The 'Old North State Council' (ONSC) is a local council of the
Boy Scouts of America that serves the western
Piedmont Triad region of
North Carolina. The council is headquartered at the Royce Reynolds Family Scout Office in
Greensboro, North Carolina and operates four camps; one of which is outside the council boundaries. The Old North State Council was formed from the merger of three smaller councils in the mid-
1990s: 'General Greene Council', 'Uwharrie Council', and 'Cherokee Council'. The ONSC represents boy scouting in
Davie,
Davidson,
Randolph,
Guilford,
Alamance,
Rockingham,
Caswell, and
Person counties of North Carolina. The council's name is derived from the state's official song, ''
The Old North State''.
Council camps
Cherokee Scout Reservation

A portrait of CSR founder Allan "Doc" Lewis rests within the OA Lodge Building named in his honor.
'Cherokee Scout Reservation' (CSR) is a
Boy Scout camp in central
Caswell County, North Carolina near the town of
Yanceyville. It is situated on over 1,700 acres of
hardwood forest and is the headquarters for the Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Lodge. The camp was founded in the 1960s by Allan "Doc" Lewis and associates and was named after the local
Cherokee tribe. It hosts the council's largest
summer camp, which is usually held each week for about seven weeks each summer.
Eyes of Cherokee
The camp's official camp
song is "The Eyes of Cherokee", which was written by Doc Lewis and is sung to the tune of "
I've Been Working on the Railroad". The song's lyrics are as follows:
:''The eyes of Cherokee are upon you,''
:''All the live-long day.''
:''The eyes of Cherokee are upon you,''
:''You cannot get away.''
:''Do not try to escape them''
:''At night or early in the morn.''
:''The eyes of Cherokee are upon you,''
:'Til
Gabriel blows his horn.''
This song is sung multiple times during the year at CSR, most notably by the summer camp staff at the Thursday night campfire. The song has been sung at many world landmarks as well, including the
Golden Gate Bridge, the
Gateway Arch, and the
Wright Brothers Memorial.
Woodfield Scout Preservation
'Woodfield Scout Preservation' (commonly known as Camp Woodfield) is an 800 acre
Boy Scout camp in western
Randolph County, North Carolina between the municipalities of
Asheboro,
Trinity, and
Denton (). It is situated along the banks of the
Uwharrie River in the
Uwharrie Mountains. Camp Woodfield is mainly used for
Cub Scout events, but numerous
Boy Scout and
Order of the Arrow events are also held there. The camp is divided into three sections: Woodfield East (the largest with most amenities), Woodfield West (more primitive), and Primitive Camp (most primitive). The camp was donated by Elliot S. Wood and Mary Webb Wood in 1989.
Hagan Sea Base
'Charles T. Hagan Sea Scout Base' (or just Hagan Sea Base) is an Old North State Council camp on the
Davidson County,
North Carolina shores of
High Rock Lake. It is located just south of
Southmont off
North Carolina State Highway 8 (). The camp was renovated and upgraded in the early
2000s from a primitive-style camp, to a functioning
summer camp with restrooms and offices. Hagan specializes in water activities for
Boy Scouts and
Venture Scouts, including
canoeing,
sailing,
fishing and
motorboating. 50 Mile Canoe Treks are held at Hagan, as are
Whitewater Merit Badge and
Canoeing Merit Badge classes
[1].
Hemrick Scout Reservation
'H. Clay Hemrick Scout Reservation' is an Old North State Council operated camp outside the council boundaries on an island in
Kerr Lake near
Clarksville, Virginia. It is the least used of the ONSC camps and can only be accessed by watercraft
[2]. Facilities on the island include
latrines, a small
dining hall, a boating dock, and a lodge building.
Districts
The Old North State Council is divided into seven districts for more locally-tailored programs and local leadership. The districts are listed below along with the regions they represent:
★ General Greene District - represents southeastern
Guilford County.
★ Alamance District - represents all of
Alamance County.
★ Battlefield District - represents northwestern Guilford County.
★ Cherokee District - represents all of Rockingham, Caswell, and Person counties.
★ Akela District - represents Greater High Point in Guilford County, the towns of Archdale and Trinity in Randolph County, and the northeastern portion of
Davidson County.
★ Randolph District - represents all of
Randolph County-excluding the towns of Archdale and Trinity.
★ Uwharrie District - represents the majority of
Davidson County and all of
Davie County.
Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Lodge #70
'Tsoiotsi Tsogalii' (Lodge #70) is a lodge in the
Order of the Arrow (OA),
BSA's National Honor Society. The Lodge serves and is backed by the Old North State Council. Tsoiotsi Tsogalli is part of the
SR-7B Section of the Southern Region of the Order of the Arrow. The Lodge's totem is the
Red-tailed Hawk. Approximately 1750 Arrowmen are currently registered as members of Tsoiotsi Tsogalii.
History
The Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Lodge name means "We Three are Friends" in the
Cherokee language and was formed from three smaller lodges. The first, 'Tali Tak Taki #70' merged with 'Uwharrie Lodge #208' in the early 1990s to form 'Keyauwee Lodge #70'. This short-lived lodge then merged with 'Tslagi Lodge #163' in 1994 to form Tsoiotsi Tsogalli, which still exists today.
In 2001, based on the Lodge's Service to Cub Scouting, Tsoiotsi Tsogalii received the National Service Award. This was followed by the Lodge's acceptance of the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award in 2003 and a National Service Grant in 2005, which helped construct a Health & Fitness shelter at Cherokee Scout Reservation.
Executive Committee
The Lodge's leadership consists of a Lodge Chief and seven Vice Chiefs elected annually by the Lodge youth, of a few Lodge Committee Chairmen, and of nine Chapter Chiefs elected by each Chapter's youth. The group meets together as the Lodge's Executive Committee (EC) with their adult Advisers at monthly meetings (no meetings usually occur in June and July). Each officer (the mentioned excluding Advisers) has one vote per decision at these meetings, as does the immediately previous Lodge Chief. The EC is governed by the Lodge Bylaws and
Parliamentary Procedure. Each Lodge officer must be a registered Lodge youth to carry out his position.
The Lodge Vice Chief positions are as follows:
★ Vice Chief of Program
★ Vice Chief of Council Service
★ Vice Chief of Unit Affairs
★ Vice Chief of Indian Affairs
★ Vice Chief of Finance
★ Vice Chief of Publications
★ Vice Chief of Records
A trio known as the "Key 3" are allowed to make certain decisions with approval from the EC. The group is comprised of the Lodge Chief, the Lodge Adviser, and the Lodge Staff Adviser.
Lodge Committee Chairmen are appointed and confirmed by the EC. The number of Chairmen varies from year to year depending on scheduled activities and programs instituted by the EC. At the EC meetings, each Chairman is granted one vote on each decision until the committee that he represents is dissolved.
Lodge bylaws
The
Lodge Bylaws act as a
constitution for the Lodge, forming the basis for the organization of leadership and membership. The Bylaws are divided into four articles, each dealing with a certain aspect of the Lodge. Articles I and II focus on the establishment of the Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Lodge and the qualifications for membership in the Lodge. One of the bylaws states that a member in Lodge 70 must be a registered member of the Old North State Council.
Article III briefly describes the responsibilities of all the Lodge Officers and Advisers and explains that additional temporary responsibilities may be added for Officers. The fourth Article explains the expectations of Tsoiotsi Tsogalii members at Lodge functions, and also declares that items sold by the Lodge must be either approved by Executive Committee or the leadership of the place where the items are sold.
The fifth and final Article lays out the steps necessary for amending the Bylaws document. A proposed amendment must be presented to the Executive Committee, where a motion to approve the amendment must receive two-thirds approval. Then, the proposed amendment must be presented to the Lodge membership for a majority vote before it becomes active.
Chapters
The Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Lodge is divided into 9 separate chapters, each with an elected Chapter Chief, an elected team of Vice Chiefs, and a team of appointed Advisers.
Tsoiotsi Tsogalii's Chapters are listed below along with the regions they represent:
★ Achewon Chapter - represents southeastern Guilford County.
★ Alamance Chapter - represents all of Alamance County.
★ Conestee Chapter - represents all of Caswell County.
★ Danawa Tawodi Chapter - represents northwestern Guilford County.
★ Hycotee Chapter - represents all of Person County.
★ Saura Chapter - represents all of Rockingham County.
★ Tutelo Chapter - represents Greater High Point in Guilford County and the northeastern portion of Davidson County.
★ Unaliyi Chapter
[1]- represents all of Randolph County.
★ Xualla Chapter - represents the majority of Davidson County and all of Davie County.
Events
Each year, the Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Lodge hosts two Fellowship weekends (Spring Fellowship and Fall Fellowship), three Induction Weekends, one Vigil Weekend, one Lodge Leadership Development Conference (LLD), and many other smaller events. Approximately once every six years, the Lodge hosts the SR-7B Section Cardinal Conclave, a
convention-style event where Arrowmen from all over the Section gather for fellowship and competition. Lodges compete against each other in events such as Indian Dancing and the "Quest for the Golden Arrow Games", which is similar to a
decathlon.
Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Lodge last hosted a SR-7B Conclave in 2006 at Cherokee Scout Reservation. Lodge events are most commonly held at either Cherokee Scout Reservation or Woodfield Scout Preservation.
See also
★
Scouting in North Carolina
References
★
Old North State Council Website
★
CSR Camp Website
★
Official Tsoiotsi Tsogalii Website