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

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.

Second Chanco YC1 chenille prototype surfaces

 In October of 2005 I wrote on this web site about my pursuit of information about the elusive Chanco Lodge chenille prototype patch.

My multiyear search for this previously mythical patch finally struck gold when I asked longtime Chanco Lodge member DeWitt Holland about it. Not only did DeWitt know of it, he designed it, ordered it, and had the only known example of it.

DeWitt provided me with color photos of the front and reverse of the chenille, along with a copy of the original order form sent to Standard Pennant Company of Big Run, PA, as well as the order confirmation from SPC dated 10/28/93. Both documents indicate a quantity of one patch.

At the January 1994 meeting the Chanco Lodge Executive Committee discussed the prototype chenille, and as DeWitt relates:

It was voted down as being too expensive to produce and the majority of the members thought it was just a fund raiser. It's cost would have been $30.00 each and the lodge had never produced anything that cost anywhere near that much.

Fast forward to March, 2010. Collector John Ortt of Virginia Beach (who you may recognize as organizer of the annual Williamsburg Trade-O-Ree) acquires a Chanco YC1 prototype from fellow Virginia collector Josh Batten, only to discover it's not the one from DeWitt's collection pictured on this web site.

Comparing the reverse of the two patches reveals differing labels, though both share the same handwritten operator number: 3/19. DeWitt's YC1 has a clean felt back while John's has the word "Sample" written in ink in the center and a strip of masking tape marked "#94."

After conversations with both DeWitt and Josh, John discovered that his Chanco YC1 was a sample originally kept on file by Standard Pennant Company. As John relates:

Standard Pennant apparently ALWAYS makes a sample for their own archival purposes whenever they have a new patch order. My patch is actually the sample from the company.

A similar file sample from SPC led to the discovery last fall of a previously unknown prototype C-3 chenille patch for Kecoughtan Lodge.

That patch was purchased from SPC in a lot of samples by Conley Williams in 1995. No word yet on whether the 483 YC1 chenille prototype sample was part of that group.

You may wonder if John was disappointed with the new addition to his collection after learning it wasn't the only one in existence. "I'm still very happy with the patch; no problem with it being a sample and the SECOND one known," he says.

Personally, I am grateful to know that the second 483YC1 is in the hands of someone who recognizes the special nature and history of this item and that it is staying in Virginia. That's a much more rightful place than a file cabinet in Pennsylvania!

The Krelman Kecoughtan C-2 chenille prototype

In mid-September 2009 Mike McCaughan sent me a picture of a prototype Kecoughtan C-3 chenille that I had never seen before. Unlike the released version with a red felt background this prototype had a tan felt background.

While researching this emblem I consulted Jeff Godby, who was Lodge Chief at the time and whose father, Dr. Ron Godby, was the Lodge Trading Post Advisor responsible for ordering this chenille issue.

Jeff confirmed the existence of the tan C-3 prototype and sent me pictures of one from his collection with the only difference being that the prototype Mike McCaughan acquired does not have a Standard Pennant Company label on the back while the one in Jeff's collection does.

A fortunate coincidence occurred when Jeff mentioned that he also has a prototype chenille patch for the Kecoughtan C-2 chenille.  As he remembers:

I was Lodge Chief when we came out with the C-2 and C-3 issues, and it was my idea for the lodge to issue our first chenilles in about 15 years ---  good money maker.  My father was the trading post advisor, and he was in charge of ordering the chenilles.  We gave Krelman & Standard both a shot at the C-2 and went with Standard.

The Krelman prototype is noticeably smaller than the Standard Pennant Company version, and the colors are more subdued. Additionally, the reverse side of the Krelman prototype is black, although when viewed from the front the felt background is red.

The Kecoughtan Chenille Emblems page has been updated to include the recently discovered prototype C-2 and C-3 issues. No known prototype of the C-4 is known, but perhaps a surprising discovery awaits!

Kecoughtan Lodge 40th Anniversary Emblems

1991 was a special year for Kecoughtan Lodge. The January 1991 Kecoughtan Kryer displayed a special new masthead and the front page story highlighted the 40th Anniversary of Kecoughtan Lodge. (Arapaho II lists the charter date of Kecoughtan Lodge 463 from official OA records as July 5, 1951).

Along with plans for a 40th Anniversary Fellowship to be held June 15-17, 1991 at Camp Chickahominy, the Kryer announced the availability of a special 40th Anniversary chenille patch, available for two months only by preorder at a cost of $14.00. Reportedly 100 of these were ordered.

The Lodge's 40th Anniversary Committee  published a special anniversary booklet edited by Alex Wiatt entitled A Story of Forty Years of Brotherhood - Kecoughtan Lodge #463, Order of the Arrow. This document remains the most extensively researched and detailed history of the Lodge, spanning over 50 pages and including a checklist of all known Lodge emblems provided by Dr. Ron Godby and Jeff Godby. This booklet was available at the Trading Post during the Fellowship event.

A total of 10 emblems were issued by the Kecoughtan Lodge during 1991 with a special 40th anniversary logo:

• 2 solid embroidered flap patches (1 restricted, 1 unrestricted)
  
• 3 oval pocket patches with loops for the 40th anniversary Fellowship
• 1 limited edition chenille emblem produced by Standard Pennant Company (prototype exists)
  
• 3 other event patches (Winter Ordeal,  Summer Ordeal, and Christmas Banquet)
• 1 Leather Vigil rededication arrowhead

The Lodge issued two special flaps, S25, a restricted issue with a design similar to the standard lodge flap in use at the time with 3 ships, and S26, unrestricted and patterned after the former Lodge flap design, with American flags instead of Confederate ones flanking a large center acorn. The emblem checklist in the Anniversary booklet indicates 500 of each design were ordered.

 The 40th Anniversary Fellowship featured participant, staff, and beaver day issues, differentiated by their border colors of red, dark yellow, and light blue respectively. These were later classified in the Blue Book as X15, X16, and X17. The emblem checklist lists quantities of these produced as 400 red border, 50 dark yellow border, and 100 light blue border versions.

The other event patches for 1991 included the 40th Anniversary acorn logo in their design, as well.

The July 1991 edition of the Kryer reported the huge success of the 40th Anniversary Fellowship, with 230 Arrowmen in attendance, with 15 visitors from other Lodges,  two of them former SE-8 Chiefs.

The Trading Post News column advised that 40th Anniversary chenille emblems were sold out and more than half of the 40th anniversary flaps which arrived at the fellowship on Saturday were gone by Sunday morning.

Fortunately the emblems issued by Lodge 463 in 1991 to celebrate its 40th Anniversary remain surprisingly affordable even today, and together make a unique collection to remember this significant milestone in the history of the brotherhood always remembered as Kecoughtan Lodge 463.

New Kecoughtan chenille prototype discovered

A couple of days ago my friend and fellow Virginia OA collector Michael McCaughan advised me he had obtained what appears to be a prototype of the Kecoughtan C-3 chenille that was issued for the Lodge's 40th anniversary in 1991.  He said that the patch was part of a group of sample chenilles purchased by John Conley Williams directly from Standard Pennant Company and later sold to another collector in Virginia. Michael kindly sent me pictures of the front and back. Interestingly, the reverse of the patch does not include a manufacturer's label:

 

I had likewise never heard of such a prototype; it's not listed in the Blue Book or any other Kecoughtan listings like those compiled by the late Dr. Ron Godby. I checked the Kryer archive to see who was active in Trading Post affairs in 1991 and discovered that Dr. Godby was Trading Post Advisor, and his son Jeff was Lodge Chief.

A quick email to Jeff confirmed the patch Michael obtained is indeed authentic and apparently one of two known to exist. The other one is in Jeff's collection, and he sent me pictures of it to share. Below is a picture of the prototype next to the released version.

Jeff's prototype includes a Standard Pennant Company label on the reverse, just like the released version:

As with the Chanco chenille prototype, the handwritten numbers "12/19" on the reverse of the patch would seem to indicate that more examples of the patch exist:

A prior version of the Standard Pennant Company web site explains the numbers have a different significance:

While technology has enabled us to automate part of our production, many of our chenille items are still "handmade" by experienced personnel that consistently reproduce every required detail. All operators identify their own letters with pride. (Check for the operator number on the back).

I expect that since the prototype Michael now has was intended to be archived and never expected to leave the premises, so no label was ever attached. I confirmed by email with Conley Williams that the prototype 463 C-3 was indeed part of the sample set he purchased from SPC in 1995 and later sold in a group of Virginia items.

If this was the second chenille prototype for Kecoughtan Lodge it would be cataloged as 463-YC2, but it's not. In his reply to my inquiry about this patch Jeff Godby revealed another chenille prototype previously unknown to me; one for the Kecoughtan C-2. That's a story for a subsequent article. For now just know that this one will be listed on my web site as 463-YC3.

The SE-8 Chenille

One of the final emblems issued by Section SE‐8 was an attractive chenille patch featuring the stylized campfire logo of the section. When it was designed and ordered the Section officers and Council of Chiefs knew it would be the first and last chenille patch issued by SE‐8, because their section would soon be history.

This 4 page article with illustrations explores the history behind the SE‐8 chenille, attempts to explain its scarcity, and describes some rare prototypes.

The Kecoughtan 463 YC1 Chenille Prototype

One of the rarest Kecoughtan 463 collectibles is the 463 YC-1, the prototype of the Lodge's first chenille emblem. Four of the prototypes were made by the Standard Pennant Company of Big Run, Pennsylvania to be examined by the Lodge before the final order was placed. They are distinguishable from the final released issue by the lettering "A63" instead of "463."
The patch was designed and ordered by Sam Fairchild, with the order placed in the Fall of 1974 (the Blue Book erroneously lists the date of issue as 1976). Sam, who at that time was serving as Newsletter Advisor and 25th Anniversary Committee Advisor, recalls:

"I remember vividly that we ordered the chenille before the planning began on the Lodge's 25th Anniversary. That planning began in early 1975 as I recall. I ordered the prototype chenille from Standard Pennant in the fall of 1974 and it arrived before Christmas. The Executive Committee of the Lodge approved the design, with the requisite substitution of the number "4" for the holding place letter "A". The Kryer editors, Tommy and Dicky Wiggs, published a notice in the newsletter that invited Lodge members to preorder one chenille per person for $5.00. We took the total number of pre-orders and ordered exactly that number of chenilles. There were 74 in total, and they arrived four weeks later."

Sam confirmed that Kecoughtan was the first Virginia Lodge to issue a chenille emblem, saying:

"We were the first, without question. The guys at Powhatan wanted to do one, but they had to wait until the merger with Koo-Koo-Ku-Hoo before they could issue one. Shenshawpotoo issued their first chenille at the SE-1 conclave in 1975."

Virginia Lodges and their chenille emblem issue dates

3 Nawakwa - C1 - 1981
161 Koo Koo Ku Hoo - none
161 Tutelo - C1 - 1979
258 Shenandoah - C1 -1990
276 Shenshawpotoo - C1 - 1975
349 Blue Heron - C1 - 86-88
456 Powhatan - none
463 Kecoughtan - C1 - 1974
483 Chanco - YC1 prototype (only one made) 1993 (see related story)

Where multiple years are indicated I was not able to find a specific date for the issue, and had to rely on dates supplied for patches issued before and afterwards


A fake version of the first Kecoughtan chenille exists, cataloged in the Blue Book as 463ZC-1. It can be identified by the grayish color of the acorn, the alignment of the numeral "6" on the arrow, and the canvas backing versus the cloth backing of the authentic version.


Three additional chenille emblems were issued by Kecoughtan Lodge before its merger with Chanco Lodge in 1996. No prototypes of these issues are reported to exist. Of the four prototypes of the first chenille, three have been located as of April, 2007. The whereabouts of the fourth is currently unknown.

My sincere thanks to the following Arrowmen who provided invaluable information for this article: Sam Fairchild, Joe Maloy, Jeff Godby

If you have additional information about any of the Kecoughtan Lodge chenille patches, please feel free to share it in the comments.

The elusive Chanco chenille prototype

I originally created my web site to document the emblems and history of Kecoughtan Lodge, and expanded it to include Chanco Lodge when it merged with Kecoughtan to form Wahunsenakah Lodge in January of 1996.

One item that has always seemed to escape my research efforts is the mythical Chanco Lodge prototype chenille issue, also known as the 483 YC1. I first learned of this patch in the Blue Book listings for Chanco Lodge, but no Virginia collector I have ever queried about this item had ever seen one, or knew anything about it.

Turns out I was asking the wrong Virginia OA collectors. I recently asked DeWitt Holland, a longtime Chanco Lodge member, about this patch to find out if it really existed, and was thrilled to find out that not only does it exist, but DeWitt designed it and holds the only example in his personal collection.

DeWitt kindly sent me color pictures of the front and back of the 483 chenille prototype, as well as the historical background, along with the original order form and order confirmation. DeWitt explains why the patch was never produced:

There is only one prototype chenille. I did design the chenille. It was made in December of 1993. It was voted on at the January 1994 Lodge Executive Committee meeting. It was voted down as being too expensive to produce and the majority of the members thought it was just a fund raiser. Its cost would have been $30.00 each and the lodge had never produced anything that cost anywhere near that much. It has 6 colors and a 2 layer yellow felt background. It measures 3 3/4 by 3 3/4 inches.

The 483 chenille was manufactured by the Standard Pennant Company of Big Run, PA, which has been making chenille emblems since 1919 and is well known in collecting circles for many Scout items. It features the standard Chanco Lodge totems (deer and Indian brave):



The reverse of the chenille has a Standard Pennant Company label (SPC Type 11) with a handwritten number which would seem to indicate that more than one exists.



However, the Standard Pennant Company web site explains the notation:

While technology has enabled us to automate part of our production, many of our chenille items are still "handmade" by experienced personnel that consistently reproduce every required detail. All operators identify their own letters with pride. (Check for the operator number on the back.)

While not considered an "official" Lodge issue the 483YC1 is definitely a beautiful patch with a fascinating heritage and I expect I am not the only Virginia OA collector who wishes that it had been produced and sold by Chanco Lodge. One has to wonder how many Lodges in 2005 would pass up the opportunity to sell a patch because they didn't want to issue it only to raise money.

UPDATE: Be sure to check out the later article from March, 2010 about the discovery of a second example of the Chanco YC1.