Girl Scout Council of Savannah (Ga.)

The Girl Scouts of the United States were established in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia, by Juliette Gordon Low (1860-1927). Juliette Low, inspired by the work of Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the worldwide Scout and Guide movement, decided to organize an American equivalent. The Girl Guide, as they were originally known, consisted of two troops which were registered in Savannah on march 12, 1912. The first Girl Guide was Daisy Gordon Lawrence, the niece of Juliette Low. The first Council was established on March 12, 1912. Elizabeth Beckwith was chosen as the first commissioner. The carriage house (330 Drayton Street) behind the Low House served as Council headquarters. By May, 1913, the name Girl Guides was officially changed to Girl Scouts. In 1913, the first Girl Scout handbook, entitled How Girls Can Help Their Country, was published in Savannah. It had been adapted from the English Girl Guide Handbook by Prof. W.J. Hoxie of Savannah. The movement was growing more popular and in June, 1913, the National Council Headquarters was moved to Washington, D.C.; and later in 1916 to New York City. The Girl Scout Council of Savannah was officially chartered a corporation in the State of Georgia in 1925. The Council purchased campsites on local islands around Savannah for use by the Girl Scouts. A campsite on Wassaw Island was purchased in July 1914. In 1923, Camp Walleila on Whitemarsh Island was purchased and the camp operated until 1950. Union Camp gave Calder Cottage, in the Juliette Low Park, as a gift to the Council in 1948. Rose Dhu Island was purchased in 1964. The Gordon family home (142 Bull Street) became the Girl Scout National Headquarters in October 1953. It is now known as the Juliette Gordon Low Girl Scout National Center. The National Center is operated as a house museum and interpretive center for the Girl Scouts. With the growing popularity of the Girl Scout movement, the Girl Scout Council of Savannah began incorporating additional counties under its jurisdiction. In January of 1961 the Savannah Council merged with the Glynn County, Georgia Girl Scout Council to encompass a total of 19 coastal counties under its control. This also included two South Carolina Counties, Jasper and Hampton. By 1968, 28 counties were under the supervision of the Council. The Council has been involved in various activities since its inception. Community involvement projects range from relief work during the depression and victory campaigns during World War II to educational awareness programs during the Civil Rights movement. In 1976 the Council sponsored the first annual "Night in Old Savannah," an ethnic heritage festival. In 1985, the Council turned sponsorship of the festival over to the Alee Shrine Temple. In 1985, due to space limitations, the Council moved its headquarters from 330 Drayton Street to 428 Bull Street and rented the Drayton Street carriage house to the Junior League.