A History of the Lodge

First Draft, 7/29/2015 Table of Contents Page:

Introduction 1

Pre-OA Societies Order of the White Swastika 2 Tribe of Gimogash 3

Katinonkwat Lodge 4

Shawnee Lodge 7

Maka-Ina Lodge 8

Kaniengehaga Lodge 9

Tecumseh Lodge 10

Lists Lodge Chiefs 11 Lodge Advisors 13

Extras Katinonkwat Lodge Flap Explanation 14 Katinonkwat Lodge Song 15

Camp Histories Camp Burroughs x Camp Falling Rock 16 Camp Lazarus x Camp Mingo x Camp Ophir Falls x Camp Oyo x Chief Logan Scout Reservation x Greenhills (Leveque) Scout Reservation x

Biographic Sketches E. S. Martin 19 Harold G. “Pappy” Hayes x Robert H. Heistand x

An ‘x’ indicates this section is not yet completed.

Significant work remains to be done on many portions of this history. Introduction

While the Tecumseh Lodge has not yet reached its twentieth birthday, it has a history that stretches back more than ninety years, almost to the founding of the Order of the Arrow. It includes nearly one-fifth of the counties in , plus Greenup County in , and between Tecumseh and its predecessors has inducted well over 15,000 Arrowmen.

Four lodges have combined over the years to create the Tecumseh Lodge: Katinonkwat Lodge #93, formed in 1936; Lodge #109, formed in 1938; Maka-Ina Lodge #350, formed in 1946; and Kaniengehaga Lodge #420, formed in 1949. However, the lodge’s history really begins around 1920, and it has its roots in the Order of the White Swastika and the Tribe of Gimogash.

1

Order of the White Swastika

While the Order of the Arrow was one of the first honor camper societies, it was certainly not the only one. There were dozens of known societies that were created at one camp and spread to others. One of these was the Order of the White Swastika.

The Order of the White Swastika (sometimes called the Mystic Order of the White Swastika) was known to have existed at a few different camps, including Camp Oyo in the Scioto Area Council, and Camp Burroughs and Camp Lazarus of the Columbus Council, both of which now form part of the Simon Kenton Council.

The Order of the White Swastika was established at Camp Burroughs during the 1921 or 1922 camping season. Sometime thereafter it spread to Camp Oyo as well, though the exact year is not currently known.

In 1925, Columbus Council opened Camp Lazarus (then called Ro-Fre-La, in honor of Rose and Fred Lazarus), where inductions there continued through at least 1929. It appears that new inductions at Camp Lazarus ended sometime around 1930 or shortly thereafter. Still, the fraternity was not completely forgotten.

In 1935, the swastika was established as the symbol of the National Socialist (Nazi) party in Germany, creating negative associations with the symbol that resulted in every camp using the program to rethink it. In 1936, the remaining members of the Order of the White Swastika who had been inducted at Camp Burroughs and Camp Lazarus held a reunion at Camp Lazarus. On July 24, 1936, they were inducted into the Order of the Arrow as charter members of Katinonkwat Lodge, followed immediately by the first induction of new members from that summer’s campers.

In a similar fashion, the Order of the Arrow replaced the Order of the White Swastika at Camp Oyo in July, 1938, when the Shawnee Lodge was established.

One of the camps best known for its White Swastika group is Camp Russell in New York, but the organization definitely did not originate there. In fact, the Order did not arrive at Camp Russell until the 1930s, at least ten years after it was in use at Camp Burroughs. There is no known connection between the camps and it may be pure coincidence that the same name was used for both groups.

In order to become a member of the Order, scouts had to participate in a wide range of camp activities that demonstrated their physical, moral, and social aptitudes, including service to the camp, as well as earn rank advancement or merit badges.

In addition to the membership requirements, there were also requirements to advance to a second degree in the White Swastika, called the Good Indian. These included earning additional merit badges, as well as planning and carrying out a permanent camp improvement project.

2

Tribe of Gimogash

The Tribe of Gimogash is the oldest known honor program, having been established in 1914, and predating even the Order of the Arrow. Unlike most honor programs of the time, however, it was not a summer camp program, but rather a year-round system, and linked to the council rather than the camp. The Tribe of Gimogash was formed in Kansas City, Missouri, by J. St. Clair Mendenhall, who just a few months later moved to Toledo, Ohio, to become its Council Executive. He brought the idea with him, and so it was that many of the known Tribes of Gimogash were from Ohio.

The Newark Council (later the Licking County Council) established its Tribe of Gimogash in late 1920 or early 1921, sometime between the summer camp seasons of those years. The earliest newspaper article found so far is from June 27, 1921, and describes the election of new officers, implying that the group was formed long enough before that time to have had old officers. The officers elected were the Chief, Medicine Man, Keeper of the Wampum, and Keeper of the Totem (the latter two likely acting as treasurer and secretary, respectively).

The exact requirements for becoming a member of the Tribe of Gimogash may have varied from council to council. In Newark Council it was reserved for those who were at least 15 years old, were First Class Scouts—a rank that was far less common in the early days of Scouting—and who had at least five merit badges. In order to remain a member in some tribes, scouts had to continue to earn advancement, as much as a merit badge every month.

It is not currently known when the Tribe of Gimogash vanished from Newark, but no evidence has been found that it was still active when the Kaniengehaga Lodge of the Order of the Arrow was formed in 1949, or that any of its members were inducted into the lodge. However, there can be no doubt that both organizations valued the same characteristics in their members.

A considerably longer account of the Tribe of Gimogash, including many more details about the Toledo tribe, can be found on the U.S. Scouting Service Project website at http://usscouts.org/honorsociety/gimogash.asp.

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Katinonkwat Lodge 93 Central Ohio Council

In the early 1930s, the Order of the White Swastika that had been in use at Camp Burroughs and Camp Lazarus was dying out as a camp honor society. At the same time, the rise to power of the National Socialist Party in Germany and their adoption of the swastika as their emblem created strong negative feelings against the ancient symbol.

It was about this same time that Robert H. Heistand arrived in Columbus to assume the role of Scout Executive for the Central Ohio Council. Heistand was already a member of the Order of the Arrow at the time, having been inducted as a member of Pohopoco Lodge 44 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. While there is no written evidence to confirm that Heistand was the driving force behind establishing the Order of the Arrow in central Ohio, there seems to be little doubt that his experience with the organization and desire to expand it were instrumental in the creation of Katinonkwat Lodge.

Heistand’s dedication to the OA extended beyond Katinonkwat Lodge as well. At the 13th National Meeting in 1940 he was elected National Treasurer during the Order’s 25th Anniversary. Due to the war, there would not be another National Lodge Meeting until August 1946, by which time Heistand had moved to Baltimore Area Council (in 1942), where he revived a fading Nentico Lodge. In 1946, he was elected National Chief, the last adult to hold that title.

Katinonkwat Lodge was formed in the summer of 1936, when members of the Order of the White Swastika were inducted as charter members, along with campers from that season. Katinonkwat Lodge was the first Order of the Arrow lodge official organized in Ohio. Cuyahoga Lodge 17 was initially planned in 1924, at which time a number was reserved for it, but was not actually chartered until 1955.

The first induction took place at Camp Lazarus on July 24, 1936. The lodge received its first charter on August 5, 1936, from what was then called the Grand Lodge of the Order of the Arrow.

The reasons for selecting the lodge’s name are not known. According to a circular published by the Smithsonian Institute’s Bureau of American Ethnology in 1915 and again in 1926, katinonkwat is a Huron word meaning “heart’s desire.” The circular was published specifically to provide possible Indian names for organizations and camps, and it is entirely possible that it was from this source the name was selected.

The Katinonkwat Lodge totem was the thunderbird, known by the affectionate nickname “George.”

The first Lodge Chief was Jake Helm, who was a member and may also have been an officer in the Order of the White Swastika.

In 1942, Katinonkwat inducted its first Brotherhood members.

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There is some disagreement over who was the first Vigil Honor member of Katinonkwat. According to long established lodge oral history, the first Vigil was Roman Eyerman, inducted in 1946. However, the lodge has records of two earlier Vigils: Robert Heistand in 1938 and J. Howard Kautz in 1940. As discussed earlier, Heistand was already a member of the OA before arriving in Ohio. National records clearly indicate that he received his Vigil in 1938 at the national meeting as a member of Lodge 93.

Given a proven earlier induction in the lodge, how was Eyerman considered the first Vigil? There is no clear answer. Two likely possibilities exist: either he always said he was first and after a couple of decades everyone believed him because no one could remember otherwise; or he was the first person to be inducted as an Ordeal member in Katinonkwat to receive his Vigil. This second scenario is entirely plausible, given that Heistand was definitely inducted into the OA in another lodge, and no information is yet known about Kautz.

During the first ten years of the lodge, elections were done each week at summer camp with inductions performed at the end of the week. In 1946, the lodge shifted to performing unit elections annually before the summer camp season instead.

By 1962, the lodge membership had grown to around 500 Arrowmen. It was decided at that time to adopt the chapter system, generally with each district having its own chapter.

Throughout the 1960s, the lodge continued to grow, reaching nearly 1000 members at times. As the lodge expanded, so did its service to the council’s camps, including the newly established LeVeque Scout Reservation (at first called Greenhills, and opened around 1962). The lodge also regularly had Ordeal weekends in support of non-Scout camps during this period. In 1968, the lodge hosted the Area 4C Conference at Camp Lazarus.

In 1973, the lodge’s rules and bylaws saw a major overhaul, including a change to a system of five officers, and to having committee chairmen appointed by the Lodge Chief rather than elected by the entire lodge. Throughout the 1970s, the lodge continued to make major renovations to the council’s camps, including the installation of a new water system at Camp Lazarus.

In 1976, the lodge was one of about ten across the nation to receive the Order of the Arrow’s 60th Anniversary Bicentennial Award, which it won for its display on the life of Ohio Indians of the early 1800s at the Ohio State Fair. By the end of the 1970s, the lodge had published its first “Where to Go Camping” book and its first lodge planbook, as well as hosting the EC6A Section Conclave at Camp Lazarus in 1979.

In the 1980s, the lodge gained a dominant role at the council’s Boy Scout summer camps, with more than half of the camp staff being OA members, and close to half of the lodge’s officers and chairmen were camp staff members. In 1982, the lodge saw a significant change to its induction process as it implemented the Elangomat clan system. In January of 1983, the lodge voted to donate $2000 to the council’s camp development fund to rebuild the chapel at Camp Lazarus in

5 memory of Vigil Honor member and former Council Vice President for Camping, Robert P. Laux.

In 1986, Katinonkwat Lodge celebrated its golden anniversary, including once again hosting the EC6A Section Conclave.

In 1987, Licking County Council merged into Central Ohio Council, and Kaniengehaga Lodge 420 was absorbed into Katinonkwat Lodge. There was a lot of ill will during this process, as Kaniengehaga lost its name, number, and totem. While this hurt the lodge in the short term, the lessons learned during this time were well-remembered and kept firmly in mind throughout 1994 and 1995, as the lodge faced another merger.

On January 1, 1994, Central Ohio Council, Chief Logan Area Council, and Scioto Area Council merged to form the Simon Kenton Council. For two years, all three lodges continued to operate independently. During this time, intense negotiations took place to establish the name and identity of a single new lodge to serve the new council. With the absorption of Kaniengehaga still fresh in everyone’s minds, it became clear that a fully equitable merger was the only route to follow.

On January 1, 1996, Katinonkwat Lodge 93 merged with Shawnee Lodge 109 and Maka-Ina Lodge 350 to form Tecumseh Lodge 65.

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Shawnee Lodge 109 Scioto Area Council

The Shawnee Lodge was formed in 1938, just two years after the formation of Katinonkwat Lodge in the Central Ohio Council. There can be little doubt that it was a close connection between the two councils, including scouts from Scioto Area Council attending summer camp at Camp Lazarus, which led to the rapid spread. The first induction was performed in July, 1938, at Camp Oyo by members of Katinonkwat Lodge.

Like its northern neighbor, many of the initial members of Shawnee Lodge had already been inducted into the Order of the White Swastika at Camp Oyo or Camp Lazarus. They, together with those scouts inducted in 1938, formed the original nucleus of the lodge.

Shawnee Lodge was named for the Shawnee tribe of Indians who once lived in the area. Its totem was a deer. Throughout its history, the lodge has been an integral part of Camp Oyo, which has remained continuously open for nearly a century now.

From 1938 to 1944, Shawnee Lodge also maintained a chapter based out of Camp Mingo, located west of Chillicothe. In 1944, that area split away from the Scioto Area Council to form the Chief Logan Area Council. Two years later, with the assistance of their Brothers from Shawnee, a new lodge was formed at Camp Mingo: Maka-Ina Lodge.

Shawnee inducted its first Vigil Honor member, Dave West, in 1955.

Shawnee Lodge merged with Katinonkwat and Maka-Ina on January 1, 1996, to form the Tecumseh Lodge.

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Maka-Ina Lodge 350 Chief Logan Area Council

Although the Maka-Ina Lodge was not formed until 1946, the Order of the Arrow had already been active in the area since 1938.

Scouting first arrived in Chillicothe in 1911, when Ross County Council was established. In 1925, the men who were the driving force behind scouting in the area had moved away, and the council was no longer able to support itself. In 1926, Ross County Council merged into Central Ohio Council, but due to a lack of leadership and financial problems brought on by the Great Depression, scouting virtually vanished from Ross County until the end of 1930. Ross County left Central Ohio Council in 1935 and joined the Scioto Area Council in 1936.

In 1938, the Shawnee Lodge of the Order of the Arrow was formed, with chapters at Camp Oyo near Portsmouth and Camp Mingo near Chillicothe. Many area scouts were inducted into Shawnee Lodge at this time. In 1944, Ross, Pike, Jackson, and Vinton counties left the Scioto Area Council to form the Chief Logan Area Council, and two years later the council’s Arrowmen formed the Maka-Ina Lodge, with the first induction of new members taking place in 1946. George Shearrow served as the first Lodge Chief.

Fred May became the first member to receive the Vigil Honor in Maka-Ina in 1950.

The lodge received the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award in both 1979 and 1984.

Maka-Ina merged with Katinonkwat and Shawnee lodges on January 1, 1996, to form the Tecumseh Lodge.

8

Kaniengehaga Lodge 420 Licking County Council

Kaniengehaga Lodge was the last of the four lodges in Tecumseh Lodge’s history to be formed, and was not established until 1949. The Licking County Council had previously used an honor society, the Tribe of Gimogash, but this was not a camping society, and there is no evidence that it was still active in the 1940s, nor that any of its members were inducted into the Order of the Arrow.

Kaniengehaga Lodge lasted only 38 years, but during that time it provided considerable service to Camp Falling Rock and to scouting in Licking County Council. In addition to supporting camp, the lodge also organized and ran many camporees and Cub Scout events for the council. Kaniengehaga Lodge was presented the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award in 1970 and 1976.

Kaniengehaga inducted its first Vigil Honor recipients, Michael Cochran and Richard W. Coelho, in 1960.

At the EC-6A Section Conclave in 1987, Kaniengehaga Lodge was absorbed by the considerably larger Katinonkwat Lodge. This caused considerable resentment among its members, as they lost their name, totem, and many of their traditions, while Katinonkwat gave up nothing. While this created conflict in the lodge for a number of years, it brought with it valuable lessons that would make the merger of Katinonkwat, Maka-Ina, and Shawnee in 1996 much smoother.

9

Tecumseh Lodge 65 Simon Kenton Council

On January 1, 1994, three councils (Central Ohio, Chief Logan Area, and Scioto Area) merged to form the Simon Kenton Council. Each of these councils had its own lodge of the Order of the Arrow, but for a variety of reasons, these lodge did not merge at the same time the councils. Nevertheless, it was clear from the start that there was no way the new council was going to operate three lodges. A merger had to take place.

For two years, a number of Arrowmen, both youth and adults, met together to establish the details of the new lodge. Many hard lessons learned during the absorption of Kaniengehaga Lodge by Katinonkwat Lodge in 1987 were still fresh in their minds. They realized that despite Katinonkwat’s significantly larger size, the only equitable solution was to create a completely new lodge: new name, new number, new totem, new traditions.

J. R. Ramey, a former lodge chief of Katinonkwat Lodge and still a youth member, took the lead. He spent many hours traveling to see the other two lodges in action and to meet with their leaders. Despite the commitment to ensure equanimity, there was still a great deal of resistance from all sides. However, the merger had to occur.

On January 1, 1996, Tecumseh Lodge 65 was created, taking the place of Katinonkwat, Maka- Ina, and Shawnee Lodges.

The lodge was named for Tecumseh, a famous leader of the Shawnee tribe who lived in Ohio. It is an interesting and deliberate irony that the name was selected. Tecumseh was an enemy of Simon Kenton, a famous frontiersman for whom the council was named. The two faced one another in battle several times, including during the in which Tecumseh was killed. At the time the name was selected, there were many in the lodge who anticipated (and in some cases precipitated) conflict between the lodge and the council.

The panther was selected as the lodge’s totem because Tecumseh’s name translates as “Shooting Star” or “Panther across the Sky,” and refers to the panther-shaped comet or shooting star that was said to be seen as he was being born. The lodge’s totem is often depicted as a panther- shaped comet or shooting star.

As with the name and totem, it was also decided to select a new number for the lodge (lodge numbers were still in use at that time across the nation). The lodge asked national for the lowest available number, and was given 65.

Matt Green served as the first Lodge Chief for Tecumseh Lodge and Dave Turner as the first Lodge Adviser. J. R. Ramey, who was instrumental in the formation of the new lodge, served as its second Lodge Chief.

Tecumseh Lodge received the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award in 2002 and 2004.

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Lodge Chiefs

Year Katinonkwat Shawnee Maka-Ina Kaniengehaga 1936 Jake Helm ------1937 Baird Heffron ------1938 Baird Heffron -- -- 1939 Jack W. Folkerth -- -- 1940 Bruce Hullinger -- -- 1941 Ed Hampshire -- -- 1942 Gerald Gifford -- -- 1943 Dave Riggs/ -- -- Richard Tutus -- -- 1944 -- -- 1945 Don Smart -- -- 1946 Don Smart George Shearrow -- 1947 Charles Williams -- 1948 Charles Williams Ivan Barnes -- 1949 Fred W. Braithwaite Blain Jones 1950 James Harding Ronal Wills 1951 Thomas R. Harding Ronnie Anderson 1952 Kingsley Forrey Tom Irvin 1953 Donald S. Good Art Stevenson 1954 John Fox Andy Kuntzman 1955 Donald L. Hamilton Andy Kuntzman 1956 Donald L. Hamilton Robert Tomastik 1957 James Callard Robert Tomastik 1958 Paul C. Redmond Bill Rice 1959 Pat E. Burr Tom Castor 1960 Ben Rose Dave Scout 1961 Gary Reynolds Ernie Eynon, Jr. Tim Walters 1962 George R. Wells Patrick Leonard Tom Hildebrand 1963 George R. Wells Doug Ritchey 1964 Jack Howarth/ Donovan Boring Paul Mochr/ Terry Caudy Art Stevenson 1965 Hank Sherf Bob Smallwood 1966 Larry Grieder, Jr. Andy Woehr 1967 Larry Grieder, Jr. Doug Swank 1968 Kenny Robinson Bob Strawser 1969 Jerry Humphrey Mike Daughters 1970 Richard A. Ford Ray McKinnis 1971 Bill Steele Ed Yarbrough 1972 Duane M. Baker, Jr. Jim Steele 1973 Donald E. Gallucci Bruce Richards 1974 Joseph W. Sayre Joe Harbarger 1975 R. Kent Wright Luke Elliot 1976 William L. Evans Randy Zeisler

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Lodge Chiefs

Year Katinonkwat Shawnee Maka-Ina Kaniengehaga 1977 Mitch Neff Bill McKell 1978 Richard Dale Hayes Bill McKell 1979 Mark A. Youngkin Jamie Watkins 1980 J. William Hug Mark Bell 1981 J. William Hug Chris Vaughan 1982 Carl J. Gavin Chris Vaughan 1983 Gary A. Stroup Dan Wickerham Bruce Overly 1984 Gary A. Stroup Dan Wickerham Brian Rudie 1985 Todd M. Hoover Dan Wickerham Alan Cook 1986 Randy Zimmer Chris Withrow Alan Cook 1987 Andrew Madison Chris Withrow Scott Carr Matt Reed 1988 Todd M. Horning Chris Withrow Eric Ginter -- 1989 Peter Sanfelippo II Chris George Shawn Kegley -- 1990 Larry Jenkins Chris George David Miller -- 1991 Paul M. Tankovich Ray Blevins David Miller -- 1992 Richard Hurley Chris George Brian Dalton -- 1993 “Arty” Hutchinson Ray Blevins Brian Tomko -- 1994 Jarrod Smith Russ Johnson Jim Berry -- 1995 J.R. Ramey/ Andy Linder Jim Berry -- Matt Green

Tecumseh 1996 Matt Green 1997 J. R. Ramey 1998 Ross Fenimore 1999 Tony Hernandez 2000 Tony Hernandez 2001 Josh Dillahunt 2002 Matthew Seckel 2003 Joseph B. Fischer 2004 Joseph B. Fischer/Nathan Williams 2005 Nathan Williams 2006 Nathan Williams 2007 Chase Speaks 2008 Kyle Frye 2009 Kyle Frye 2010 Arthur Newlon 2011 Ben Wasmer 2012 Michael Osborn 2013 Dan Mitchell 2014 Isaac Oberer 2015 Johnny Miller

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Lodge Advisors

Katinonkwat Shawnee

William Hague, Sr., 1962-1964

Al Galluchi, ~1970-1978

Jim Kern, ~1982-1985 Mitch Neff, ~1986- Kevin Ziegler Bob Hudler Dave Turner

Maka-Ina Kaniengehaga

Tecumseh Dave Turner, 1996 R. Kent Wright, 1997-2000 Richard Lohnes, 2001-2003 Doug Anderson, 2003-2004 R. Kent Wright, 2005 Dean Gross, 2006-2009 Joel Chow, 2010-2011 Dennis Bumb, 2012-2013 Clay Beckham, 2014 Aaron Wyckoff, 2015

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Katinonkwat Lodge “History and Explanation of Our Lodge Patch” [ca. 1963]

The colors and symbols of our Lodge emblem have a deep meaning for all of our members, which we choose to exemplify now.

The Black border represents the Lodge Chapters in the chain of cheerful service; encircling in a welded chain, the unity of our lodge.

“The Thunderbird,” our Lodge Totem, is a symbol of strength—physical and moral. It is a totem well known among all of the North American Indian Tribes. This mystical bird controlled the heavens, sending forth thunder and lightning to warn all, of the dangers and pitfalls that lie in their path.

The Thunderbird still high in the firmament watches over our lodge brothers, just as it did our Red brothers ages ago. We as they once did, look toward this great bird of the heavens, “to catch the higher vision.”

Patriotism, depicted by Red, White and Blue, reminds us of our duty to our Nation. The band of Gold encompassing our Totem and our Nation’s Colors warn us that the price of freedom is high. This freedom cannot be bartered or traded nor can the responsibilities be lightened, that we have accepted when we took the obligation of the Order of the Arrow.

The Sun, 93,000,000 miles from the earth, radiates its light, heat and energy over the green fields of Central Ohio. The Sun centering the Thunderbird makes us aware that we are in the spotlight as the representatives of Scouting and good Citizenship. The green of Ohio impresses upon us the life, growth and vigor of nature that is so much a part of the Order of the Arrow.

From the relationship of the Sun to the Earth we take the magic figures 9 and 3, join them together in Brotherhood and use the 93 for our Lodge number. The number 93 has a special meaning to us as it represents the twelve points of the Scout Law; in which we have 9 points where we serve others and 3 points where we improve ourselves. The Scout Law and Oath is part of our character representing our duty to God, Country and ourselves.

The Grey background represents the grey of dusk and early dawn when we took the trail of the Ordeal and Brotherhood. It was then that we learned the true and profound meaning of the Order of the Arrow.

The Arrow, always pointing to the right, is the emblem of our order. Straight, strong, and unbending, the Arrow will follow the true course to our goal in life. All who wear the Arrow proudly follow the unilateral path of self-determination. Arrowmen lead and open the path of cheerful service to themselves and to others.

NOW! ARROWMEN, recall the time you accepted Scouting’s Law and Oath, then when you took the obligation of our order; then only did you realize that a solid unit had been created with Scouting and the Order of the Arrow.

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Proudly wear this badge of honor, knowing its inspiration and conveying its spirit to all Arrowmen throughout the world.

This, Brothers, is our Lodge patch.

Katinonkwat Lodge Song

Oh, come let’s sing the O.A. praise, And songs to Katinonkwat raise. Our brotherhood we’ll have you know And songs of cheerful service show. Leaders all we follow through Camping is our good deed too. Brother new to all we sing, We’re Katinonkwat 93.

[This song was presumably in use around 1963, as it appears on a sheet entitled, “Katinonkwat Lodge #93 Ordeal Inductions Order of the Arrow Song Sheet,” in a scrapbook from that year. It is written to the tune of “Carmen Ohio.” Its origin is unknown, and it was no longer in use by 1984, if not considerably earlier.]

[The song also appears in the Father/Son Banquet programs from 9 Dec 1962 and 15 Dec 1963, with the next to last line reading, “Brother, Men to all we sing,” in both.]

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Camp Falling Rock by Dwight Johnson (abridged by Aaron Wyckoff)

Licking County Boy Scouts have long enjoyed one of the finest camping facilities in the . Camp Falling Rock is located twelve miles northeast of Newark, Ohio in Mary Ann and Eden Townships. Today it consists of nearly five hundred fifty acres. It has been a Boy Scout Camp since 1926. Before it was a Boy Scout Camp, it was a church camp in the 1880’s.

Earlier still, it was a Native American camp on the north extension of the Shawnee Trace. This important route led to and from the Flint Ridge area. Five hundred years ago the land was covered with high canopy trees and the forest floor was relatively uncluttered. The Native American traveled the ridges, avoiding the brush and brambles in the valleys. Two “trail marker” trees existed on the ridge until the 1980’s. These were red oaks, tied in position as pointers when very young. They grew in a strained and distinctive manner and were readily recognized. There was also a fire circle on the north end of the camp. The markers are gone, but old timers remember them.

The camp is located in the U.S. Military Lands, which were set aside by Congress in 1786 to pay Revolutionary War soldiers for their service to country. The lands were roughly surveyed and characteristic monuments set at important section corners. The Military Lands Act was modified and clarified twenty-three times between 1786 and 1803. During a 1958 physical survey of the lands, three of these original marker stones were “found” on the perimeter. These stones were set prior to 1803, the last year that Congress authorized payments for surveys!

The name “Falling Rock” comes from the original road into the camp. A rock overhung the road, and appeared ready to fall onto the road. That portion of Rocky Fork Road is now closed, but the hanging rock is still in place.

Licking County Boy Scouts were first organized in 1919 with the forming of Licking County Council. The first land purchase at Falling Rock was in 1926. During that and the following year, incidental camping happened at the site.

There was also an active program to construct a dining hall and barracks buildings. The camp was opened in 1928 for two sessions of two weeks each. Cost was $10.00 for the session. It is interesting to note that camping was over before the August “polio danger.” Later on in its history, local Girl Scouts used the camp during August. Apparently, girls were less susceptible to polio than boys.

The original camp was located on thirty-four acres now called “Lower Camp, or “Winter Camp.” Access was via a ford of Rocky Fork Creek. The Scouts’ first structure was a “Monkey” bridge. This was replaced with a swinging footbridge that accommodated visitors. In 1931, the Licking County Commissioners built a bridge across Rocky Fork to provide traffic access.

The bridge had a checkered past, but is of historic significance. The bridge, known as Bridge 411, Doc Brown’s Bridge, also bears the designation of Historic American Engineering Record

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(HAER) OH-89. It is one of three surviving cast iron post truss bridges in the United States. The other two are located in Lowell, Mass. Cleveland Bridge Company was the probable builder, circa 1872. It is presently closed to traffic, and it needs major repairs before returning to service. Funding is the common deterrent.

Another significant bridge exists on the camp. The covered bridge that formerly spanned Rocky Fork Creek near Houdeshell Road was replaced in the 1970’s with the current model. The covered bridge was moved to Camp Falling Rock. Necessary timbers were replaced, and the bridge was erected as a memorial to Harold G. Hayes, longtime Scout Executive. The work was completed and the bridge stands today as it was built in 1872.

Boy Scouts have an affinity for all water except bath water. The original “swimming hole” at Falling Rock was upstream of Mr. Sam Hilleary’s millpond dam on Rocky Fork Creek. Each year the boys would add ties to the top of the dam to deepen Rocky Fork for aquatics. Unfortunately, the dam washed out in 1935 and aquatics took a hiatus.

A swimming pool was built at the camp in time for the 1938 camping season. It was intended for stouthearted lads that knew how to swim. It was spring-fed and shaded. The water was cold and murky! The shallow end was five feet deep and the deep end was eleven feet deep, but a lot of boys learned to swim in this facility. By 1950 the pool was inadequate. It took thirty years to replace the original pool, but through the efforts of the community and the generosity of a Scouting family, the Willard E. Shrider Memorial Pool was built on upper camp. It was dedicated in 1980 as one of the finest facilities of its type in the country.

Spectacular rock formations and waterfalls are part of the natural beauty of Camp Falling Rock. The woods have been impacted by the chestnut blight (1904), Dutch elm disease (1930’s to present), a tornado (1996), gypsy moths (2000) and a severe ice storm (2004). We are holding our collective breath that a control measure for emerald ash borer will be found before it impacts our camp.

Whitetail deer returned to the area in the 1950’s. There are bobcats on the premises. Wild turkeys abound. An ardent “birder” can see more than one hundred species of birds on the camp in a season.

The oldest building on camp is called the Assistant Rangers Cabin. It is located on lower camp, and the core building is a log cabin built of chestnut logs. The hand-hewn joists are fitted with mortise and tenon joints. The cabin has been added to and modernized, but the core building dates from about 1840.

The next oldest building is the kitchen wing of Scoutmaster’s Cabin. This was the headquarters for the Mt. Vernon church group that conducted camp meetings at “Camp Whip-Poor-Will” during the 1880’s. We believe this building was built in 1883. It is in very poor condition, having been twice moved. It is slated for replacement.

The first buildings of the Boy Scouts were erected in 1927. These consisted of five barracks buildings and a dining hall. Generally, they followed the layout of First World War training

17 center facilities. The dining hall was replaced by Franklin Lodge in 1937. Four of the barracks buildings were torn down or moved and subsequently fell down. One of them remains in place. For many years it was the camp first aid station. Today it serves as the “Boat House.”

Franklin Lodge was the dining hall and center of camp from 1937 until the new dining hall was built in 1957. Franklin Lodge is named for Rev. L.P. Franklin, first Scoutmaster and first Commissioner of the Licking County Council, . Rev. Franklin was the Rector of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Newark until 1926.

The period 1949 to 1973 was characterized by expansion of acreage and facilities at Camp Falling Rock. Licking County Scouts enjoyed a vigorous camping experience at Falling Rock, as well as active participation in Scout Jamborees and trips to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.

The local Kiwanis Club donated a building that became the new trading post and craft center. The Krebs family donated a rifle range facility and a cabin in memory of Betty (Mrs. Al) Krebs.

In 1987, Licking County Council was absorbed into Central Ohio Council. This lasted a few years until Central Ohio Council became the core of Simon Kenton Council, serving south central Ohio and northern Kentucky.

With this expansion, the dining hall was updated to handle four hundred boys per week. A year- round cabin in memory of Herman Bauman, long-time Scout Executive, was built. A new maintenance facility and storage building were built adjacent to a new ranger’s lodge. Lake Pee Wee was expanded to its present size. Generous gifts from the Licking County Foundation and American Electric Power made a climbing tower and COPE course a reality in 2002. A new Nature Center was added in 2003.

For nearly ninety years Camp Falling Rock has served the youth of the area. Plans to enhance, preserve and expand the facility are constantly evolving. A core of dedicated volunteers spends hundreds of hours, and many of their own dollars, constructing and maintaining the infrastructure. Recently, they created The Rock Foundation, an IRS-listed charitable foundation to fund the emergency repair and planned construction projects for Camp Falling Rock.

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The First Scout Executive

On October 1, 1910, the Columbus Council of the Boy Scouts of America was officially established, and E. S. Martin was named as Commissioner (a position later renamed to Scout Executive). But on that day Martin not only became the first Scout Executive of Columbus Council, which later formed the core of Central Ohio Council and is now part of Simon Kenton Council, he also became the first professional scouter outside the national office.

Columbus Council was not the first council to be formed, of course, but when it was formed it did something that no other council is known to have done before: it paid its commissioner a salary. Every other council commissioner at the time was a volunteer. In fact, even into the 1930s, many councils did not have any paid staff. But E. S. Martin was not just the first council executive; he was one of the major driving forces behind the early Boy Scout movement.

Edgar Stanley Martin was born on March 8, 1873, in Gorham, New York. He graduated from Keuka College in 1894. By 1903 he had moved to Wisconsin and served as Principal of the McMynn School in Racine for several years.

In early 1910, E. S. Martin moved to Columbus, where he had accepted a position as superintendent of the city playground association (one of the precursors to the current Department of Parks and Recreation). He continued in this position after adding the role of scout commissioner.

In 1912, Martin made what was likely the most important move of his life. He left Columbus to become supervisor of the department of playgrounds in Washington, D.C. At about the same time, he also became scout commissioner for the D.C. council, placing him in a very important and visible position. While serving as commissioner in Washington, he oversaw among other things the first National Scout Rally in 1912, the scout involvement of President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration ceremony and the 50-year reunion of the battle of Gettysburg, both in 1913, and the groundbreaking ceremony of the Lincoln Memorial in 1914. In 1913, Martin was also sent to organize emergency services being provided by Boy Scouts for the first time ever on a large scale in response to disastrous floods in Ohio and Indiana, for which he received a citation from Woodrow Wilson.

In 1915, E. S. Martin became Director of the BSA’s Editorial Department, a position he held for nearly a quarter century. In this role, he was responsible for producing the very first merit badge pamphlets, which were issued in 1916. He later became editor of Scouting magazine, expanding its size and scope. He also served the National Court of Honor as Assistant Secretary.

E. S. Martin died on August 9, 1940, and was buried in his home town of Gorham, New York. Martin may be gone, but he left behind a legacy that has benefited millions of scouts.

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“Former Local Man Makes Good in East.” Racine (WI) Journal, 9 April 1912, 3.

“Martin is Made Local Scout Commissioner.” The Columbus (OH) Citizen 1 October 1910: 10. Microfilm. Reel 8964, Microfilm Collection, Ohio History Center Library, Ohio Historical Society.

Murphy, Mike. “Gorham’s Link to Past Recognized.” Messenger Post (Gorham, NY) 25 August 2012. Web. 13 January 2013.

Murphy, Mike. “Gorham’s Link to Scouting History.” Messenger Post (Gorham, NY) 21 August 2011. Web. 13 January 2013.

Murray, William D. The History of the Boy Scouts of America. New York: Boy Scouts of America, 1937. Print.

“Scouting Superstar.” Scouting Magazine 73:2 (1985): Scout 3 May 85. Web. 19 October 2013.

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