So what did the Boy Scouts of Allegheny now Laurel Highlands Council do with the Log Cabin Forsythe Home from East Liberty they where Gifted?

 Well the more I dig into the history of Boy Scouts of America activities in Pittsburgh regarding camps and properties they once owned in area the worse it gets with Hum Buggery .

Originally known as Allegheny Council then Allegheny Trails Council and now Laurel Highlands Council 

Back during the Allegheny Council days of 1950s. There was the Hubbard Boy Scout Reservation in Allison Park which was donated to the council and was a former country club  which they sold to university of Pittsburgh in 1955  and is now known once again as Wildwood Country club.

Council claimed they where running out of room and civilization was getting too close  and they would buy property in Butler county to replace it . But I am sure The Original Clubs owners  wanted the Club back after the new homes started sprouting out there and a few dollars changed hands  .

Yes that property they bought in Butler County  would be the now closed and sold Camp Semiconon  which they lied about  Just like Tionesta .Which they never built the promised lake  for Semiconon in the article.

That's where the name Hubbard comes from for the fancy place they built out in Farmington.

So now we have another mystery which no one wants to talk about. The Missing Forsythe Log cabin which once sat in East Liberty and was donated to the Council

The cabin itself has a long and interesting history itself.

https://archive.theincline.com/2019/01/29/what-happened-to-the-long-lost-forsythe-log-house-an-east-liberty-landmark/

 Starting out in Wilkinsburg and changing many hands and being moved to East Liberty.

Where finally it was sold to a developer who could not get anyone to take it so he donated it to the scouts .

Who moved it out to the Hubbard Reservation and apparently rebuilt it and according to an old caretaker of property  burned to the ground  because of termites which is unverified could have just been spirited off to some  Corporate Pukes Executives private camp property ,and any trace if it was there along with the memorial marker plaque The DAR Daughters of the American Revolution  put on the cabin have disappeared into history. 

Now if it did burn there is a small chance local fire company may have been called to camp to help put it out and there would be a record which is one area to investigate .

Of course this is one of several Log cabins to conveniently disappear around City of  Pittsburgh including the one that was in Phillips Park in Carrick and River-view Park in North Side 

Pittsburgh is real good at destroying and making disappear historic structures and Objects .

Its a dam shame how much of our history has been lost forever.

 

 

 

Its time for the Order of the Arrow to Disapear and be Eliminated and if your Roman catholic why you should not join.

 Although it started out with the best of intentions The Order of The Arrow or OA as its known needs to go.

What I once thought was suppose to be an Honor Organization with in BSA founded by 2 members  who had Deep Masonic Roots

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Arrow

https://oa-bsa.org/

 

 That incorporated elements of masonic Tradition  and  reverence to Native Americans was no such thing and in fact Native Americans objected to many of the supposed Native American Traditions  and see it as Mocking of them .

Terms like Lodge , Secret Brotherhood Handshake  the 3 levels of being an arrow man , Ordeal ,Brotherhood and vigil  which signify the 3 degrees of masonry. 

Being Roman Catholic at the time of induction I would have refused to join now knowing all the similarity's of Masonic Tradition But i am no Longer roman catholic. 

 . But back then I did not even know who masons where. Because it was a sin to be a mason and you where excommunicated .

Today I would not join it not because of the Masonic Traditions now that I understand who masons are  and I had several masons who I was friend  with and  who worked for me over the years. 

 But the fact so called native traditions we where following and taught about where made up and total fraud and greatly upset Native Americans.

Plus in many cases mocked Native Americans.

We had this family put on Indian Dance Rituals they claimed where based on authenticate research well try again they where not once I started doing some research thru a local council of Indians who where upset with them and their little show . No wonder they always rebuffed me and did not want me in OA when they found out I had an ancestor  Rev John Heckewelder who actually interacted with Native Americans and wrote a book on their languages and customs still used to this day. 

Yes its time to close down the OA and replace it with a modern Honor Organization which respects all .

 

How my Uncle and his Uncle helped to save thier Scout Troop during the horrific Snow Storm of 1950 at Camp Guyasuta in Sharpsburg Pa

 As Told by my  Grandmother  and Mother  It was Weekend of November 24 1950. 

My uncle The late  John Hackwelder  Jr.  an Eagle Scout

Was getting ready to go camping with his Boy Scout Troop at BSA Camp Guyasuta they would meet In  Lincoln Larimer Neighborhood and hike the approx 2-3 miles to the camp down to Washington Blvd to Highland Park Bridge  

He got out his leather hiking boots  to put on and was ready to leave when my Grandmother insisted he take his 

pull over Rubber Buckle Boots with him.

Of course he protested no one else would be bringing theirs and besides it was only small amount of snow expected.

But she insisted and was worried his feet would get wet and he would get sick.  Because he and his uncle had both brought rubber boost with them  they ended up saving their troops lives that weekend .

Friday night was uneventful when the snow started falling but little did they know 27 inches of snow was coming to box and trap them in the camp that weekend

It was the biggest snowfall on record at the time to hit that weekend. it was so bad the national guard was activated and people where found frozen in homes and the street.

 Saturday morning The scout leaders where beside themselves seeing how much snow had already fallen and was still coming ,worried  on how they where going to get out of the camp with the troop. Hopefully some one would come rescue them but when ? They decided to take a chance and break out while they still could .

 Luckily because my Uncle and his Uncle brought their rubber boots they where able to borrow some brooms and shovels and started beating a pathway out of the camp to the main street  thru the deep snow as scouts behind with out  rubber boots helped keep path open they did this as they needed the whole 3 miles back to Larimer ave.  had they not been able to clear the path with the brooms they would of all had frozen feet walking in all that deep snow.

Everyone made it home safe before the streets where totally impassable with a story to tell.

Unfortunately My uncle and his Uncle never got the recognition they deserved saving those scouts because there was a group of  Jewish Scouts from Squirrel Hill got all the News's attention that weekend  because they decided to stay behind become trapped and had to  burn cabin furniture to keep warm and had to be rescued. 

I have been looking for and trying to verify this story because it did make the newspapers that weekend but I have not been able to find the article and of course . scout council has no records as usual.