Dad’s Delaware & Montgomery County Council Camping

the early days of American Scout camping, when camp patches were just beginning to become collectible mementos of a Scout’s outdoor adventures.

Located along the Unami Creek in Marlborough Township, Pennsylvania, Camp Delmont sits on over 1,400 acres that form part of the largest contiguous forest in Southeastern Pennsylvania. When my father wore this patch around 1921-1922, Camp Delmont was only five or six years old, making him part of the camp’s pioneering first decade. The Delaware and Montgomery Counties Council had established the camp in 1916, just six years after the founding of the Boy Scouts of America itself.

The patch could have been sewn onto his uniform or camp blanket, a visible symbol of his participation in one of America’s oldest continuously operating Scout camps. For a young Scout who had recently returned from Milwaukee’s Indian Mound Reservation, Camp Delmont offered the familiar Pennsylvania landscape of rolling hills, deciduous forests, and the meandering Unami Creek—quite different from Wisconsin’s lakes and northern forests.

Delaware & Montgomery Counties Council Extracts from Report, 1922 of Camp Delmont and is highlighted in red in the below image from that report:

The report details the criteria and selection process for Honor Scouts. According to the 1922 report, Honor Scouts were chosen based on their exemplary behavior, advancement in Scout skills, participation in camp activities, and embodiment of the Scout Oath and Law. The selection process involved observation by camp staff throughout the week, with the final honors announced at the closing campfire ceremony.

For my father, earning this recognition in 1922 at age 16 marked a significant milestone. He had returned to Camp Delmont after his time in Milwaukee, rejoining Essington Troop 1 and demonstrating that his commitment to Scouting had not wavered despite the disruption of moving across the country and back. The gold fob would have been worn proudly, likely attached to a watch chain or uniform, serving as a constant reminder of that week’s achievements.

exceptional consistency and character. Unlike many camp awards that recognize a single achievement or skill, the Honor Scout honor required sustained excellence throughout an entire week of camp across all aspects of the Scouting program—from practical skills like camping and swimming to leadership, citizenship, and character development.

By 1923, at age 17, my father was likely serving in a leadership capacity, likely as Senior Patrol Leader, helping younger Scouts learn camp skills while continuing to model the Scout Oath and Law. The fact that camp staff recognized him again for this highest honor speaks to his maturity, dedication, and positive influence on those around him. This medal, along with the 1922 fob, formed a matched set that he preserved throughout his life—a testament to two summers that clearly meant a great deal to him.

• Dedication Rock: A natural landmark that likely served as a gathering place for ceremonies or as a memorial to Scouting’s founding ideals
• Campfire: Scouts gathered around a fire, the heart of every camp evening where stories were told and awards were presented
• Daddies Cabin: One of the named structures at camp, possibly housing visiting fathers during special events
• Indian Big House: A large assembly building reflecting the era’s romanticized incorporation of Native American themes into Scouting
• Scout Cabins: Simple wooden structures where patrols or troops stayed during their week at camp
• Boat House: Facilities for canoeing and boating on the Unami Creek
• Unami Creek: The waterway that flows through camp, providing opportunities for swimming, boating, and nature study
• Bridge of Smiles: A charming crossing over the creek, its name suggesting the joy of camp life
• Swimming Hole: The designated area along Unami Creek where Scouts learned water safety and swimming skills
• Handicraft Cabin: Where Scouts worked on leatherwork, woodcarving, basketry, and other traditional craft skills

The fact that my father kept this photo packet along with his Honor Scout awards, suggests they represented treasured memories. Camp Delmont was not just outdoor adventure, but a formative experience in character development, leadership, and brotherhood that stayed with him throughout his life.

The Delaware and Montgomery Counties Council was organized in 1911, just one year after the founding of the Boy Scouts of America, making it one of the movement’s pioneering councils and the first in Pennsylvania. The council served troops throughout Delaware and Montgomery Counties, including my father’s Essington Troop 1 in the industrial river community south of Philadelphia.

The council was renamed Valley Forge Council in the late 1930s, named for George Washington’s historic winter encampment of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. This connection to Revolutionary War history gave the council a distinctive identity rooted in American patriotism and perseverance—values that aligned perfectly with Scouting’s mission.

Camp Delmont was founded in 1916 and is recognized as one of the oldest Boy Scout camps in the United States Samoset. However, the camp’s early history involved several locations before finding its permanent home. In 1913 and 1914, Camp Delmont was held on White’s Island in the Delaware River near Yardley, Pennsylvania, and in 1915 it was held on Pioneer Island, located in the Schuylkill River near Linfield, Pennsylvania. The camp’s name came from a 1913 contest, with Scout “Reds” Gillespie of Bala Troop 1 submitting the winning entry that combined the first syllables of Delaware and Montgomery counties.

By 1916, the council had acquired the permanent site along Unami Creek in Green Lane, Marlborough Township, where Camp Delmont would operate for over a century. A 1921 brochure for the camp touted instruction in classic Boy Scout skills, and the camp quickly became known for its comprehensive program, beautiful natural setting, and strong traditions.

The camp my father attended in 1922-1923 was still quite new—less than a decade old—and the facilities were deliberately primitive. As the souvenir photographs show, Scouts lived in simple wooden cabins, swam in natural swimming holes along Unami Creek, practiced handicrafts in rustic workshops, and gathered around campfires for evening programs. This was Scout camping at its purest, emphasizing outdoor skills, self-reliance, and connection with nature.

The Honor Scout award at Camp Delmont represented the camp’s highest recognition, given to those Scouts who best exemplified the ideals of Scouting throughout their week at camp. After disappointing results from two previous attempts to institute a Scouting “honor society” at Camp Delmont, camp leaders and Scout executives were looking for another “honor” program to take their place Wikipedia. In 1929, this search would lead to the establishment of Delmont Lodge #43 of the Order of the Arrow, but during my father’s time at camp in 1922-1923, the Honor Scout award served this recognition function.

The 1922 Camp Delmont report outlines the selection criteria, which included demonstrated proficiency in Scout skills, exemplary behavior and attitude, participation in camp activities, helpfulness to other Scouts, and embodiment of the Scout Oath and Law. Honor Scouts were selected by camp staff through observation throughout the week, with announcements made at the closing campfire ceremony. The award included the presentation of a medal or fob, which recipients wore with pride as visible evidence of their achievement.

My father’s time at Camp Delmont from 1921-1923 occurred during a remarkable period in American Scouting. The Boy Scouts of America had been founded in 1910, meaning that when he attended camp, the entire movement was barely a decade old. In 1915, Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carroll Edson founded the Order of the Arrow at Treasure Island Scout Reservation near Point Pleasant, Pennsylvania, inducting the first members on July 16, 1915 – just a few years before my father’s Camp Delmont experiences.

During the early 1920s, Scouting was rapidly expanding across America. World War I had just ended, and Scout troops had gained national recognition for their service activities during the war, including selling Liberty Bonds, collecting materials for the war effort, and growing victory gardens. The post-war period saw explosive growth in troop membership and the establishment of permanent Scout camps like Delmont across the country.

For my father, transferring from Milwaukee County Council back to the Delaware and Montgomery Council around 1921 meant returning to his scouting roots. His time at Camp Delmont from 1921-1923 represented a homecoming of sorts—returning to the Pennsylvania landscapes and Essington Troop 1 where his scouting journey had begun. The Honor Scout awards from 1922 and 1923 demonstrated that he not only returned but excelled, earning the camp’s highest recognition in consecutive summers.

some of the most treasured artifacts from his scouting years. The two consecutive Honor Scout awards from 1922 and 1923 demonstrate not just achievement, but sustained excellence and character development across multiple summers at camp.

What makes these artifacts particularly meaningful is the context of my father’s scouting journey. He began with Essington Troop 1, moved to Milwaukee and Troop 42 for approximately two years around 1919-1921, then returned to Pennsylvania and Essington Troop 1. The fact that he earned the Honor Scout award in his first full summer back at Camp Delmont (1922) and then repeated this achievement in 1923 speaks to his resilience and commitment. Rather than falling behind during his time away, he returned and immediately excelled.

The souvenir photo packet is equally precious. These ten small photographs capture Camp Delmont exactly as my father would have experienced it—the rustic cabins where his patrol slept, the swimming hole where he earned his swimming merit badge, the handicraft cabin where he may have learned leatherwork and woodcarving, and the campfire circle where he possibly received his Honor Scout medals. The photos show a camp that was deliberately primitive, emphasizing outdoor living, self-reliance, and connection with nature. (And it wasn’t that different when I camped there over 30 years later.)

My father kept these items together throughout his life—the patch, both medals, and the photographs—suggesting they formed a unified memory of summers that profoundly shaped him. Along with his Scout notebook documenting his advancement and his brother Edgar’s similar artifacts (Edgar was also an Eagle Scout from Essington Troop 1), these items represent a family commitment to Scouting that extended across two generations.

My brother (born 1939) and I (born 1942) both became Eagle Scouts with Aronimink Troop 2, continuing the tradition our father had established. We both attended Penn State University and joined Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity, just as our father and Uncle Edgar had done. Scouting provided the foundation for these parallel life paths, instilling values of service, leadership, and brotherhood that shaped our family across the decades.

Camp Delmont, though no longer in active use, represents more than just a place where my father camped as a teenager. It represents the formative experiences that taught him perseverance, leadership, and character—qualities he demonstrated by earning the Honor Scout award twice and that he later modeled for his own sons as we followed in his scouting footsteps.

1/29/2026-to Unami Lodge History Committee advisor

Displayed in a show at the Musser Scout Reservation on 4/11/2026 – See Facebook post

• The Delaware and Montgomery Counties Council (later called the Valley Forge Council) was organized in 1911
• Camp Delmont was named after the two counties that made up the original council (DELaware and MONTgomery Counties Council) and summer camp was first held there in 1916, making it one of the oldest Boy Scout camps in the United States – Villanova University Library
• In 1996, the Philadelphia Council and Valley Forge Council merged to form the Cradle of Liberty Council.
• In 1915, Dr. E. Urner Goodman and Carroll Edson founded the Order of the Arrow at Treasure Island Scout Reservation, Pennsylvania, inducting the first members on July 16, 1915.
• Pennsylvania hosts the Valley Forge Pilgrimage and Encampment, recognized as the oldest annual Scouting event in the world, honoring the sacrifices of George Washington’s Continental Army at Valley Forge during the 1777-78 winter encampment, a tradition started in 1913 by Rev. Dr. W. Herbert Burk and held yearly by the Cradle of Liberty Council. 

• Cradle of Liberty Council (successor to Delaware and Montgomery Council / Valley Forge Council): www.colbsa.org
• Musser Scout Reservation (which includes the former Camp Delmont site): Information available through Cradle of Liberty Council
• Historical Society of Montgomery County, PA: www.hsmcpa.org (has Camp Delmont historical materials)
• Villanova University Digital Library: Contains scanned materials relating to early Scouting in Delaware and Montgomery counties, including annual reports from 1918-1929
• Valley Forge Pilgrimage and Encampment: A long-running Scouting event, traditionally held on February 22 to commemorate George Washington’s birthday