BSA, Greater Cleveland Council Service Center - Scouting Headquarters on Waymarking.com

The Greater Cleveland Council Service Center is a charter council in the Boy Scouts of America, Serves 20,000 youth and 4000 leaders. The Greater Cleveland Council consists of Cuyahoga County and the Northern most part of Summit County. The council owns and operates Tinnerman Canoe Base in Canada and Beaumont Scout Reservation, a 1200 acre camp in Rock Creek, Ohio.

History of the Greater Cleveland Council

Little did a group of men know how much of an effect they would have lives of boys adults when the met on February 19, 1912. That was the first meeting of the Greater Cleveland council and was attended by Chief Scout Executive James West, and Scouting's founder, General Robert S. S. Baden Powell. Samuel Mather was elected to lead this fledgling youth movement.

Service to the community by these new young Scouts was featured in their troop programs. In 1912 it was the anti-fly campaign and during World War I, they sold liberty bonds, planted war gardens and collected books for Army Libraries.

Howard T. French became the first Eagle Scout and early visitors to Greater Cleveland scouting were Presidents Taft, Garfield and National Scout Commissioner Dan Beard. The first headquarters was opened in the Williamson building in 1914 and was called the Cleveland Local Council. Legend has it that a gentleman, with an office in this building, who represented three steam ship companies, bought $30,000 in Scout circus tickets.

John Dean, Scout executive in 1920, said that "the lack of trained Scout leaders is the only reason that the Scout movement does not touch more boys."

In 1919 the Chagrin reservation of 71 acres was acquired to become the council's first permanent camp. The council moved into a new office on Payne Avenue and remained there for 25 years. An allocation of $27,000 from the welfare fund was its first donation and as early as 1927 the Scout board voted to raise at least a half million dollars to ensure the future of the Scouting movement in Cleveland.

Service projects continued including a city clean-up campaign in 1919. A new innovative scout advancement system was initiated. Its aim was to give Scouts a chance to take tests, pass, and advance.

The public auditorium and was the location of the first council wide circus in 1929. At a place near the end of the Detroit streetcar line in the Rocky River Reservation the first annual Patrol Camporee was held. A special committee was appointed to study a new Cub scout program.

Although not much has been said about money it was very much on the minds of council leaders. In 1930 the council had to tighten its belt with financial troubles caused by the great depression. It was voted to mortgage the headquarters building in order to secure funds needed to make improvements on council properties.

The first Bean Feed was held, it is said, as an event to cheer many saddened by depression happenings. It is now 1930, and studies of Cub scouting continued.

The first Silver Beaver awards were presented in 1930 and included Samuel Mather, Dr. B. H. Broadbent, father of Dr. Holly Broadbent, who was a member of the board and past council commissioner serving as council camping chairman of 30 years and camped on all proposed camp properties.

Beginning in 1932, and carried on for nearly 50 years, the Scouts collected thousands of tons of clothing for the Goodwill Industries, titled "A hundred thousand good turns for Goodwill."

The first pack of Cub Scouts was organized in 1933 at Shaker Heights, Lomond School. The Statler Hotel hosted the first merit badge show sponsored by the Cleveland Rotary Club.

The Cleveland police department joined with the council to organize seven troops in the Tremont area. The area was thought to be the home of several notorious criminals and the policeman became the scoutmasters. A Holy hour for Catholic Scouts was help of the first time.

The number of troops in the area increased from 15 to 50 in 1940 due largely to funds received from the Cleveland foundation. The council was one of leaders and serving inner city boys. In 1940 the Binghamton training center was opened at Lake Shore Boulevard and Coit Road and Elliott Ness, famous crime fighter joined the council board.

269 acres of Land on the Grand River in Ashtabula County were purchased in 1941 with an additional 225 acres acquired in 1943. The camp was named Beaumont reservation in honor of, Commodore Louis D. Beaumont, a co-founder of the May Co. Construction began in 1945.

in 1945, local Scouts again answered the call to support the war effort. Eisenhower metals were awarded for waste paper collections. Scouts collected nearly six million pounds. A new headquarters was opened in the Hanna building in 1944. Due to the increasing financial needs, the council instituted the first sustaining membership campaign in 1948. Ellsworth Augustus was elected council president and went on to serve both locally and as national president.

A national conservation good turn in 1954, accounted for 1,500 conservation projects and George Greene ended 27 years as the council's Scout executive. The Eagle Scout association and Cuyahoga Lodge of the order of the Arrow were organized in 1957.

The council announced the purchase of two properties within six months of each other. 100,000 square feet of urban renewal land was purchased during the summer of 1957 followed by the purchase of 1,700 acres on Lake Clendenning. One half years later the council purchased 436 acres in Lorain County near Beldon, Ohio. The council continued a tradition in 1960 and 520 Scouts and leaders attended the national Jamboree. In 1960 the Leonard Hanna fund gave $400,000 for the construction of a new Scout service center which was dedicated in September of 1962. Ben Hauserman was the chairman of that committee. The council accepted the Tinnerman fishing Lodge in Canada for a canoe base.

In 1965 a full troop of Scouts with Gene Weakland, Scoutmaster, served in various service capacities at the world's fair. 700 Cub Scouts travel by train to Greenfield Village, and 67 Scouts went to Philmont. Col. John Glenn became the Eagle scout sponsor and 130 tons of clothing was collected for Goodwill. In April, 1966, Scoutmaster James McReady and troop 115 was the first troop to earn the Hornaday award in the council.

A record number of Eagle Scouts attain the coveted rank in 1967 with 210. The 62 acre Chagrin Scout reservation was sold to the Metroparks and the master plan for Beaumont began to take shape. Membership reached an all-time high in 1967 with 32,736 boys in 1,996 unit and council assets increased to nearly 5 million. Troop 207 of Fairview Grace United Methodist Church spent two years in laying out the 72 mile Emerald Necklace trail.

Today Greater Cleveland Council is alive and well and is progressing in serving the youth of the Greater Cleveland Area.

Web site for this Scouting HQ: [Web Link] Has a Scout Shop or Store: Yes Has a Scouting Museum or Historical displays.: Yes Scouting Organization: Boy Scouts of America Address of the location: 2241 Woodland Avenue Cleveland Ohio 44115 Telephone Number: 1-440-861-6060 Type of HQ: Council HQ Number of paid scouting employees: 15 Name of Scouting Organization if not listed above.: Not listed Type of HQ (if not listed above): Not listed

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