Mr Bishop a Paper Company Executive and Scout Commissioner allowed the troop to build a permanent camp site on his hunting camp about 100 yards from his Cabin down in a valley where there was a bunk house, several campsites a small pond which had become orange from coal mine waste and a camp Fire Circle. an
It allowed us to do all kind of camping skills but unfortunately most of the scouts in the troop where hooligans and some of the adult leaders where just as bad as their kids in their behavior. Many kids left 224 over the years and it was not long before I left 224 for good and joined troop 383 which is also no longer in business.
I recently went looking for Mr. Bishops Camp as I have not been back there since 1980 when I stopped and looked around and wondered what had happened to it since Mr. Bishop and his wife Have both passed and had no children I wondered if it even still existed.
Sadly the camp is no more all structures are removed and property appears to have been clear cut at some point mostly new growth trees
The old country market in W. Sunbury is still there but the gas pumps are gone they once sold Quaker State products and the laundromat has been removed in back and store expanded
Sadly many of the places I once Camped are gone .
Including Camp Alliquipa now a private RV Resort , Tionesta turned back into Forrest land ,Semiconon now a private hunting camp .The Scout Cabin in North Park still there but used for other purpose and homes now occupy where we had a camporee
in White Hall behind where commissioner Roy Boyce lived
Yes they say time moves on and in 45 years it surely has and unfortunately very few pictures and documentation of these places even exists and Laurel Highlands council is useless when it comes to trying to do any research on any of these places .
All I have now are memory's thats it to share.
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