The Girl Scout Years
Eagle Island Summer Overnight Camp
1938 - 2008
The Girl Scout Years
1938-2008
In 1938 the Girl Scouts of the Oranges and Maplewood, New Jersey, opened Eagle Island as an overnight camp. Generations of campers, living in platform tents, enjoyed the island for 70 years, until the camp closed in 2008. Programming focused on swimming, canoeing, hiking, sailing, and outdoor skills. Younger girls did overnights to camping spots up and down Upper Saranac, and took day hikes, including climbing Mt. Ampersand, which can be seen from Eagle Island. Older girls often took advantage of the many available destinations in the Adirondacks for multi-day canoeing and backpacking trips. The sailboats at Eagle Island were constantly in use on any windy day. Girls learned basic sailing and also practiced racing tactics as their skills improved. Many campers returned to Eagle Island for CIT training and became counselors. Alumnae credit these camp experiences as key to developing the resilience, independence, and strong leadership skills that have served them well through their lives.
A typical day at Eagle Island Camp began with flag ceremony and a hearty breakfast in the Dining Hall. Daily activities included swimming, boating, arts & crafts, campcraft, cookouts, and occasional off-island excursions. Each meal concluded with singing. The first night of every 2-week session was an all-camp campfire in the Lodge, and the staff would be introduced through humorous lyrics sung to popular tunes. There was a costume closet full of donated clothing and dresses from a variety of eras that were used for skits throughout the summer. All-camp activities always ended with the songs Green Trees, Peace, and Taps.
Depending upon the decade, camp alumni remember 4th of July barbecues, sleeping on the Boathouse porch, the highly competitive Song Contest during session 2, folk dancing in the Lodge, making ice cream from scratch, dance parties, Yon Far Beacon Regatta, and Rededication. Also, chilly early morning swims, practicing canoe portaging across the island, sailing far and wide up and down the lake, Church Isle Sundays, climbing Mt. Ampersand, cooking s'mores around a campfire, and much more.
Outside of the youth camping season, Eagle Island hosted an annual Women's Weekend in June, and Family Camping weeks in August. Eagle Island also periodically welcomed Scout groups on multi-day canoe trips to stop overnight and camp out on Mariner's Rock.
Eagle Island, Inc. has many treasures from the Girl Scout Era, and a sample is included below. Scroll down to explore the EIC Songbook, Vintage Photos, Staff Plaques, Song Contest Plaques, and Formal Unit and Staff Photos.
Links to historic articles:
“President Harrison connection was VP Morton”, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 10, 2018
National Historic Landmark Nomination and Designation - Aug. 18, 2004
“Girl Scouts Given Adirondack Showplace” -- Newark Sunday Eagle -- Aug. 29, 1937
“Big Estate is Given to the Girl Scouts” -- NYTimes -- Aug. 30, 1937
“Adirondack Retreats Add New Facilities” --NYTimes -- June 12, 1938 (camp opens)
Cindress's EIC Songbook
This is a collection of songs sung at EIC throughout the years. The contributions from alumni and from songbooks at the camp have completely surpassed my small starter page. In particular, thanks June S. for sending her songbook. Some of the songs here have links to sound files, midi or mp3.
