National Scouting Museum

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National Scouting Museum
National Scouting Museum, 2017 Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico.jpg
Location17 Deer Run Road
Cimarron, New Mexico
Coordinates36°27′19″N 104°57′21″W / 36.455333°N 104.955703°W / 36.455333; -104.955703
Founded1959
Website
National Scouting Museum
 Scouting portal

The National Scouting Museum is the official museum of the Boy Scouts of America.[1]

Background[]

The museum was first opened in 1959 in North Brunswick, New Jersey as the Johnston Memorial Museum.[2] With the relocation of the Boy Scouts of America National Headquarters from New Jersey to Texas, the museum closed in 1979.[3]

In 1986 the museum reopened on the campus of Murray State University in western Kentucky.[4] Museum officials had predicted that 120,000 people annually would visit the Kentucky location, in the Land Between the Lakes area, but by the late 1990s, yearly attendance was under 20,000.[5]

In October 2002 the museum moved to Irving, Texas.[6] The museum closed in Irving on September 4, 2017 and moved to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico.

It opened in New Mexico on May 29, 2018, with a grand opening on September 15, 2018.[2][7][8][9] The structural engineer of record was Luchini Trujillo Structural Engineers.

Exhibits[]

The museum in Irving contained 53,000 square feet (4,900 m2) of floor space exhibiting a wide variety of artifacts relating to the history of the Boy Scouts. It also contained displays on activities of the Boy Scouts. Exhibits included paintings by Norman Rockwell and Joseph Csatari, High Adventure, National Scout Jamboree, Order of the Arrow, Scoutcraft through the years, Scout values, Eagle Scouts, and a historical collection tracing uniforms, themes, and documents from the beginning of the Scouting movement in America. Among the museum's artifacts are the Eagle Scout medal of Arthur Rose Eldred, the first Eagle Scout.[10] A focal point of the complex was a man-made mountain structure with virtual-reality features; a screen at the foot of the structure allowed visitors to simulate bike-racing through the mountain or kayaking down its waters.[11]

Earthquake damage[]

On May 16, 2009, the museum, then located in Irving, Texas, is thought to have been damaged after a 3.3 earthquake struck four miles (6 km) south of Euless, Texas. The quake appeared to have caused at least five cracks to form, including one or two that are about an inch thick. The damage was only cosmetic and estimated to be about $100,000 to repair.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ Wendell, Bryan (September 26, 2018). "See inside the new National Scouting Museum at Philmont Scout Ranch". Scouting Magazine. Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Boy Scouts of America Announces Relocation of National Scouting Museum to Iconic Philmont Scout Ranch" (Press release). Irving, Texas: Boy Scouts of America. December 5, 2016. Archived from the original on February 26, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  3. ^ "Boy Scouts Open a Museum in Kentucky". Chicago Tribune. June 29, 1986.
  4. ^ "National Scouting Museum to Get New High-Tech Home in Kentucky". Lexington Herald-Leader. May 23, 1986.
  5. ^ "National Scouting Museum Moves To Texas". Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. November 24, 2000.
  6. ^ "National Scouting Museum Officially Opens With Grand Opening Celebration; Crowds Scout Out Dallas/Fort Worth's Newest Family Attraction". PR Newswire. October 21, 2002.
  7. ^ "National Scouting Museum to Move to Philmont". Boy Scouts of America. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "National Scouting Museum". Tour Texas. AJR Media Group. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  9. ^ "Museums". www.philmontscoutranch.org. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  10. ^ "BSA's first Eagle Scout". Eagle Scout Resource Center. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
  11. ^ Deborah Voorhees (October 18, 2002). "National Scouting Museum". Dallas Morning News.
  12. ^ Scott Gordon (June 8, 2009). "Quake Damages Irving Scouting Museum". NBC 5 DFW.

External links[]

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