Scouting in South Carolina

Scouting in South Carolina 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.

In 1914, the BSA gave local councils the power to ban African Americans from Scouting. Until 1974, some southern councils of the Boy Scouts of America were still racially segregated. For example, the Old Hickory Council in North Carolina did not integrate until 1974.

There are six Boy Scouts of America (BSA) local councils in South Carolina.

• Headquarters located in Greenville, SC
• Foothills District
• Long Cane District
• Oconee District
• Pickens District
• Reedy Falls District
• Saluda River District
• Scoutreach Division
• Six and Twenty District
• Southbounder District

• Black River District
• Etiwan District
• Palmetto District (merger of Kiawah and Lowcountry District)
• Pineland District
• Swamp Fox District
• Twin Rivers District

Council office located in Augusta, Georgia, includes districts in South Carolina and Georgia.

The Indian Waters Council merged with the former Pee Dee Area Council of Northeast SC, forming the current Indian Waters Council. Scouting programs include Bamberg, Calhoun, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Darlington, Dillon, Fairfield, Florence, Horry, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Richland, Saluda, Sumter, and Williamsburg Counties in South Carolina.

The Indian Waters Council programs include:

• Atakwa
• Capital Rivers
• Chicora
• Chinquapin
• Edisto
• Etowah
• Henry Shelor District
• Wateree

• ScoutReach

• Muscogee Lodge 116, Order of the Arrow

Headquarters located in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

• Daniel Morgan District – Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee Counties.
• York District – All of York, Chester and Lancaster Counties.*^[1]
• Camps located at the Glendale Outdoor Leadership School in Glendale, SC, and Camp Conley Clarke, located in Cherokee County, SC.
• Home of the Skyuka Lodge

There are four Girl Scout councils in South Carolina. ^[2]

This council was formed on May 1, 2007, from the merger of Girl Scout Council of the Congaree Area, Girl Scouts of the Old 96 Council, and Girl Scouts of the Piedmont Area Council, and serves 15,000 girls and adult volunteers in 22 counties ^[3] Its headquarters are located in Greenville, SC.

Camps:

• Camp Mary Elizabeth – an Urban camp, 56 acres (230,000 m²) within the city of Spartanburg, SC.
• Camp WaBak – Marietta, South Carolina – 135 acres (0.5 km²) in the mountains
• Camp Wistagoman – Anderson, SC – 25 acres (100,000 m²)
• Camp Ponderosa – 40 acres (160,000 m²) in Pauline, South Carolina.

Girl Scouts of Eastern South Carolina (GSESC) began operations in January 2007 following the merger of Girl Scout Council of the Pee Dee Area, Inc. and Girl Scouts of Carolina Low Country. The council serves over 15,000 girls and 3,000 adults in Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg and Williamsburg counties.. Its service centers are located in Florence, South Carolina and North Charleston, South Carolina. Its headquarters are also in North Charleston, SC.^[4]

Camps:

• Sandy Ridge – Bennettsville, SC – 400 acres (1,600,000 m²)

This council serves more than 13,000 girls and 5,000 adults in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. Its headquarters are in Lizella, Georgia. In South Carolina, it serves the counties of Hampton and Jasper. It does not have any camps in South Carolina. ^[5]

See also: Scouting in Georgia.

The Girl Scouts, Hornets' Nest Council is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was chartered in 1935. It serves 19,000 girls in North Carolina and South Carolina. In South Carolina, it serves the county of York. It does not have any camps in South Carolina. ^[6]

See also: Scouting in North Carolina.

• Blue Ridge Council, BSA
• Coastal Carolina Council, BSA
• Georgia Carolina Council, BSA
• Indian Waters Council, BSA
• Palmetto Council, BSA
• Girl Scouts of Eastern South Carolina