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OA History
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Through this session, you will:
Explain: What information should be gathered in the preservation of a Lodge history
Demonstrate: Show examples of some best practices in the data collection for a history
Guide: Guidance will include where to find information and begin organization of data
Enable: As participants leave this session, they will be able to begin to develop or maintain a local lodge history
As a part of the Legacy Project, each lodge was asked to put together a lodge history book. Lodges were asked to submit a digital copy of their history by the end of 2014, however they will continue to be accepted as we approach the 2015 National Order of the Arrow Conference. To lead this effort, it is recommended that each lodge have an appointed youth chairman and adult adviser, who, in addition to having some interest in the Order’s past, can put together an illuminating history. If your lodge has leadership selected for this project, you should submit their contact information via this form.
By now, each lodge should have delved deep into their past to find the names, places, and stories that deserve inclusion in their lodge’s official history book. While memories have faded into the past, most lodges have a wealth of resources that can be used to catalogue its history. Start by talking with Arrowmen who have been active for many years or by finding past historical records. Additional resources to help lodge history chairmen are available.
As lodges create their history books, they should keep in mind that the people and stories included within can showcase the special traditions that make each individual lodge unique. Lodges should bring a hard copy of their book to the 2015 National Order of the Arrow Conference. This, along with their lids, will be used in the legacy display.
These books will provide opportunities for Arrowmen across the nation to research and tell the story of their local OA history. As lodges look to “observe and preserve the traditions of the Order of the Arrow,” they should take full advantage of this awesome opportunity to research and display their lodge history.
These illuminating books will be apart of the OA National Digital Archive, go on display at NOAC 2015, and should be displayed at home as well. Thank you to all of those lodge history chairmen and advisers for your hard work!
Lodge Card Available to Lodge Historians
Cards with important lodge information had been considered lost. That was until national committee member Bill Topkis asked OA Associate Director Matt Dukeman if he had seen anything like the only known surviving card, which was for Papago Lodge. Matt instantly recognized the card and passed the lot of them along to the Order of the Arrow’s digital archivist. All cards have been scanned, and PDFs of the cards are available to lodge historians upon request. You can be sent the cards for predecessor lodges as well.
The top of the card includes the lodge name and number, council name, original charter date and a description of the lodge totem. For the years 1951-1964 there are pieces of data filled in for the lodge chief’s name and address as well as membership breakdowns between Ordeal, Brotherhood, Vigil Honor, new membership, active membership and a cumulative total.
For lodges that do not yet have a complete list of lodge chiefs, this card can potentially answer some questions. However, what if your lodge already has a completed list of lodge chiefs and knows all of the other information on the card? The suggestion is for lodge historians to try and speak with past lodge chiefs as they can serve as a wonderful primary source. Through talking with your previous chiefs, your lodge’s historians might be able to uncover leads on further information and stories about your lodge!
Lodge historians can request their lodge’s card via @email.
Lodges New to the Lodge History Book Project
For any lodges that recently began working on their history books, it is exciting that you are taking this step to record the historical narrative of your lodge. Though, the task of writing this history book might seem pretty daunting. You do not have to undergo this project alone! There are a variety of resources designed to help lodge historians with this project.
Head over to https://oa-bsa.org/centennial/history-book! This page of the website hosts a number of resources, but first take the survey that is linked onto the page. This survey will enable a subscription to the Historian Gazette eNewsletter each month as well as the call-in information for monthly topical webinars. Webinar topics have covered such things as gathering resources, writing, editing and much more. You can view the materials from prior webinars in a Dropbox folder which is linked in the Historian Gazette eNewsletter.
Other resources housed on the “Lodge History Book” page of the national OA website include a set of instructions. These instructions cover the steps of the project as well as provide some sample histories. The “Getting Started” flyer overviews the steps to successfully completing the history book. The bottom of the page has additional resources from which lodges and sections are highly encouraged to take advantage.
When your book is complete, the “Lodge History Book” page of the website is where you will want to go to submit the electronic copy of your history book for the OA archives. The last useful tidbit on the website is the email address to which you can send any questions about the project, @email.
Again, we commend you for starting this project. We hope that you discover interesting information for your book, which will be preserved the benefit of Arrowmen now and Arrowmen of the future!
In 2014, each lodge will be asked to develop a history book as a part of the Order's ongoing legacy project. The process of researching your lodge's history might seem daunting. You might be wondering where you should start when it comes to preserving the history and traditions of your lodge. This article will give you a better idea of how your lodge can go about finding the information to include in your history book for the 2015 Legacy Project.
The first step should be pulling together people for a history committee in your lodge. Researching and recording your lodge's history becomes less demanding when a group of similarly focused Arrowmen are working together.
How your history committee decides to organize its book will influence how you should set up responsibilities for members of your committee. My home lodge's book is chronological so it would make sense for my lodge's history committee to have people assigned to different decades or eras of my lodge. Breaking down history into subgroups has its pros and cons. One good thing is that it becomes easier to focus on and find more in depth information when you have a smaller time span to research. However, I find it important to remember that history is a story; the subgroups all connect in some way, shape, or form.
If possible, don't reinvent the wheel. Your lodge might have previously created a history book. Whether it was written fifty years ago or five, the book is a step in the right direction. Archives can be another good source of information for your committee. Archives typically include pictures and scans that can shed light on what happened at an event. When I was looking for information for an article on the history of the five lodges that formed Kintecoying Lodge, I found a wealth of information in the Ten Mile River Museum online archives. Your lodge's website would be yet another place to look for historical information. A lot of lodges have a history section on their website which can include information such as a brief overall history, lists of past youth officers and advisers, award recipients, and more. Finding any information by these means can really help jumpstart your committee's efforts to create a history book.
If your lodge hasn't recorded too much in the past, your committee will have to turn to living history. Living history comes in all ages and varying knowledge levels depending on what years you ask them about. First hand sources are not always the most reliable, so I recommend you run insights by multiple people in order to confirm a piece of information. Interviews do not have to be formal. Sometimes you can learn the most by just sitting down and listening to stories.
Newer history is easier to research because it is fresh in the minds of those around you. More attention will have to be put on to the history from the earlier years and thus more Arrowmen should be assigned to that time frame. It is important to coordinate progress between members of your committee. Ask "what has been found, and what do we still need to figure out?"
Do not be afraid to put out blurbs in publications. Blurbs can be broad or very specific you could ask for information from the sixties or you can ask for information pertaining to your lodge's fellowship in 1964. You never know who might come forth with information or a lead. For example, I recently put a few sentences into my lodge's newsletter asking for materials that I could scan for a lodge archive and got a few leads as to where I could find documents. Go into detail when you are able. I find it more interesting to read a bio about a past lodge chief rather than merely seeing their name in a long list of past lodge chiefs. Bring your lists to life whether they are of past award recipients or of officers. Details can go a long way to inspire members of your lodge to give more cheerful service.
Create a standing history committee instead of a special history committee. It is far easier to have a more complete history if the book is updated as it happens.
The National Subcommittee on Recognition, Awards, History and Preservation has assembled a very helpful instructional document which goes into further detail on the lodge history book project, including sample histories on which you can model your own lodge's book. In the near future, the National Order of the Arrow Web Site will be posting a number of helpful resources as you move forward with this undertaking. I hope you have fun with this very important project and learn a lot in the process. Together you and your committee can share the legacy of those that came before you, and in doing so, leave your own.