Greetings,
On returning to America from England to Georgia in 1912, Juliette Gordon Low placed her historic telephone call to her cousin, Nina Anderson Pape: "Come right over! I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!" They feverishly recruited girls and leaders throughout Savannah—from the Female Orphan Asylum to Synagogue Mickve Israel, to the steps of Christ Church, and the daughters of the powerful and influential families. On March 12, 1912, “Daisy” Low gathered 18 girls to register the first troup of American Girl Guides.
Juliette Gordon Low was born Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon in Savannah, Georgia on October 31, 1860. She was always called by her nickname "Daisy" by her friends and family. When she was about 25 years old, Juliette had an ear infection which was treated with silver nitrate. This damaged her ear and caused her to lose a great deal of her hearing in that ear.
In 1886, Daisy married William Mackay "Willy" Low, a British heir. During the ceremony, a grain of wedding rice lodged in her good ear and became infected. When the doctor attempted to remove the rice, it damaged the nerves in her ear and caused total deafness in that ear. After his death in 1905, Juliette spent the next several years globetrotting through Europe and India. The settlement of her husband’s estate enabled provided her with the means to continue spending part of the year in London and Scotland and the colder months in the United States, particularly Savannah.
In 1911, when she was 51, Low's social circles in England brought her into contact with Sir Robert Baden-Powell, who had founded the Boy Scouts organization. The two became good friends and Baden-Powell introduced Low to his sister Agnes, who had founded a similar group for girls known as the Girl Guides. The social aims of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides - to provide healthy activities for children while instilling a sense of responsible citizenship - struck a chord in Low, who soon founded her own Girl Guide troops in Scotland and England. Her enthusiasm for the cause quickly evolved into a desire to introduce the Girl Guides program in the United States.
Returning to Savannah, she established the first U.S. unit of the Girl Guides on that fateful March 12, 1912.
Her group included two small troops of girls that met in the carriage house behind Low's home. The Girl Guides engaged in a variety of sports and outdoor activities such as camping. Other girls in Savannah were eager to join in the fun, and the response convinced Law that a nationwide organization should be formed. Margaret "Daisy Doots" Gordon, her niece and namesake, was the first registered member. Her mother Eleanor was one of the first "Guide Mistresses" as they called leaders. By May 1912, Daisy was on her way back home to London, but her mother wrote her that some mysterious benefactor was converting carriage house behind the house Daisy was renting to the Nash family to "club rooms" for the Girl Guides. Daisy's mother guessed the benefactor was in fact Daisy. The Nash family were illustrious in their own right. Ogden Nash, 10 years old in 1912, grew up to become on of the most famous American poets. He also became an interesting connecting link between the beginning of Girl Scouting and the movement in what became the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland when he moved to Baltimore in 1934 and called Baltimore his home for the rest of his life. He immortalized "Mrs. Low's House" in one of his poems. Mr. Nash continued to pay rent for the carriage house even after it was converted for use by the Girl Guides, becoming one of the first financial supporters for the fledgling movement.
The name of the organization was changed to Girl Scouts by 1913. The organization was incorporated in 1915 with the national headquarters at Washington, D.C., with Daisy serving as the first president until 1920. By 1916, there were more than 7,000 girls participating in Girl Scouts.
In March, 1913, a group of women in the community of Pikesville, Maryland, decided to form a club for the girls in the area. One of them heard about the Girl Guides and a letter was sent to Sir Baden-Powell asking for information about the organization. In May a response came from Mrs. Low’s secretary with the promise of the handbook to follow, and the first Girl Scout troop in the Baltimore Area was begun. Under the leadership of Mrs. Boiling Barton, and her able assistants, this troop became the 11th in the U.S.A. to receive its charter, and promptly adopted the name of the “Poppy Troop.” This charter, signed by Juliette Low is safely kept in the Archives of the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland.
The Pansy Patrol, the first Girl Scout Troop in Baltimore City, began meeting in 1914. By 1916 the Girl Scout Council of Baltimore and Baltimore County was organized with Mrs. Boiling Barton as the Commissioner, or President. The history of Girl Scout camps in the area dates back to at least 1920, with many different camps over the years serving the needs of Girl Scouts up to the present time. In 1928, March 6, the Baltimore Area Girl Scout Council, Inc. was incorporated as a non-stock corporation The Anne Arundel County Girl Scout Council, Inc. was incorporated on June 19, 1940, and the Frederick County Girl Scout Council was incorporated on April 28, 1958.
The consolidation of the three Councils took place on October 1, 1962. The Girl Scouts of Central Maryland had a girl membership of almost 25,000 and more than 6,500 adult members. It was also the 50th Anniversary of the Girl Scouts in America.
As Girl Scouting enters a new century of service as the largest volunteer organization for girls in the world, the future is bright. Girls are being taught traditional values and commitments while being prepared to take their place as effective, dynamic women serving their God, their country, their families, and themselves.
Yours & His,
DED
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