Wahunsenakah issues 15th anniversary chenille

In recognition of their 15th anniversary, Wahunsenakah Lodge has issued an oval chenille emblem. This is only the second chenille in the Lodge's history; the first was an arrowhead shaped emblem saluting America's military branches issued in January of 2005.

The oval chenille was sold as a Lodge fundraiser and sold by preorder. A limited number may be available at the Lodge's Christmas Banquet on December 10. Funds from the sale of the patch will go to helping the Lodge support Bayport Scout Reservation.

Thanks to George Homewood for the picture of the Lodge 333 chenille

Colonial Virginia Council issues Lodge 333 anniversary CSP

Colonial Virginia Council has issued a special CSP in recognition of Wahunsenakah Lodge's 15th anniversary. Pictured above, the patch was sold as a fundraiser by preorder and a limited number will also be on sale at the Lodge's Christmas Banquet on December 10.

Thanks to George Homewood for the picture of the CSP.

Wahunsenakah 15th Anniversary flap

On January 1, 1996 Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 was formed from the merger of Kecoughtan Lodge 463 and Chanco Lodge 483. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the formation of Wahunsenakah, the Lodge will issue a special commemorative flap patterned after its first flap that features a newly hatched baby duckling.

Orders for the patch were taken earlier this year and they will be available for pickup at the Lodge's Winter Banquet on December 10. A limited number may be for sale for those who did not preorder.

Thanks to George Homewood for the picture of the 15th Anniv. flap.

2011 333 Fall Fellowship patch issued

Wahunsenakah Lodge held their annual Fall Fellowship October 28-30 at Bayport Scout Reservation, and issued a beautiful rectangular pocket patch with loop to commemorate the event. The multicolor solid embroidered emblem features a bear, the totem of Nansemond Chapter, which serves the Colonial Trail District of Colonial Virginia Council.

You can view all of the Wahunsenakah Lodge event patches on the Lodge 333 Activity issues page.

2010 Colonial Virginia Council JSP's added

While reviewing the Jamboree shoulder patch listings for Colonial Virginia Council at kecoughtan.com last week I was startled to discover that I had never added pictures for the 2010 JSP set. The design was featured in this news blog way back in July of 2010 with artwork illustrating the 6 piece set.

So tonight I took time to scan each of the 5 JSP's as well as the pentagon-shaped center patch and added pictures to the Colonial Virginia Council JSP page. It really is a beautiful set, and I'm glad that I was able to order one while I was back on the Peninsula in 2010 for the Kecoughtan High School class reunion.

Wahunsenakah 2011 Summer Service patch

Wahunsenakah Lodge held their 2011 Summer Service at Bayport Scout Reservation on Sept. 15-17, issuing the rectangular pocket patch with loop pictured above. The patch was designed by the Lodge Insignia Design Committee and features a Native American Chief, the totem of Wicomico Chapter which serves the Chesapeake Bay District of the Colonial Virginia Council.

The Arrowmen of Wahunsenakah Lodge had plenty of work to accomplish in their efforts to help the camp recover from the recent destruction left by Hurricane Irene.

You can view all of the event issues of Wahunsenakah Lodge since it's inception in 1996 here.

Thanks to Larry Johnson for the patch picture.

Compiling a definitive Lodge 333 checklist

I have become increasingly frustrated with the lack of a consistent, agreed upon numbering standard for the OA lodges since the demise of Blue Book over 5 years ago.

As a result I've asked several active Virginia traders and collectors to join with me in working on a definitive reference for the Virginia lodges, with accurate and complete information that we can agree and rely upon going forward.

I've begun with a list of issues for Lodge 333 and after compiling a draft version there are 182 items as of August 31, 2011. I am sure that number will change as more information comes to light, but it's a starting point.

I know there have been efforts in the past to exclude variations because it would make collecting a complete set of a Lodge's issues more difficult. While I understand the purpose, I think at this point their existence is no secret and there are plenty of other very difficult patches to find so it only makes sense to include them in a reference guide that seeks to be complete.

If you are interested in collaborating and contributing to this effort I welcome your participation. Just send me an email and let me know.

I've discussed this for years and put it off since it's a monumental task. But with your help and the assistance of other Virginia collectors and traders who want to contribute it's a very reachable goal and one I hope you will assist with.

Wahunsenakah Lodge 15th Anniversary patches available

Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 was formed on January 1, 1996 when Kecoughtan Lodge 463 and Chanco Lodge 483 merged, 4 years after their parent councils combined to form Colonial Virginia Council.

As part of their 15th anniversary celebration Wahunsenakah is issuing three special limited edition patches. Income from their sales will be used to support Bayport Scout Reservation. Since the purpose of their issue is primarily as a fund raiser the patches are available to anyone; you do not have to be a member of the Lodge to purchase them, and the lodge is offering shipping to those who won't be able to pick them up.

The commemorative items include an anniversary flap featuring a hatchling duck whose design mimics the design of the first Wahunsenakah flap, a 6" tall chenille, and a CSP shaped patch. Deadline for pre-orders is September 30. Download the order form and place your order now to make sure you add these unique items to your collection while helping Wahunsenakah support Bayport and celebrate their 15th anniversary.

New James River District patch

Tim Ewing sent me a nice scan of the new James River District patch from Colonial Virginia Council. The design is the same as its predecessors, but the border is now green. Previous issues have had blue, yellow, and silver borders. Check them all out on the Colonial Virginia Council other issues page.

Wahunsenakah issues second lodge neckerchief

Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 has released a second version of their official lodge neckerchief. First available at the 2011 Spring Service weekend, the new neckerchief features an embroidered patch sewn onto a dark green neckerchief with white piping. The first Wahunsenakah neckerchief was issued in 2001. It can be viewed along with chenille, jacket, and other miscellaneous Wahunsenakah Lodge emblems here.

Thanks to Larry Johnson for the picture!

Lodge 333 Spring Service patch

Wahunsenakah just concluded their Spring Service weekend, held May 20-22 at Bayport Scout Reservation. The patch commemorating the event honors Nottoway Chapter which serves Siouan Rivers District and features their totems.

Thanks to Larry Johnson for the picture!

Wicomico members pocket patch issued

Wicomico Chapter of Wahunsenakah Lodge 333 just issued the members version of their pocket patch. Similar in design to the red bordered nonmembers version released in September of 2010, the patch features a gold border  with a button loop attached.

You can view pictures of all of the Wahunsenakah Lodge Chapter emblems here.

Please help with research about Kecoughtan flap design change

Since 1996 I've wanted to research and write an article about a controversial event in the history of Kecoughtan Lodge, namely the retirement of the Lodge's original flap patch design with confederate flags by the Peninsula Council Scout Executive in 1988. In the past I've avoided the topic because it stirs up strong feelings and I was concerned about reigniting long dormant embers of divisiveness.

But the change in flap design is one of the most frequently asked questions I encounter. Even when I was a young Arrowman in the lodge in the early 70's there were rumors that "national wants us to get rid of the confederate flags" although it was never considered or discussed at any Executive Committee meeting I attended.

As our nation commemorates the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War it seems now is an appropriate time to consider this stormy part of the Lodge's history and document it appropriately.

Even if this happened long after or before you belonged to Kecoughtan Lodge I hope you will help.

Here's what I am seeking:

1 - History of the original flap design. From Alex Wiatt's 40th anniversary booklet I know it was designed by Eddie Canada of Troop 40 in 1952. Any additional details would be appreciated!

2 - Any reports of the design being considered controversial or efforts to change it over the years prior to 1988.

3 - Information about the decision of the Scout Executive in 1988 to "retire" the design and reaction of the Lodge Executive Committee and the membership at large. Was the new design embraced ? Did the membership continue to wear the prior design? Who designed the replacement flap and was there any Lodge input?

4 - Did a schism develop in the lodge or between the council and the lodge as a result of the change?

5 - How could it have been handled better? There are lessons to be learned by Arrowmen today from this event.

6 - Can you help me get in contact with the members of the 1988 Executive Committee of the lodge and their advisors for their input? They are listed in the April, 1988 Kryer.

Your memories are vital to accurate history being recorded. If you are not comfortable being quoted by name I am happy to cite the information anonymously and will keep your name in confidence. Just let me know.

Many thanks in advance for your help with this effort.

Glenn Chase
http://kecoughtan.com
http://va-oa.org

Wahunsenakah 2011 LLDC patch honors Kiskiack Chapter

The US Coast Guard Yorktown Training Center was the site of the 2011 Wahunsenakah Lodge Leadership Development Conference on April 16. The patch issued for the event recognizes Kiskiack Chapter which serves James River District. Activity patches of the Lodge during 2011 honor each chapter with the design featuring their totem.

Colonial Virginia Council Eagle Class of 2010 CSP

On March 18 Colonial Virginia Council honored their Eagle class of 2010 and celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America at a banquet attended by nearly 750 people at the Marriott City Center in Newport News. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell was a guest of honor, describing the BSA as "the greatest character building organization for young men in America."

The Eagle class was also honored with a commemorative shoulder patch (pictured above). The CSP matches the ones issued to honor the Eagle classes of 2007 and 2008. Last year a pocket patch in the shape of an eagle head was issued instead of a shoulder patch.

Reproduction Chanco neckerchief patches on eBay

This month several Chanco neckerchief patches have been available for auction on eBay. The seller advertises them as "jacket patches" but collectors in the know will quickly recognize them as a Chanco P3 ("P" indicating the patch is shaped like a slice of pie, and "3" indicating the third issue of this variety from Chanco Lodge). There are three pie shaped Chanco patches. All have essentially the same design and all were made to be sewn to a dark yellow cloth neckerchief. The P1 has no fleur d'lis, while the P2 adds one. The P3 has the same design as the P2 but is a "computer designed" version so the details are more precise.

I was offered a chance to buy a Chanco P3 patch and promised by the seller it was authentic. He sent me a photo of the item and I studied it closely and believed it was authentic. Since I didn't have a P3 in my collection I requested assistance from three other longtime Virginia OA collectors (one a former member of Chanco lodge) to validate its authenticity after it arrived.

Before I had a chance to send them pictures I noticed an auction for another Chanco P3 from the same seller. Already beginning to doubt my purchase I asked him how many he had and where they came from. The seller advised me he thought he had six but wasn't sure, and he bought the patches at a sports show in Milwaukee mixed in among a group of 50 mostly military items for a fixed price, and believed them all to be authentic.

After examining samples of the patch and comparing it to known authentic versions we have all concluded that the recent eBay versions are reproductions and not a variation of the original P3 patches. OAimages.com does not have adequate data to provide a value for the Chanco 483 P3, but one from the collection of Jeff Godby sold for $255 in January of this year. One of the reproductions just sold for $76 and an auction for another one is currently at $46.59. It is quite likely that the bidders believe these to be authentic items since the patches are nearly identical to the originals and the auction description says:

YOU ARE BIDDING ON A PERFECT CONDITION
Chanco Lodge 483 Jacket patch
100% REFUND IF NOT SATISFIED WITH PATCH

I decided to request a refund for my reproduction 483 P3 which the seller graciously agreed to send as soon as he receives the patch. For those of you contemplating bidding on this item, know that it is not an authentic issue of Chanco Lodge and there may be hundreds more where these came from. Since the design is so incredibly close to the original I suspect the reproductions were made from the punch patterns used to fill the original order by the lodge in the late 1990's.

Throughout this article are pictures of the front and back of both an authentic Chanco Lodge P3 and the reproduction found on eBay recently, as well as closeups to help you discern the differences if you happen to encounter one at a trade-o-ree or conclave.  Click on each to see larger versions.

The details that differentiate the reproductions from the original are extremely subtle and without direct comparison with an authentic issue are virtually impossible to discern. The solid embroidered green background of the original is almost perfectly horizontal while the background stitching of the reproduction is slightly angled. The reproduction patch is also slightly smaller than the original, but only by a few millimeters, so you would be hard pressed to notice the difference without a direct comparison. Below is a photograph of the newer patch on top of a known authentic 483 P3.

Michael McCaughan provided the above photo and reports that the brown thread colors on the newer patch are noticeably darker than those of the original. 

One of the tell-tale details on the front of the patch that will help you differentiate it from an authentic Chanco P3 is the detail in the end of the arrow. On an authentic version the arrow shaft blends with the fletching, while on the reproduction the details are much more precise and the shaft is quite defined.

Robert Rudd kindly emailed me to point out that the curves on the FDL's are quite different. On the fake version the tips point upwards, while on the authentic version the tips point to the side.

Perhaps the most easily spotted difference on the front of the patch is the way that the numbers 4 and 8 are embroidered in the text spanning the top. 

On the authentic version the horizontal bar in the number 4 crosses OVER the vertical line, while on the reproduction the bar crosses UNDER the vertical line. You'll also notice the number 8 has a difference as well. The line crossing at the center goes from top left to bottom right on the original, and from top right to bottom left on the fake.


Perhaps the most obvious difference is on the reverse of the patch, where the white bands in the brave's hair are significantly wider on the new patch compared to the original.

I hope this will help you spot this new patch and avoid disappointment.  If you have any additional details please share them in the comments below or feel free to email me directly.


My sincere thanks to DeWitt Holland, Larry Johnson, and Michael McCaughan for their photographs and kind assistance in researching this emblem.

Wahunsenakah 2011 SR-7A Conclave flap

Larry Johnson provided this first look at the colorful flap Arrowmen from Wahunsenakah Lodge will be wearing and trading at the upcoming SR-7A Conclave hosted by Nawakwa Lodge 3 at Camp Brady Saunders on April 29-May 1.

For more news and info about Virginia conclaves past and present be sure to check out my new web site, va-oa.org which offers details about the events as well as pictures of the patches and delegate issues from each lodge.

New Kecoughtan fake patches surface on eBay

In early March, 2011 several auctions for Kecoughtan patches appeared on eBay for items that typically sell for far more than the seller was offering at "Buy it now" prices. A close examination of the pictures accompanying the auctions led me to believe that the items were not authentic, but I withheld judgement until I had a chance to compare actual samples with versions that I know to be authentic.

The patches in question are the silver A6 arrowhead patch issued in 1976 for the Lodge's 25th Anniversary, and the round R5 issue that features an acorn on a black background with an arrow extending on both sides beyond the circular border. This patch, designed for use on a baseball type hat, was originally issued in 1993.

These patches are not easily discerned as reproductions. The seller, in fact, describes them in his eBay auctions as "A PERFECT CONDITION OA KECOUGHTAN LODGE 463 PATCH." The silver arrowhead, in particular, is very close to the original, and from the front could easily be mistaken for an authentic A6 if you didn't have a known real issue to compare it with. The fake round patch has a noticeable curve to the bottom tip of the acorn that is not present on the original. The easiest way to tell them from real versions is to examine the backs - the fakes have a smooth white fabric reverse material while the originals have very evident rough grid patterns. See the pictures at kecoughtan.com for more details.

When I contacted the seller with my findings he offered to refund my money and told me he purchased the patches at a Chicago collectibles show in March of 2010 from a booth selling many types of patches. The eBay seller says he is not familiar with Scout patches and says he was convinced by the booth seller they were authentic.

Don't be fooled by these recent fakes whose only worth is as a curiosity. The real versions of the 463 A6 arrowheads are generally valued between $50-$75 and the real R5 typically goes for between $20-$35. The seller is offering "Buy it now" prices of $14.99 for each of these fakes as well as auctioning some. There is no telling how many of these were actually produced.

Wahunsenakah Winter Service weekend patch design

Adviser George Homewood recently shared information about the designs for Wahunsenakah Lodge's activity emblems for 2011. The designs honor the six chapters of the Lodge and feature each chapter's totem. The first event is the 2011 Winter Service Weekend to be held Feb. 25-27 at Bayport Scout Reservation. The patch for the event features the red hawk, totem of Piankatank Chapter which serves First Colony District. Notice the clever way the W's have been blended into the cheek feathers of the hawk.

I expect to have a picture of the actual emblem soon and you'll find it on the Activity emblems page. Watch this site for additional sneak peeks at the awesome designs of the Wahunsenakah Lodge activity patches that will be issued during 2011.

2010 Wahunsenakah LLDC patch

Larry Johnson sent along a scan of the 2010 Wahunsenakah Lodge Lodge Leadership Development Committee patch. The design is the same as the 2009 issue, except the border color is blue rather than red. The Wahunsenakah 2010 LLDC was held on April 17 at the Yorktown Coast Guard Base, which will host the event again this year.

1997 Pamunkey Chapter event patch discovered

A recent group of eBay auctions by a former member of Kecoughtan and Wahunsenakah Lodge included this unique patch I've never seen nor heard of before. Although it was listed as a Kecoughtan patch the date of 1997 is after Kecoughtan Lodge 463 and Chanco Lodge 483 merged to form Lodge 333, so this is actually an activity patch for Pamunkey Chapter of the new Wahunsenakah Lodge. You will find it listed on the Wahunsenakah Lodge Activity Issues page in the Chapter Activities section.

Thanks to Larry Johnson for the picture.

New site about Virginia OA

I've been working on a new web site that documents the events attended by Virginia OA Lodges, like Pow Wows, Conclaves, and the like.

It's far from complete and I have big plans for expansion to include other content, but I'm finally ready to share the link and encourage you to take a peek when you have a chance!

http://va-oa.org

I really hope to make it far more than just a catalog of items issued, and have worked hard to gather relevant information about each event including special guests who attended, election and competition results, and much more. I encourage you to share your memories, pictures, and items like newsletters or meeting notes to help preserve the rich history of the Order of the Arrow in Virginia.

New Virginia lodges circa 1952

While researching dates of the early Area 3-C Pow Wows I came across this item in the Order of the Arrow National Bulletin Winter 1952 edition:

Other documents state that Kecoughtan Lodge was originally granted its charter on July 5, 1951, and Powhatan Lodge was first chartered on June 18,1951, so it took the National Office more than a year to report the new Lodges from Virginia. At least they included their names, which is more than can be said for Lodges 458, 464, 465, and 467! Of course, information traveled much slower in those days.

2011 Scout Sunday patch posted

Larry Johnson sent me a picture of the beautiful 2011 version of the Scout Sunday patch, issued to commemorate the annual gathering of Scouts for sunrise worship service at the Yorktown Monument. This year's patch is purple and can now be viewed with many prior versions on the Colonial Virginia Council emblems page in the District issue category, since the event is sponsored by Chesapeake Bay District.

2011 Colonial Virginia Council Friends of Scouting CSP issued

Larry Johnson sent me a picture of the newly released 2011 Friends of Scouting CSP from Colonial Virginia Council.  This issue is the eighth in a set of 12, each devoted to a point of the Scout Law. This year's point is Cheerful and the patch design reflects the sailing area of the Council's Bayport Scout Reservation which is located in Jamaica, Virginia, on the shores of the Rappahannock River with access to the Chesapeake Bay. The sailing program called CHASE is an acronym for Chesapeake Bay High Adventure Sailing Experience.

Friends of Scouting is an important funding source for Colonial Virginia Council, representing 20% of their operating budget. Take a moment to send in your donation today and add this beautiful patch to your collection while helping promote Scouting in Southeast Virginia. You can download the flyer with more information and an order form here.

Fake of Kecoughtan S4 found on eBay

Recently I spotted on eBay a crude fake of a 463s5, the white background Kecoughtan 25th Anniversary flap with black border and lettering. The seller was located in Okinawa and advised me that it was purchased at Flight Patch Shop on Gate 2 Street and was the only one available.

The differences in the fake and the real version are so extreme that it's virtually impossible to confuse them unless you know absolutely nothing about Kecoughtan issues. The fake has a cut edge and the embroidered design is ragged and uneven. Above is a picture of the Okinawa version from 2010 and below is a picture of the actual item from 1976.