History

In 1920, the Defiance Council (#446) was formed, in 1922 the Van Wert Council (#463) was formed, and in 1919 the Lima Council (#452) was formed. In 1926 Defiance, Lima and Van wert merged to form the Shawnee Area Council (#452). In 1923, the Hancock County Council (#449) was formed, and in 1915 the Tiffin Council was formed. In 1930, Hancock County and Tiffin merged to become the Put-Han-Sen Area Council (#449). In 1992, Shawnee Area and Put-Han-Sen Area merged to become the Black Swamp Area Council (#449).^[1]

Organization

• Arrowwood District serves Hancock County, Ohio and Seneca County, Ohio.
• Chinquapin District serves Defiance County, Ohio, Fulton County, Ohio, Henry County, Ohio, Paulding County, Ohio and Williams County, Ohio.
• Great Oaks District serves Allen County, Ohio, Hardin County, Ohio and Putnam County, Ohio.
• Old Sycamore District serves Auglaize County, Ohio, Van Wert County, Ohio and Mercer County, Ohio.

Camps

• Camp Lakota
• Camp Berry

Order of the Arrow

• Mawat Woakus Lodge^[2]

History

The Middletown Area Council (#454) was first formed as a provisional (second class) council in 1917. In 1920 it was granted full council status. It initially served the city of Middletown. In 1928, the territory of the Middletown Area Council was expanded to include all of Warren County as well as Lemon, Liberty, Madison and Union Townships from Butler County. In 1926, the land for Camp Hook was donated to the council. The camp opened in 1927 and operated until 1991. In 1932 Union Township was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Butler County Council (later known as Fort Hamilton Council). In 1933 the Middletown Area Council was renamed to the Mound Builders Area Council. In 1955, jurisdiction of Lemon Township was transferred to Fort Hamilton Council, forming the final boundaries of the Mound Builders Area Council. Mound Builders Area Council continued to serve Warren County and the Lemon and Madison Townships of Butler County as well as all of Warren County until July 1, 1985 when it was absorbed into Dan Beard Council #438 and became the Mound Builders District. The current Hopewell District of Dan Beard Council, formed during the 2006 redistricting process when Middletown and Lemon Township (including Monroe, Ohio) were recombined, very closely resembling the lines of the old Mound Builders Area Council territory.

Mound Builders Area Council primarily had only two districts, Fort Ancient and Pokey Griffith. A third district, Wischixin, was formed briefly but lasted for less than 5 years before being discontinued.

The Nachenum Lodge #145 of the Order of the Arrow served Mound Builders Area Council, forming in 1939. Upon the merger with Dan Beard Council in 1985, the Ku-Ni-Eh Lodge #462 merged with Nachenum, forming Ku-Ni-Eh Lodge #145 (keeping the existing Dan Beard Council name but choosing to use the lower lodge # of the former Nachenum Lodge).

Mound Builders Area Council, while no longer an actual council, was represented at the 1985 National Jamboree. The troop contingent from Mound Builders Council attended the jamboree, held beginning July 15, while the council itself ceased to exist on July 1. The contingent was technically now part of Dan Beard Council, though all patches and markings, etc. were already set to the old Mound Builders Area Council and were not altered to note Dan Beard Council.

Organization

Camp Friedlander

In late 2021, the Dan Beard Council announced a district realignment effort, partly based on local school district boundaries. On February 9, 2022, the new district names were announced.^[3]

• Fort Hamilton District (representing Butler County)
• Fort Ancient District (representing Warren County, previously known as Hopewell District)
• Trailblazer District (representing the counties in northern Kentucky)
• East Fork District (representing Clermont and Brown Counties, previously known as U.S. Grant District)

And the 4 districts in Hamilton County (William Henry Harrison, Blue Jacket, Hopkins, and Maketeweh) became

• Little Miami District (representing eastern Hamilton County)
• Whitewater Trails District (representing western Hamilton County)
• Queen City District (representing southern Hamilton County)

Camps

Dan Beard Scout Reservation

Camp Michaels is located in Union, KY, on 700 acres (2.8 km²) of land, offering primitive outdoor facilities. 61 acres (0.25 km²) of additional land was dedicated on September 19, 2008.

The Dan Beard Scout Reservation, in Loveland, OH, consists of three areas on its 506-acre (2.05 km²) campus. Camp Friedlander was established in 1919, and reopened in 2002 after renovations to the camp. Friedlander has 23 campsites, a 600-person dining hall, an 18-acre (73,000 m²) lake, cabins, and a swimming pool. It has an excellent reputation and attracts Scouts from all over the world. Camp Craig is often used as a training facility. The Program Building at Camp Craig is often rented out for retreats, conferences or training. The swimming pool at Camp Craig is shared with Cub World. Cub Scout Adventure World (Cub World) opened in 2000 as a camp designed exclusively for Cub Scouting. Cub World features two large buildings that offer dorm-like accommodations (Pioneer Fort and Medieval Castle) that offer rooms with bunk-beds, and more primitive areas (Mountain Man Village and Miner's Camp) that offer tent camping. All three camps have access to each other on the Reservation, which is adjacent to the Little Miami River.

Camp Charles R. Hook, founded in 1926, was in operation until 1991. In 1997, the land was purchased by the Five Rivers Metroparks and is now called the Twin Creek Metropark. The land for Camp Hook was donated by the family of Charles R. Hook, who was the President of the American Rolling Mill Company (ARMCO) (which in the early 1990s merged to become AK Steel Corporation), and son-in-law of the company's founder, George M. Verity. In early 1929 Mr. Hook donated a significant amount of stock to the Middletown Area Council with the instructions to immediately sell it and use the proceeds to put in a swimming pool at the camp. The timing on this event was advantageous considering early in the fall of 1929 was the crash of the stock market and the beginning of the Great Depression. The sale of the stock yielded enough money to put in the swimming pool and purchase more land to the north, expanding the camp's size significantly. The waterfront of the camp was later named Lake George after Charles Hook's son, George Verity Hook. After the camp's closure and sale to the Metroparks system, the majority of the structures were torn down and the swimming pool filled in. Most of the campsites have grown over as well, but many landmarks or signs of the former use of the area remain. The Metroparks system maintains three group campsites for Scout use, and a backcountry camping area was added on the north side of the property near Chamberlain Road. A large rock with embedded plaque thanking the Hooks for the donation remains, as does the amphitheatre campfire bowl, the Administration Lodge, the Maintenance Building, the Chapel (now called the Natuary) and a few other structures that are in ruins. The pool pump house and the shelters for the shooting ranges still remain, though it is believed this is due only because the demolition equipment could not safely reach these structures. The park previously held three geocache units that contain historical pictures of the old camp, but as of fall 2013 they have been removed. One point of interest that remains is the Gilwell Tree. A local Scouting family in the 1970s took a vacation to England with his family, during which they visited Gilwell Park, the home of the Scouting movement. A sapling of one of the English Oaks was brought back from Gilwell Park and planted at Camp Hook to signify the ties between Scouting in the US and the worldwide movement. In June, 1986, Camp Hook hosted EC 336 X, an experimental Wood Badge Course directed by William Hillcourt. (Very little is known about this course.) In 2010 a plaque, and a split rail fence were created to honor the tree and one of the leading, and oldest, scout leaders in the Council. It was an Eagle Scout Service Project.

Trails

The Riverwalk Trail spans downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky (Covington and Newport). The trail can be hiked in 2 configurations: the first (5 miles (8.0 km)) meets a requirement for the 2nd Class rank, while the second (10 miles (16 km)) satisfies one of the requirements for the Hiking Merit Badge. Highlights along the trail include the boyhood home of Dan Beard. There is a patch available from the Council for walking the trail. The Trail Guide for the Dan Beard Riverwalk Trail can be found on the Dan Beard Council website.

Silver Moccasin patch for the Silver Moccasin Trail in Lebanon, Ohio

The Silver Moccasin Trail originally started in Lebanon and finished at Fort Ancient. It was 14 miles (23 km) long and used to offer a medal and a patch. A portion of the trail was reconstructed from Fort Ancient south to Morgan's Riverside Campground off of Mason-Morrow-Millgrove Rd, then crossing the Little Miami River to join the Little Miami Scenic Trail to complete the loop. This restored loop is 5.1 miles (8.2 km) long. The Thunderbird Trail existed as a 6-mile (9.7-km) long loop around Camp Hook. It was in use for many years during the camp's time as a part of Mound Builders Area Council and Dan Beard Council. Scouts could earn a patch upon completing the entire trail. After the sale of the camp to the Five Rivers MetroParks system in 1997, the Thunderbird trail stopped being maintained and now no longer exists except to those who remember exactly where it was, although the trail markers and Order of the Arrow (OA) fire-rings are still visible and somewhat accessible.

Order of the Arrow

The Ku-Ni-Eh Lodge #145 was originally a pre-OA society called the Tribe of Ku-Ni-Eh, founded in 1922 at Camp Friedlander by then Camp Director Arther E. Roberts.^[4] Ku-Ni-Eh means "Order of Manood" in the Maidu tongue. It became popular throughout the region and was incorporated at other camps. However, it was not officially recognized by the BSA National organization, and eventually was phased out for the Order of the Arrow. In 1951, the original Tribe of Ku-Ni-Eh group at the Cincinnati Area Council converted to become the Order of the Arrow Lodge #462.

It remained Ku-Ni-Eh Lodge #462 after the Cincinnati Council merged with the Northern Kentucky Council to become Dan Beard Council in 1956, absorbing Michikinaqua Lodge #155, and again absorbing Mich-Kini-Kwa Lodge #306 when Fort Hamilton Council was merged with Dan Beard Council in 1959.

When Mound Builders Area Council merged with Dan Beard Council in 1985, it was decided to keep the Ku-Ni-Eh name, but use the Nachenum Lodge's lower number of #145, resulting in the founding of Ku-Ni-Eh #145.

Today Ku-Ni-Eh Lodge #145 serves the scouts and scouters of Dan Beard Council and calls Camp Friedlander its home. It typically performs three Ordeal ceremonies per year, with one being held at Dan Beard's northern kentucky property, Camp Michaels.

With the reorganization of the National OA structure in 2022, Ku-Ni-Eh lodge was moved from Section C-6B to section E-2.

History

Organization

• Commodore Perry District
• Eagle Bay District
• Northwest District
• Swan Creek District
• Wood District

Camps

• Camp Miakonda^[5]
• Camp Frontier, part of Pioneer Scout Reservation

Order of the Arrow

• Tindeuchen Lodge # 522

History

Organization

• Canal District
• Crooked River District
• Soaring Eagle District
• Stambaugh District

Camps

The council operates the Manatoc Scout Reservation, containing Camp Manatoc and Camp Butler. The council summer camp program is housed at Camp Manatoc. The council also inherited Camp Stambaugh in Canfield with the consolidation of Greater Western Reserve Council. Camp Stambaugh will host weekend camping, training, and Cub Scout events.

Order of the Arrow

Great Trail Council is served by the Marnoc OA Lodge.^[6]

History

Organization

• Western Trails District
• Central District
• Tinkers Creek District
• Grand River District
• Headwaters District
• Firelands District
• Great Frontier District
• Exploring District

Camps

Beaumont Scout Reservation (Ohio) is a full-service Scout Reservation with forests, fields, wetlands and lakes, sitting on 1,260 acres (510 ha) along the Grand River in Rock Creek, Ohio, approximately 40 miles east from downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It began operating as a camp in 1946 and has grown into a year-round facility with camping for Scouts and families.

• Camp McIntosh features 12 lodges sleeping 28-36 with full kitchens and heat and pot belly stoves. It also houses the camp's swimming pool.
• Camp Broadbent features 11 tent campsites, a shower house, the trading post, a climbing tower, a High and Low COPE course, archery, shotgun and rifle ranges, amphitheater, health lodge and Environmental Resource Center. During April–October, an additional 8 family cabins are available with bathrooms, heat and small kitchens sleeping 6. The area also features Lake Klein, which supports fishing, boating, ziplines, and jetskis, offered during Summer Camp.
• Camp McCahill features 11 tent campsites and a reception building.
• Camp Gray is a separate camp within Beaumont Scout Reservation designed especially for the Cub Scout camper. The area features a Climbing Fort, Obstacle Course, Baseball Diamond, Sledding Hill, Shooting Ranges, Basketball Court, Pavilion, and Activity Center. For the Lake Erie Council, it is the home base for all Cub activities. The Cub Activity Center features a large area for inside events and crafts, as well as a full kitchen, heated and flush facilities. The Activity Center is available for unit or event rental, but is not designed for overnight accommodations. The Pavilion has picnic tables for 150+, electric lights and a fire ring on its south side. The area has both a covered Archery and BB Gun Range for Tiger Cubs to Webelos Scouts. Beginning in 2012, both ranges have electricity and lighting.
• Beaumont Village is a family-style campground within Beaumont Scout Reservation available to Scout and non-Scout groups, with accommodations for RVs and Tents, and also contains a picnic shelter and full shower facilities.
• The Augustus Dining Hall in Camp Broadbent is named after Cleveland businessman Ellsworth Hunt Augustus who served as tenth President of the Boy Scouts of America and contains dining facilities with a full kitchen, and a training center. The training center is commonly used for training events and activities year-round.

Camp Stigwandish was added to the Council in January 2017, when Greater Western Reserve Council was split and merged with Greater Cleveland and Great Trail Councils. Camp Stigwandish was the oldest operational camp in the Lake Erie Council. Northeast Ohio Council opened the Camp for summer programs in 1930, but it was opened to weekend camping in 1929. Camp Stigwandish will serve as the council's Cub Day camp and also help out with the Beaumont Scout Reservation summer camp program. Stigwandish is the primary home to scouters in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula Counties. Camp Stigwandish is located in Madison Ohio and offers over 20 campsites, 6 cabins, 5 ranges (Rifle, Shotgun, Archery Range, Wrist Rocket Range and a separate Cub Scout Archery Range,) 3 Lakes including Bass Lake, Canoe Lake and Indian Lake. Indian Lake along with a small pond off the parking lot called Salamander Pond are the oldest body of water on the property. The property also has a low COPE course, trading post, dining hall, training center, nature center, Chapel and more. The camp sits on the banks of Mill Creek and is over 300 acres. 120 of them being able to be sold the rest are in a land conservancy or were sold to the Soil and Water conservations in the 1990s. While only 12 miles in between Beaumont Scout Reservation and Camp Stigwandish the terrain is extremely different. The camp is often referred to the hidden jewel of the council. In 2019, an assessment was conducted in which Camp Stigwandish was found to be unsustainable for Lake Erie Council to continue to operate.^[7] On June 18, 2020, Lake Erie Council transferred Camp Stigwandish to Ross Road LLC for a total of 1.6 million dollars. The Spirit of Camp Stigwandish will continue to live on.

Campsites for Camp Stigwandish include, Dead Horse Ridge, Grand River, Solitude, Pop Corey, 3 Eagles Nest Campsites, Adventure, Johnny Appleseed, Pioneer Village, Woodcrafters, Dan Beard, Dan Boon, Kit Carson, Ted Mullans, Tecumseh, Paul Bunyan, Iroquois, a staff site to the east of the Baden Powell Lodge, and 3 adirondacks. Cabins includes 4 small cabins along the Lake Road. The Camp Host Cabin, which included the camp office and health office, Rotary Cabin which is off the main road, Buckeye Lodge behind the dining hall. Facilities that were moved to Beaumont Scout Reservation included, the EP memorial shelter which was moved from Camp Chickagami, the Mouse House, which is still home to metal working, the New Archery Range, and the Moritz Family Program Center.

Firelands Scout Reservation was added to the council in January, 2017 after Heart of Ohio Council merged with the legacy Greater Cleveland Council to form the new Lake Erie Council. Firelands is home to 2 camps, Camp Avery Hand, and Camp Wyandot. Both camps will now be used all year around for scouters to use. The reservation is mainly used for NYLT, Scoutmaster Training, and Cub Scout activities.

Tinnerman Wilderness Canoe Base, more commonly known as Tinnerman Canoe Base, was a "high-adventure base" located on the banks of the French River, in Ontario. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the French River area was a major trade route used to exchange furs trapped in the West with various goods made in the East and in Europe. Tinnerman is nicknamed the "Land of the Joli Voyageur". The land that the Tinnerman base is located on was owned by Albert H. Tinnerman, inventor of the speed nut. After Mr. Tinnerman's passing in 1961, his grandson Bill Buttriss of Cleveland Ohio tried to obtain a commercial license for the camp. The Ontario government said that any one area would support only so many camps and they felt the lower French had enough camps at that time. Though appealed, a license was not possible for the camp. It was at this time the family decided to donate the camp to the Cleveland Area Scout Council. Two weeks after the formal donation, Mr. Buttriss received a letter from the Ontario government stating that since one of the camps in the area had closed its doors (Rainbow Lodge on Bass Creek), the license would now be available.

From 1963 to 2011, the base was owned and operated by the Greater Cleveland Council. In 2011, citing a lack of attendance and other factors,^[8] the Greater Cleveland Council permanently closed Tinnerman Canoe Base and put it up for sale. Distraught Tinnerman alumni created a detailed proposal ^[9] for a non-profit Tinnerman Foundation,^[10] to keep the camp operating as a canoe base for youthful explorers. On February 21, 2012 the Greater Cleveland Council announced that "the executive board of Greater Cleveland Council, Boy Scouts of America voted to unanimously accept a cash offer of $415,000 for the 10 acres (4.0 ha) property on the French River in Ontario, Canada that was the Tinnerman Wilderness Canoe Base. The purchase offer has no contingencies and is expected to be completed in early May 2012."^[11]

Order of the Arrow

• Cuyahoga Lodge #17 - Legacy Lodge as of 2017
• Wapashuwi Lodge #56 - Legacy Lodge as of 2017
• Portage Lodge #619 - Legacy Lodge as of 2017

Erielhonan Lodge was founded with the merger.

History

The Heart of Ohio Council was officially organized in 1994 with the merger of the Harding Area, the Johnny Appleseed Area and the Firelands Area Councils, and was one of the largest geographic councils within the state of Ohio. In 2017, the Heart of Ohio Council was dissolved and split, with the northern counties of Erie, Huron and Lorain joining the newly formed Lake Erie Council, and the remaining southern counties joining the Buckeye Council.

Organization

• Johnny Appleseed Trail District
• The Firelands District
• Great Frontier District
• Harding Area District

Camps

The Heart of Ohio Council operated one reservation known as Firelands Scout Reservation, which is now run by the Lake Erie Council. It is located 5 miles west of Oberlin, in Wakeman, on 455 acres of land. The reservation holds two camps, Camp Avery Hand (the Cub Scout camp) and Camp Wyandot (the Scouts BSA camp). Each individual camp is named for former camps once a part of the original councils that merged to form the Heart of Ohio Council.

The reservation is about 70% wooded. There is a 23-acre lake with an island connected by a peninsula on Camp Wyandot. The camp has operated as a Scout camp since 1938. Cabin and tent camping are available.

Order of the Arrow

• Portage Lodge 619

portage619.org

History

Organization

• Arrowhead District includes Coshocton County, OH and Knox County, OH.
• River Trails District includes Guernsey County, OH, Noble County, OH, Washington County, OH, Pleasants County, WV, and the cities of New Concord, OH and Williamstown, WV.
• Zane Trace District includes Muskingum County, OH, Morgan County, OH, and Perry County, OH.

Camps

The Muskingum Valley Scout Reservation^[14] (MVSR) is the council's year-round camping facility. Located on over 500 acres (2.0 km²) of reclaimed land near Conesville in Coshocton county, MVSR has offered Scouts a wide variety of options to expand their camping experience since its opening in 1968.

Order of the Arrow

• Amochol Lodge #424 Wapagoklos Lodge #448
• Netawatwees Lodge #424

History

Organization

• Blue Jacket District serves Logan County, Ohio.
• Bull Skin Trail District serves Champaign County, Ohio.
• Chillicothe District serves Greene County, Ohio.
• Lagonda District serves Clark County, Ohio.
• Robert E. Hadley District serves Clinton County, Ohio.

Camps

Camp Hugh Taylor Birch

Camp Hugh Taylor Birch was founded in 1932 at only 25 acres (0.10 km²) acres, growing to 440 acres (1.8 km²) today. Camp Birch features a dining hall, an Olympic size swimming pool, and a 10 acres (0.040 km²) lake. Adjacent to Clifton Gorge, John Bryan State Park and Glen Helen Nature Preserve, Camp High Taylor Birch is a part of 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) of continuous natural woodlands.

Order of the Arrow

• Tarhe Lodge