Millinocket Girl Scouts

        Scouting was introduced to Millinocket boys and girls in the 1930’s at about the same time as Katahdin Avenue School opened. For the girls, an earlier attempt to form a Campfire Girls group had failed, but in the 1930’s, interest in Girl Scouts was growing and both Girl Scout and Brownie groups were forming. A local Girl Scout Association was formed and by the 1950’s the Abnaki Council was formed for the Millinocket region. (Note: Boy Scout groups were also formed in the same time-period.)

A scrapbook of Girl Scout news articles from 1956 through 1962 compiled by Polly Segee tells of many of the activities enjoyed by the various troops in those years. In that time-period, there were several Brownie troops & several Girl Scout troops. They met at different locations around town and at homes. There were numerous mothers and others who served as troop leaders. The following tells of some of the variety of activities experienced by these young ladies.

June 1956 – “An impressive” Court of Awards was held at Wood worth’s Camps followed by a picnic and then a hike up Black Cat Mountain

Spring 1957 – Local Girl Scouts assisted at an Easter Lily sale to raise money for the Pine Tree Society for Crippled Children and Adults.

            Christmas 1957 – The troops held Christmas parties. Three Brownie troops sang carols and decorated Christmas trees in the hospital lobby. The 6^th grade Girl Scouts made rag dolls and stuffed animals to be donated to children at the Pineland Home.

            January 1958 – Girl Scout Troop #1 participated in a skating party outing and a cookout at Millinocket Lake.

            February 1958 – All troops took part in “International Thinking Day” held at Granite Street School. The scouts wore international costumes and performed traditional dances from many countries for the 400 guests present.

            Fall 1958 – A Senior scout troop gave a demonstration of “tent pitching” at the annual meeting of the Central Penobscot Girl Scout Council at the University of Maine.

            January 1959 – A Girl Scout Talent Show was held at the SHS auditorium with 1000 in attendance. It raised funds to send two senior Scouts to a Colorado Springs event in the coming summer.

            May 1959 – For the annual cookie sale, all scouts were urged to wear their uniforms as they went door-to-door in their assigned areas.

            Summer 1961 – Millinocket Troop 1 spent four days on a tenting trip at Camp Natarswi (Togue Pond).

            March 1962 – Millinocket Girl Scouts celebrated their 25 years of scouting and the growth from one lone troop to seventeen troops including Brownie troops.

(This is only a peek into the activities of Girl Scouting in the Millinocket area. This scrapbook and many others on various topics, are available for viewing during museum hours.)