Editing Scouting in Pennsylvania (section)

==History==

===Early history (1908–1950)===
One of the earliest Scouting groups in Pennsylvania began in 1908 in [[Pottsville, Pennsylvania|Pottsville]], when a Superintendent with the [[Pennsylvania State Police]], Lynn G. Adams, formed a troop using [[Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell|Baden-Powell]]'s handbook, ''Scouting for Boys''. The troop was made up of two patrols, one sponsored by the Pottsville Mission and the other by the YMCA. Adams became the first Scoutmaster in Pennsylvania in 1910 soon after the BSA was incorporated.<ref name="On My Honor" />{{rp|55}} The oldest Pennsylvania Scout troop still in existence is "Troop Bala One" in [[Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania|Bala Cynwyd]], which was founded in 1908 by Frank H. Sykes.<ref>[http://bala_one.tripod.com/bala1/id2.html Troop Bala One History]</ref>

The first council in Pennsylvania was the Delaware & Montgomery County Council in 1911. This council eventually became the former Valley Forge Council, now part of the Cradle of Liberty Council.

[[File:Scout Basketball.jpg|thumb|[[Warren, Pennsylvania]], Boy Scout basketball team, 1912]]
Sixteen councils were chartered in America between 1910 and 1913. The seventeenth was the [[Chief Cornplanter Council|Warren County Council]] headquartered in [[Warren, Pennsylvania]]. This council later changed its name to Chief Cornplanter Council and is still in operation. It is currently the oldest existing, continuously registered council in America. The other preceding 16 councils either went out of business or merged with another council at some point in their history. The information for this paragraph was provided by the Registration Department of the National Office of the BSA, Irving, Texas, in October 2007.<ref>[http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/HJ/2008/0/20081006.pdf ''legis.state.pa.us'']</ref><ref>[http://morainetrails.doubleknot.com/about-us/the-council/65473 ''doubleknot.com'']</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/81928909/ ''Warren Times-Mirror'' February 9, 1967]</ref>

Also in 1913, the Philadelphia Council opened the first American scout camp, [[Treasure Island Scout Reservation]], near [[Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania|Point Pleasant]]. Two years later, Dr. [[E. Urner Goodman]] and [[Carrol Edson]] founded the [[Order of the Arrow]], which inducted its first members on July 16, 1915 at Treasure Island.

In 1914, the [[Allegheny County Council]], forerunner of today's Laurel Highlands Council, was chartered. Also in 1914, the [[Philadelphia Council]] was chartered.

In 1915 charters were first granted to the councils headquartered in [[Erie, Pennsylvania|Erie]], [[Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania|Wilkes-Barre]], and [[Oil City, Pennsylvania|Oil City]].

In 1916, councils were chartered in [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]],<ref name="On My Honor" />{{rp|68}} [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]], [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]], and [[Scranton, Pennsylvania|Scranton]], among others. The council in Harrisburg is now part of New Birth of Freedom Council.

In 1917 [[Meadville, Pennsylvania|Meadville]], [[State College, Pennsylvania|State College]] and [[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|Bethlehem]] were granted charters by the National Office, along with nine other councils.

1919 saw the councils in [[Williamsport, Pennsylvania|Williamsport]], [[Altoona, Pennsylvania|Altoona]] and [[Chester County, Pennsylvania|Chester County]] formed. Like Chief Cornplanter, the Chester County Council is still in operation, one of only a handful of small one-county councils left in America. The other one in Pennsylvania, [[Bucks County, Pennsylvania|Bucks County]] Council, received its first charter in 1927.

By 1920, forty-six councils had been chartered in Pennsylvania. Most of these were small councils no larger than the town they were named after. Some of these were known as "Second Class Councils".
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Shenango Valley Council pennant 1927.png|thumb|[[Shenango Valley Council]] pennant from 1927]] -->
In the following years, other currently chartered councils were started: Juniata Valley in 1929; Bucktail in 1930; Columbia-Montour and Schuylkill County Area<ref name="On My Honor" />{{rp|56}} in 1931; and York-Adams in 1932.

1937 saw the formation of the current Westmoreland-Fayette Council in [[Greensburg, Pennsylvania|Greensburg]].

All other current councils in Pennsylvania are the result of mergers which began to occur in the 1960s through the present day.

1941 saw the creation of [[Camp Ockanickon]] in Bucks County Council.

Among the claimants for ''[[Oldest Scout Groups|First Boy Scout Troop in the United States]]'' is Troop 1 in [[Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania|Bala Cynwyd]].

Pennsylvania is home to the oldest annual Scouting event in the nation, the [[Valley Forge Pilgrimage|Valley Forge Pilgrimage and Encampment]].

In 1928, [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]] (and Erie native) [[Paul Siple]] was one of the first Scouts to travel to [[Antarctica]] with [[Richard E. Byrd|Admiral Richard Byrd]]. Byrd had held a national contest to invite worthy Eagle Scouts onto the expedition. Paul Siple later went on to develop what is now known as the "[[Wind Chill Factor]]"

The 1921 and 1931 National Order of the Arrow Lodge Meetings were held at Philadelphia, the 1922 and 1927 National Lodge Meetings were held at [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]], and the 1940 National Lodge Meeting was held at [[Ligonier, Pennsylvania|Ligonier]].

In 1924, the [[McKean County Council]] (#499) was formed, changing its name to the [[McKean-Potter Area Council]] (#499) in 1926. In 1936, the council changed its name to the [[McKean-Potter Area Council]] (#499) in 1936. In 1947, the council changed its name to the [[Elk Lick Council]] (#499).{{listref|a}}

===Recent history (1950–1990)===
The [[National Scout jamboree (Boy Scouts of America)|1950 National Scout Jamboree]] was held at [[Valley Forge, Pennsylvania|Valley Forge]]. That positive experience led to National Jamborees in 1957 and 1964 as well.

Outside of the few small councils mentioned above, the history of Pennsylvania councils over the past 50 years has been one of mergers.{{listref|a}}

Beginning in 1962, the Mid-Valley Council, headquartered in [[Peckville, Pennsylvania|Peckville]], merged with the former [[Daniel Carter Beard|Dan Beard]] Council in Scranton to form the Forest Lakes Council. Meanwhile, in 1970, the former [[Anthracite]] Council ([[Hazleton, Pennsylvania|Hazleton]]) merged with the former [[Wyoming Valley]] Council (Wilkes-Barre) to form the Penn Mountains Council. In 1984, the area comprising the former Anthracite Council removed itself from the Penn Mountains Council and joined neighboring Minsi Trails Council. Forest Lakes Council and Penn Mountains Council merged in 1990 to form the current Northeastern Pennsylvania Council, in [[Moosic, Pennsylvania|Moosic]].

In 1967, the former [[Nemacolin]] Trails Council in [[Washington, Pennsylvania]], merged with the Allegheny Council in [[Pittsburgh]] to become the Allegheny Trails Council. This council merged again in 1993 with East Valley Council to become the Greater Pittsburgh Council.

In 1969, the Lehigh County Council ([[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]]), Bethlehem Area Council and Delaware Valley Area Council ([[Easton, Pennsylvania|Easton]]) merged to form the current Minsi Trails Council in Allentown.

In 1970, the former [[Appalachian Trail]] Council and [[Daniel Boone]] Council merged to form the current Hawk Mountain Council in Reading.<ref name="On My Honor" />{{rp|85}} 1970 also saw the merger of the Blair-Bedford Area Council ([[Altoona, Pennsylvania|Altoona]]), [[William Penn]] Council ([[Indiana, Pennsylvania|Indiana]]) and [[Robert Peary|Admiral Robert E. Peary]] Council ([[Johnstown, Pennsylvania|Johnstown]]) into the Penns Woods Council in [[Ebensburg, Pennsylvania|Ebensburg]].

In 1971, the [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania|Lancaster County]] and [[Lebanon County, Pennsylvania|Lebanon County]] councils merged to form the Lancaster-Lebanon Council. This council changed its name in 1995 to the [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] Council and is headquartered in Lancaster.

In 1972, the Washington Trail Council ([[Erie, Pennsylvania|Erie]]), Colonel Drake Council ([[Oil City, Pennsylvania|Oil City]]) and [[Custaloga]] Council ([[Sharon, Pennsylvania|Sharon]]) merged to form the current [[French Creek (Allegheny River)|French Creek]] Council, headquartered in Erie.

1973 saw the merger of the former [[Lawrence County, Pennsylvania|Lawrence County]] Council ([[New Castle, Pennsylvania|New Castle]]) with the former Pioneer Trails Council ([[Butler, Pennsylvania|Butler]]), forming the current Moraine Trails Council, host to two National Jamborees (see below).

Also in 1973, the former Elk Lick Council, in [[Bradford, Pennsylvania|Bradford]], merged into the Allegheny Highlands Council headquartered in [[Falconer, New York]].

In 1974, the former [[West Branch Susquehanna River|West Branch]] Council ([[Williamsport, Pennsylvania|Williamsport]]) and [[Susquehanna Valley]] Area Council ([[Sunbury, Pennsylvania|Sunbury]]) merged to form the current Susquehanna Council in Williamsport.

In 1973, the [[Allegheny Highlands Council]] (#382) was formed from a merger of the Seneca Council (#750) and the Elk Lick Council (#499).{{listref|a}}

Other notable happenings in Pennsylvania Scouting at this time include:

The [[1950 National Scout Jamboree|1950]], [[1957 National Scout Jamboree|1957]], and [[1964 National Scout Jamboree]]s were held at [[Valley Forge, Pennsylvania|Valley Forge]].

Half of the [[National Scout jamboree (Boy Scouts of America)|1973 National Scout Jamboree]] ("Jamboree East") was held at [[Moraine State Park]] in [[Butler County, Pennsylvania|Butler County]], where the [[1977 National Scout Jamboree]] and Campaganza 2010 were also held.

During 1975 and 1976, Scouts in the Philadelphia area could earn a "Colonial Philadelphia" [[merit badge (Boy Scouts of America)|merit badge]]. It could only be counted towards palms, not any rank, and came in a green border and a very yellow-green border. This was the only time BSA National approved a regional merit badge for any such use.