Camping with the Spirit of Adventure: Development of Boy Scout Camps for Youth in Northeastern Massachusetts

This book visually chronicles a 120-year full circle of the development of Boy Scout camps in Northeastern Massachusetts in what is today the Spirit of Adventure Council, Boy Scouts of America. In 2015, the Spirit of Adventure Council was formed from forty years of mergers from Boston to the North Shore then west to Waltham and Lowell. Scout councils are formed to organize Boy Scout programs in local communities. From 1910 and well into the 1960s, the major focus of these councils was the acquisition and development of Boy Scout camps. These camps offered outdoor training and recreational programs for the youth in their communities. By the 1970s, council priorities shifted away from Scout camps. Many Scout camps were sold to develop endowments or provide cash to fund council operations.

The Boy Scouts of America began in 1910 during the progressive era. As Americans moved from rural farms to industrial cities, the Boy Scout program addressed concerns that the new urban lifestyle diminished the healthy development of children. Today, during the digital revolution, where young people spend most of their time indoors, scouting is addressing their needs by providing outdoor programs in a healthy and safe environment.