Scouting in New York
non-profit organization in the USA
Scouting in New York has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live. The first National Boy Scouts of America (BSA) Headquarters was in New York City, and the Girl Scouts of the USA National Headquarters is currently located at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
Early history (1910-1950)
On September 10, 1910, S. F. Lester of Troy, New York, became the first person to hold the Scouting leadership position of Scoutmaster (approved by the BSA). He received his certification from the BSA headquarters in New York City. In 1910 he led a group of 30 scouts at Camp Ilium, in Pownal, Vermont. Camp Ilium was the starting point of the Boy Scout Movement for Troy, and Pownal. Pownal is only 35 miles (56 km) away from Troy.
Following the lead of the State of Michigan, the State of New York formed its own Forest Scouts. This group was formed in response to a number of late 19th century and early 20th century forest fires and were effectively "auxiliary fire wardens".
The 1924 National Order of the Arrow Lodge Meeting was held at Kanohwanke Scout Camp near Tuxedo, New York and the 1929 National Lodge Meeting was held at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Scouting in New York” as non-profit organization in the USA. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the history & society register because the source frames it as non-profit organization in the USA. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7438574. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1910, 1950, 1924 and 1929.
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This entry incorporates text from “Scouting in New York” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.