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:"

• Uncovering Traces of Historic Kecoughtan
• Our first Hometown, "Kecoughtan"
• Geography of Virginia

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:.

• A Brief History of the Indian Tribes of Virginia
• Virginia's First People, Past and Present
• The Indian Tribes of North America: Virginia

I am sure there are still many items which I am not aware of, so please don't hesitate to contact me if you know of an item not listed on this site or that I need a picture of.

Additionally, 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. Anything you might be able to share would be appreciated - old Lodge newsletters. Executive Committee meeting minutes, Lodge Directories, press releases, fact sheets, etc. Send me an email () or use the feedback form and let me know what you can share.

1. Blue Book Standard Order of the Arrow Insignia Catalog, Sixth Edition, 2006 (entries for Lodge 463 originally compiled by the late Ron Godby of Yorktown, VA, updated for the Second Edition by Jeff Godby). These are listed in the column entitled "BB06."

Many items such as Kecoughtan Lodge hatpins are organized based upon reference lists compiled by Dr. Ron Godby which are not publicly published and are used with his permission.

Council shoulder patch issues are cataloged according to "An Aid to Collecting Council Shoulder Patches with Valuation Guide (1998)" by Franck, Hook, Ellis, and Jones.

International Scouting Collectors Association (ISCA) - a non-profit organization that promotes education regarding the history of the Scouting Movement through the collecting and trading of Scouting Memorabilia. All members subscribe to a Code of Ethics to ensure fair trading amongst its members. (My ISCA member number is 548).

Kevin Doyle and Steve Narolski's First CSP's site. View the original issues of each Council's shoulder patch. See also their First Flaps site with scans of each OA Lodge's first flap patch.

Patch-L Listserver. Receive daily news via email about the world of Scout patch collecting. Invaluable. See the web site for directions on how to subscribe.

John Pannell's Blue Book-Standard Order of the Arrow Insignia Catalog page. Where you can download the complete data from the latest edition of the Blue Book and manipulate it with whatever software on whatever kind of computer you please. Note that the Blue Book was composed on a Macintosh.