Kecoughtan Lodge Ceremonial Ring construction at Camp Chickahominy, early 1970's |
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About Kecoughtan Lodge |
Kecoughtan Lodge (pronounced "KICK-oh-tan") was originally chartered in 1951 under Peninsula Council, which was headquartered in Newport News, Virginia. In 1992 Peninsula Council merged with the adjacent Old Dominion Area Council to form Colonial Virginia Council. The Order of the Arrow Lodges of the former councils remained independent until January 1, 1996 when Kecoughtan 463 and Chanco 483 merged to form a new Lodge, Wahunsenakah 333.
I am working to document the Lodge history, recognizing the hard work and dedication of the Arrowmen that helped Kecoughtan serve Peninsula Council and the Hampton Roads community for 45 years. Your help in making this web site as complete and informative as possible is encouraged and sincerely appreciated. I am in search of documents to chronicle the history of Kecoughtan Lodge, from its founding in 1951 to its merger with Chanco 483 on January 1, 1996. Especially appreciated are old Lodge newsletters to fill the gaps in my Kecoughtan Kryer Online Archive. Do you have Executive Committee meeting minutes, Lodge Directories, press releases, fact sheets, patch designs, or other items? Anything you might be able to share would be appreciated. Send me an email or use the feedback form and let me know what you can share. |
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Origin of the Lodge Name | The name of the Lodge was derived from the name of the local Indian tribe that greeted English settlers to the New World in the spring of 1607. The immigrants arrived on three ships - the the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery. Many Kecoughtan Lodge emblems picture these ships, including the original neckerchief patch, the Lodge jacket patch, and later issues of Lodge flaps. The Kecoughtan Indians were members of the Powhatan Confederacy which dominated southeast Virginia in the early 1800's.
From The Guide to Hampton Roads - Historic Hampton: A little more than a year before Hampton (originally called Kecoughtan) was settled, the first English Christmas in the New World was celebrated here. In December 1608 a starving band of Jamestown settlers under the command of Captain John Smith arrived seeking food. Welcomed by the friendly Kecoughtan Indians, the desperate colonists were fed and sheltered. It was during this time that the thankful settlers observed a belated, yet truly joyful, Christmas. One of the Englishmen who accompanied Smith wrote this account of the Indians' reception: "...the extreme wind, rain, frost and snow caused us to keep Christmas amongst the savages, where we were never more merry, nor fed on more plenty of good oysters, fish, fowl, and good bread; nor never had better fires in England than in the dry warm smoky houses of Kecoughtan." These web sites provide further background for the name "Kecoughtan:" Kecoughtan Lodge's chapters (Kiskiack, Mattaponi, Pamunkey, and Piankatank) as well as the Council Camp (Chickahominy) were named for other Indian tribes which were also members of the Powhatan Confederacy and indigenous to the local region. These web sites provide more information about the history of Indians in Virginia:. |
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About Silver Acorns |
Silver Acorns - A Story of 25 Years of Brotherhood, was published by the Kecoughtan Lodge 25th Anniversary Committee in August of 1976 to document the Lodge's history and service to Peninsula Council. On September 17-19 Kecoughtan Lodge held a 25th Anniversary Event and Celebration at Camp Chickahominy with honored guest Dr. E. Urner Goodman, founder of the Order of the Arrow.
Sam Fairchild, Advisor to the 25th Anniversary Committee, loaned me this invaluable document so that I could present it on this web site to help preserve the history of Kecoughtan Lodge and make it available for you. Click on the cover graphic above to find links to each page of this booklet which I scanned and saved as JPEG images. When time permits I will convert the text to HTML. In the interest of getting it online as soon as possible, and to preserve the original appearance of the booklet, I chose to make it available as scanned images first. |
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40th Anniversary History Booklet | A Story of 40 Years of Brotherhood - Kecoughtan Lodge 463 was published by the Lodge's 40th Anniversary Committee in 1991. Alex Wiatt was Chairman of the Committee and editor of this extensively researched history booklet which spans over 50 pages and included a checklist of all known Lodge emblems provided by Dr. Ron Godby. Alex contacted me via email in January of 2005 and generously entrusted me with a copy of this document to scan and share online. This booklet is a fascinating and thorough document, tracing the inception and development of the Lodge, including the story behind the Lodge's flap patch change from the original with confederate flags to the "3 ship design" that began with the S13 issue. A Story of 40 Years of Brotherhood - Kecoughtan Lodge 463 (1991, 8.6 MB PDF) |
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Dec. 1990 SCQ article: Insignia and Memorabilia of Kecoughtan Lodge 463 | The original inspiration for this web site was an article I read in the December 1990 issue of Scouting Collector's Quarterly, the regular publication of the National Scouting Collector's Society. Authored by Ron and Jeff Godby, the article is entitled "Insignia and Memorabilia of Kecoughtan Lodge 463." It represented the first time that anyone had attempted to catalog every type of emblem and collectible ever issued by the Lodge. Several years later when I learned that Kecoughtan Lodge was to merge with Chanco Lodge I decided to create an internet reference of Kecoughtan emblems to preserve this unique bit of history. I asked for and received permission from Dr. Godby to use his checklists, and he generously sent me additional information and helped me obtain many rare items for my own collection. I've scanned and created a PDF document of this article, whose research represents the core around which all existing Kecoughtan emblem catalogs are based: Insignia and Memorabilia of Kecoughtan Lodge 463 (Dec. 1990, 7 MB) |
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Photo Gallery | Below are links to various photographs which have been scanned from Lodge newsletters, donated by fellow 463 alumni, or obtained from other sources.
Order of the Arrow Founder E. Urner Goodman at Camp Chickahominy in 1976 for the Lodge's 25th Anniversary celebration. In this picture Col. Ralph Hanchin, Lodge Lay Advisor and Goodman's wife are seated at the table next to him. Kecoughtan Lodge Flap sign in the dining hall in the background. Sam Fairchild identified the Scout facing Goodman as "none other than Del Croom, past lodge chief. Del was dressed in typical college student scouting attire -- scout shirt, neckerchief and jeans." Photo courtesy Tim Streagle. Order of the Arrow Founder E. Urner Goodman at Camp Chickahominy in 1976 for the Lodge's 25th Anniversary celebration. Shown in this picture seated at a table with Kecoughtan Arrowman Bruce Robinson. According to Sam Fairchild, "Bruce was the Recording Secretary of the Lodge, and came out of my old Troop 345. He served as the founder's "aid-de-camp" during his visit (with Ms. Goodman) to our 25th Anniversary. My mother, Ruby Mae Fairchild, was Ms. Goodman's companion during the visit. Bruce was chosen for this task because of his extraordinary manners, remarkable ability to communicate, and full knowledge of the event's program. He did a superb job, and during my many subsequent conversations with the founder, was the subject of precise and genuine praise from him." Photo courtesy Tim Streagle. Hugh C. Ewing and William (Bill) Leighty at Camp Chickahominy (above, click for larger image. Photo courtesy Tim Ewing). Photographs from the 1971 National Order of the Arrow Conference held at the University of Illinois. Sam Fairchild provides the following clues about these photos:
Photographs from the 1972 Area III-C Pow Wow hosted by Kecoughtan Lodge at Camp Chickahominy. |
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Memorabilia Gallery |
Below are links to images of items which are sure to bring back fond memories for 463 Arrowmen. Lodge Bylaws - a copy of the original Kecoughtan Lodge Bylaws appeared for sale on eBay in early April, 2005. Fortunately, the auction was won by Sam Fairchild so they remain in the hands of a Kecoughtan alumni. These three pictures were included in the auction description: cover, cover closeup, inside front cover. Work Chit - or "hour slip" was a document which certified that you had performed a specified number of hours of cheerful service. This was important to have because you needed 8 hours of service to purchase each Lodge flap. The slip had to be signed by an officer of the Lodge. Scan courtesy of Tim Streagle. Kecoughtan Lodge Membership Form (556K PDF) - circa 1976. Ponder Booklet - contained important tenets of the Order which you were advised to consider carefully. Scan courtesy of Tim Streagle. 25th Anniversary Scorecard (Front/Reverse) - for keeping track of progress towards earning the Lodge's 25th Anniversary Award (the A6 Silver Arrowhead) in 1976. Scan courtesy of Tim Streagle, who informs me that only about 20 Arrowmen earned the award, so the remaining patches were sold. 25th Anniversary Program (768K PDF) - provided to Arrowmen attending the 25th Anniversary celebration at Camp Chickahominy Sept. 17-19, 1976 (original generously provided for scanning by George Bains, who served as Anniversary Chairman). Kecoughtan/Blue Heron Officer Training event sticker - circa 1978. Co-Advisors were H.C. Ewing of Kecoughtan Lodge and Si Simons of Blue Heron Lodge. Chairman was Tim Ewing. |
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Kecoughtan Lodge Chiefs and Lay Advisors |
Kecoughtan Lodge Ceremony at Camp Chickahominy, early 1970's From 1951 through 1995 forty-four individuals held the highest youth position of responsibility in the Lodge - that of Lodge Chief. You can learn who they were and when they served at this page devoted to listing Kecoughtan Lodge Chiefs. Also listed here are Kecoughtan Arrowmen who served as Area or Section officers. From 1951 through 1995 thirteen individuals held the highest adult position of responsibility in the Lodge - that of Lay Advisor. This page lists all of the Kecoughtan Lodge Lay Advisors. Tim Ewing kindly provided this fitting tribute to Walter F. Deal, Jr., known by many in our Lodge as "Daddy Deal." Walter faithfully served the Lodge in many capacities for several decades and was much loved by the youth he dedicated so many years of cheerful service to. |
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Kecoughtan Vigil Honor Recipients | The highest honor given to any of the members of a local lodge is the Vigil Honor. It Is awarded to those Arrowman, boys and adults, who have demonstrated leadership in service. It is an honor that cannot be won by conscious endeavor. The Vigil is held in high esteem by the few Arrowmen who may receive the award annually. The maximum number of Vigil Honor members recognized annually Is 2% of the Lodge membership. (Above text from the Kecoughtan Lodge 40th Anniversary History Booklet, edited by Alex Wiatt) From the Lodge's inception in 1951 until it's merger in 1996 Kecoughtan Lodge awarded 220 Arrowmen with the Vigil Honor. Early recipients of the honor received their induction ceremony from other Lodges: Kecoughtan's first Vigil Honor member was Charley White, the 1957 Lodge Chief. His Vigil induction took place at Camp Shenandoah at the direction of the Nawakwa Lodge #3. Frank Ferguson, of Troop 40, and the 1958 Lodge Chief, was inducted into the Vigil Honor. He was the second Kecoughtan Brother accorded this honor. His ceremony was conducted at Camp Darden under the direction of Blue Heron Lodge, our mother Lodge. The Vigil Honor was again the highlight of 1960 as four Lodge members received their Vigil at Camp Darden. This marked the last time the Vigil Honor ceremony for our Lodge would be conducted by another Lodge. In June 1962, at Camp Okee, our Lodge held its first Vigil Honor induction on its own. Four Brothers were recipients at this time. (Above text from the Kecoughtan Lodge 25th Anniversary Celebration Historical Trail Scripts) The list was generously provided by Herb Smith from official council records compiled by the Lodge in the 1990's. In addition to the names of Vigil Honor recipients and their dates of election and induction, it also includes their Indian name and translation. The OA Guidebook for Officers and Advisors (2002) notes the following requirement for choosing Vigil Honor candidated: |
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Kecoughtan Lodge Emblem History by Sam Fairchild |
Sam Fairchild was Kecoughtan Lodge Chief in 1970-71, and prior to that also served in a number of other positions, including editor of the Lodge newsletter, the Kecoughtan Kryer. He was also advisor to the 25th Anniversary Committee which planned and carried out the Lodge's 25th Anniversary celebration, held in September of 1976. Sam was kind to forward some great insights into the beginning of the Lodge and its early emblems to me via email, and gave me permission to publish them on this web site so that everyone could benefit from his knowledge. As I receive more information from Sam I will add it to this page. Information from Sam about Kecoughtan's first emblems: The first patch was actually a neckerchief. It was a gold sateen with a small green arrowhead on it. The arrowhead was a cut edge twill. There were three fairly minor varieties of the the arrowhead, but the first one only came on the neckerchief. The neckerchief is known as the Charter Member's Neckerchief, and there were approximately 27 of them made. Remember that Kecoughtan was "spawned" by Peninsula Council Scouts and Scouters who were members of Nawakwa and/or Blue Heron. The founder was Eddie Jones, one of the most reknown Scouters and Scouts in the country. He was the first Scout to earn the Eagle, Quartermaster and Senior Scout Ranger Awards, and the first Scout to earn all of the merit badges offered (at the time). He was an All-American pitcher and quarterback, and the most prominent patch trader of his day. (He was also my Scoutmaster). |
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This web site is dedicated to the memory of E. Bailey Tudder, longtime Kecoughtan Lodge Advisor, and Dr. Ron Godby, former 463 Arrowman and co-author of the most comprehensive reference on Lodge 463 emblem issues.
The Kecoughtan Lodge 463 Emblems web site was created by Glenn Chase on an Apple Macintosh with absolutely zero Microsoft products. All images presented are protected with a digital watermark, and are the exclusive property of Glenn Chase, all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. No commercial usage of these images is allowed without prior consent. Please send corrections/additions/suggestions to . |
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No part of this electronic publication including text, graphics, database and underlying source code may be reproduced in any form without advance permission of the copyright holder. Use of this site constitutes agreement with its Terms and Conditions of Use. |