Scouting and Guiding in Virginia

Scouting in Virginia 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.

Boy Scouts of America

Early history (1910-1950)

Until 1948, some southern councils of the Boy Scouts of America were racially segregated. Colored troops, as they were officially known, were given little support from districts and councils as Scout executives and leaders believed that colored Scouts and leaders would be less able to live up to the ideals of Boy Scouting. The National Council began a program of integrating local councils in 1940, which was largely complete in 1948.

Today

Since the 1981 National Scout Jamboree, all Jamborees have been held at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.

There are ten Boy Scouts of America local councils in Virginia. All of Virginia lies within Southern Region, except for Tazewell, Bland and Giles counties, as part of Central Region, and Loudoun, Fairfax, Stafford, Prince William, King George, Westmoreland and Northumberland counties, as part of Northeast Region.

• Blue Ridge Mountains Council
• Buckskin Council
• Colonial Virginia Council
• Del-Mar-Va Council
• Heart of Virginia Council
• National Capital Area Council
• Sequoyah Council
• Shenandoah Area Council
• Stonewall Jackson Area Council
• Tidewater Council

Girl Scouts of the USA

There are three Girl Scout council offices in Virginia.

• Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast, Chesapeake, VA http://www.gsccc.org
• Girl Scout Commonwealth Council of Virginia, Inc., Mechanicsville, VA http://www.comgirlscouts.org
• Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council, Inc., Roanoke, VA, http://www.gsvsc.org

Scouting museums in Virginia

• Gregson Center and Museum, Pipsico Scout Reservation, Spring Grove, Virginia

Scout Activities by County

The Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into 95 counties, along with 38 independent cities that are considered county-equivalents for census purposes. This is a partial list:

Accomack / Albemarle / Alleghany / Amelia / Amherst / Appomattox / Arlington / Augusta / Bath / Bedford / Bland /

Charlotte / Chesterfield / Clarke / Craig / Culpeper / Cumberland / Dickenson / Dinwiddie / Essex / Fairfax /

Franklin / Frederick / Giles /

Lancaster / Lee / Loudoun / Louisa / Madison / Mathews /