Scouting in Georgia 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 state is home to many milestones for the

Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

movement. The Girl Scout birthplace is located in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

, and President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

served as a Scoutmaster in

Plains, Georgia Plains is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 573. It is well-known as the home of Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn, who were the 39th president and first lady of the Un ...

Boy Scouts of America

History

Dating back to 1920,

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

(BSA) was prominent in Georgia. Until 1974, some southern councils were racially segregated. (The Old Hickory council did not integrate until 1974.) Colored Troops, as they were officially known, were given little support from Districts and Councils. Some Scouting executives and leaders believed that Colored Scouts and Leaders would be less able to live up to the ideals of Scouting.

Historic councils

Boy Scouts of America today

There are eleven active local BSA councils that serve Scouts in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. ''Active councils, districts, and lodges are shown in green''.

Atlanta Area Council

The Atlanta Area Council encompasses 13 counties in northern Georgia. The council office is currently located in Atlanta, Georgia.

Central Georgia Council

The Central Georgia Council serves 24 counties in central Georgia.

Chattahoochee Council

The Chattahoochee Council serves Scouts in Georgia and

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, with the Council office located in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

. Active from 1964 to present, the council's name refers to the

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

, which flows through Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. *George H. Lanier District *Saugahatchee District *Muskogee District *Yellow Jacket District OA lodge: '
Chattahoochee Lodge #204">Chattahoochee Lodge #204
'' chartered 1941 and still active. Absorbed Hiawassee Lodge #333 (West Georgia Council) in 1963. Absorbed Wehadkee Lodge #273 (George H. Lanier Council, West Point) in both 1964 and 1990. *Alapaha *Apatschin *Hiawassee *Si-tan-mico *Wehadkee *Weracoba *Wischixin

Cherokee Area Council

CherokeeAreaBSA.com
Cherokee Area Council serves Scouts in

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

and Georgia, with the council office located in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

. The John Ross District serves Northwest Georgia Walker, Catoosa and Dade Counties. Website: www.CherokeeAreaBSA.com
Skymont Scout Reservation
offers year-round and summer camping opportunities, www.Skymont.org.

Coastal Georgia Council

The Council office of the Coastal Georgia Council is located in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. It was formed on March 1, 2014 when the Coastal Empire Council and the Okefenokee Area Council merged.

=Districts

= *Altamaha *Atlantic *Coastal *Satilla *Twin Rivers

=OA lodge

= Tomo-Chi-Chi Lodge #119 chartered 1938 and merged with Pithlako Lodge with the 2014 merger into I-Tsu-La Lodge. *Blue Heron *Canoochee *Creek *Ogeechee *Allogagan *Guale *Tomo Chi Chi

Flint River Council

Flint River Council is headquartered in

Griffin, Georgia Griffin is a city in and the county seat of Spalding County, Georgia, Spalding County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a po ...

Georgia-Carolina Council

Name active from 1941 to currently active. Council office located in Augusta, Georgia, includes districts in

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and

. Website

*Creek River District *Kiokee River District *Yamasee District OA lodge
Bob White Lodge #87">Bob White Lodge #87
chartered 1936 and still active. *Creek River *Kiokee River *Yamasee

Northeast Georgia Council

Name active from 1935 to currently active. Council office located in

Pendergrass, Georgia Pendergrass is a city in Jackson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1692 at the time of the 2020 census. History The town was chartered by an act of the Georgia Legislature on December 30, 1890. The community was named after J. ...

.

Districts: * Apalachee District serves northern Gwinnett County; * Chattahoochee District serves Barrow, Hall, and Jackson counties; * Cherokee district serves Hart, Elbert, Franklin, Madison, Clarke, Oglethorpe, Oconee, Morgan, and Greene counties; * Currahee District serves Banks, Habersham, Rabun, Stephens, and White counties; * Etowah District serves Forsyth, Dawson, and Lumpkin counties; * Mountain District serves Gilmer, Fannin, Towns, and Union counties; * Sweetwater District serves Walton and southern Gwinnett counties. OA lodge
Mowogo Lodge #243">Mowogo Lodge #243
chartered in 1943 and still active. * Ani-gatogewi * Canantutlaga * Japeechen * Jutaculla * Lau In Nih * Machque * Yonah-hi Camps: * Rainey Mountain * Scoutland * Rotary

Northwest Georgia Council

Northwest Georgia Council serves Scouts in northwest Georgia.

South Georgia Council

Suwannee River Area Council

The '
Suwannee River Area Council
'', active from 1924 to present, encompasses 13 counties in north

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and south

. The Council Service Center and central headquarters are in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

Girl Scouting today

The Girl Scout Birthplace is located in Savannah, Georgia, which was the

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Gordon Heuck ...

family home that now provides tours to thousands of Scouts every year. Upon Juliette Gordon Low's death in 1927, she willed her carriage house, eventually named The Girl Scout First Headquarters, to the local Savannah Girl Scouts for continued use. In 2008 the eight Girl Scout Councils in Georgia merged to form two councils. In addition Girl Scouts of Moccasin Bend headquartered in Tennessee covers Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker Counties in northwestern Georgia.

Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia

Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia was formed on May 1, 2008 by the merger of eight previous councils: Girl Scouts, Central Savannah River Council; Girl Scouts of Concharty Council; Girl Scouts of Middle Georgia; Girl Scouts of Northeast Georgia; Girl Scouts of Southwest Georgia; and The Girl Scout Council of Savannah, Georgia. Though some counties in these old councils were moved to Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta. This council also covers part of

and Russell County in

. Headquarters: Lizella, Georgia
Website: http://www.gshg.org/ Camps: *Camp Low is on a barrier island, Rose Dhu Island, near Savannah *Camp Martha Johnston is in Lizella, Georgia and has been owned by the Girl Scouts since 1922. *Camp Robert Lewis is by Mulberry Falls near the

. *Camp Tanglewood is in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

The following camps were closed in 2016 and either sold or their lease ended *Camp Concharty was at the base of Pine Mountain in

Shiloh, Georgia Shiloh is a city on the northeastern edge of Harris County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Columbus, Georgia–Alabama metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 402. History A post office call ...

. *Camp Lanier is on

Lake Lanier Lake Lanier (officially Lake Sidney Lanier) is a reservoir in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and is also fed by the waters of the Chestatee ...

in Forsyth County (leased) *Camp Okitayakani is in

Cuthbert, Georgia Cuthbert is a city in and the county seat of Randolph County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,520 in 2019. History Cuthbert was founded by European Americans in 1831 as seat of the newly formed Randolph County, after Indian Remova ...

*Camp Otaki is on Lake Hartwell in Hart County. (leased) *Camp Manipines is on Lake Sinclair in Putnam County. It is leased from the

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta serves about 42,000 girls and 17,000 adult volunteers in 34 counties of Greater Atlanta and a portion of Polk County Tennessee. It was formed in 2008 by the merger of Girl Scout Council of Northwest Georgia and Girl Scouts of Pine Valley Council. Headquarters:

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Website: http://www.girlscoutsatl.org/ Camps: *Camp Meriwether in Luthersville, Georgia has *Camp Misty Mountain in Armuchee, Georgia has on the edge of the Appalachians *Camp Timber Ridge in

Mableton, Georgia Mableton ( ) is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. Voters of the unincorporated area of Mableton approved a referendum to incorporate on November 8, 2022, and six council members were elected on March 21, 2023, with Michael Owens (p ...

has and was established in 1924 Former Camps: *Camp Pine Acres in

Acworth, Georgia Acworth is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, this city had a population of 22,440, up from 20,425 in 2010. Acworth is located in the foothills of the North Georg ...

is adjacent to

Lake Allatoona Lake Allatoona (officially called Allatoona Lake) is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Etowah River in northwestern part of the State of Georgia. This reservoir is mostly in southeastern Bartow County and southwestern Cherokee C ...

and next to

Red Top Mountain State Park Red Top Mountain State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is located in the Northwestern part of the state, on the northwestern edge of metro Atlanta, in Southeastern Bartow County near Cartersville. Name ...

- Girl Scout operations ceased in 2017. *Camp Pine Valley in

Meansville, Georgia Meansville is a city in Pike County, Georgia, United States. The population was 266 at the 2020 census. History The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Meansville as a town in 1913. According to tradition, the community was named for homeste ...

has of pines and lakes - camp property has since been sold and subdivided.

References

External links

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Scouting in the United States Youth organizations based in Georgia (U.S. state)

Southern Region (Boy Scouts of America)