxury of having a great ASM who had been with the troop since his kids were in it in the 70s. He had served in various capacities (SM, ASM, CC etc) throughout all those decades and is still serving today. He got to rolling on some great stories of scouts and their adventures. It was a hoot. 

Just sit back, relax and let them tell the tales. Scouters who have been around that long typically have a way that kids enjoy listening to them. I was honored to be able to listen in. 

Afterwards, my son was wanting to collect such stories (recording) from various scout leaders just for the shear enjoyment of it. He never got around to doing it though. I can see that as a wonderful side project for a scout to be shared with others. 

[HelpfulTracks]

Our main Camp has a nice museum. 

Some units and OA Lodges have some nice collections also.

[ianwilkins]

Brownsea Island has some small displays and heritage stuff, a kudo horn but not I think *the* kudo horn,  it's quite interesting. Gilwell Park has a museum, much of it about Gilwell Park and adult training, but also some decent general artifacts, but I think they're about to rebuild it soon, at least, I think they were begging for money to do same recently. Gilwell Park also usually has BP's caravan, and his Rolls Royce, Jam Roll. Though, fair enough, these are not very practical options for most US scouts doing their Heritage Merit Badge, but there you go.

Of course, the text of loads of old scout books are on the fantastic resource The Dump.

[mrkstvns]

3 hours ago, ianwilkins said:

Of course, the text of loads of old scout books are on the fantastic resource The Dump.

Thank you, Ian!

I had never heard of "The Dump" before reading your post.  Googled it and found LOTS of interesting historical references around scouting.  It's going to take me quite a while to peruse the collection.

If other folks are also unfamiliar with the site, you can find it here:  http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com/