The Order of the Arrow was created in 1915 in the Philadelphia Council at Treasure Island Scout Camp with E. Urner Goodman as its founder. The Order of the Arrow was started as an honor society for Boy Scouts who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law, and to promote camping and to carry on camp traditions. It was originally reported as "Wimachtendienks Tribe," then known as "WWW" and eventually called "Order of the Arrow." The Order of the Arrow was founded upon the principles of brotherhood, cheerfulness and service. 
The Pine Tree Council's Madockawanda Lodge came into existence on July 10, 1944, when the first eight members were inducted into the Order of the Arrow. These charter members of our lodge were Howard Butler (the Camp Hinds Director from 1944 to 1947), Frank W.P. Bailey, Fred Foster, Lee Weeks, Phil Foss, Jordan Prouty, Stanley Gilman and Arthur Berry. As a part of their ordeal, these candidates were directed to prepare a ceremonial area on the hill just south of the present Cadigan Lodge and to construct an altar fireplace and ceremonial altar. At that time we took the name Madockawanda, based upon a story told by Uncle Frank Bailey about the great Indian Chief Madockawanda who unified the Penobscot nation. The snapping turtle was taken as the totem of our lodge, and the clap 1, 1 -2 as our lodge clap. Our founders were unaware at the time that the turtle was also the totem of the Unami Lodge #1. 
When members are first elected to the Order of the Arrow, they must complete an induction ordeal. After one year in the Order of the Arrow, members may chose to reaffirm their membership by becoming a Brotherhood member. The highest recognition in the Order of the Arrow is to be awarded the Vigil Honor for members who have exceptional service to the lodge.  Order of the Arrow members can be identified by the Order of the Arrow lodge pocket flap or by the Order of the Arrow white sash worn for ceremonies. During the early period, the Order of the Arrow was almost entirely a summertime program. Elections and inductions were held every two weeks during the summer season. Following national policy, no elections were held outside of the summer camp season.
Camp Bomazeen opened in the summer of 1946 and the Bomazeen Chapter of the Lodge was started.  Jaro Konecny of Salem, Maine, one of its founders, served as an Order of the Arrow advisor at Bomazeen.  The two council camps operated as two chapters of the lodge. Later this was expanded to three chapters during the 1940s and 1950s, when Camp Nutter was opened as a full-time council camp. Camp Nutter dates back to the 1930s, when York County was a separate council operating its own camp. The separate chapters met as a lodge once a year, during the Christmas school vacation, when it held its annual meeting for fellowship and election of lodge officers. 

 
By the mid-1950s, the ordeals had been expanded to include June and September work parties at each camp, as well as ordeals every two weeks during the summer season.  Each chapter had a well-trained ceremonial team consisting largely of camp staff members. Early tapout ceremonies (now calling-out ceremonies) at Camp Hinds were held at the parade ground. The Chief came by canoe from Chipmunk Point, climbed the bank to the assembled troops and tapped out those who had been elected. By the early 1950s, the tapout had become part of an elaborate Indian campfire. These ordeals at both Camp Hinds and Camp Bomazeen were held every two weeks because, in those days of provisional camping, most Scouts attended camp for two weeks at a time, and the elections were held during the second week of the cycle.
By 1955 the move was on nationally to get more Scout troops to come to camp as units under their own leadership. Camp Hinds and Bomazeen gradually moved from camps with 90 percent provisional campers to 90 percent troop camping in the mid-1960s. With this change came major revision in the procedures used by the lodge too. National rules dictated that elections must be held in the home troop, not at summer camp, although for many years some troops still came to camp expecting to have an OA election there. 
The chapters of our lodge then had to subdivide to provide for election and camp promotion teams in every district, of which the council then had eight. For several years we had both "camp" chapters and "district" chapters functioning together, with two lodge vice-chiefs, each supervising the districts closer to his camp. From 1975 through 1979 there were two lodge vice-chiefs elected each year, one to supervise the Camp Hinds sector of the lodge and the other to supervise the Camp Bomazeen chapters. Meetings were held at district round tables to inform Scoutmasters of the new procedures, and we began to hold Order of the Arrow elections only at troop meetings within the districts. Since all the candidates had already been elected before going to summer camp, most of them began coming to the June ordeal weekends instead of waiting until their troop went to camp. The need for ceremonies every two weeks in camp diminished, and those ceremonies were gradually eliminated. 
In 2005, the Madockawanda Lodge currently had 532 registered members. The Order of the Arrow is overseen by youth members serving in elected positions as the Lodge Chief, Vice Chief, Secretary and Treasurer for the lodge, with adults in the roles of Lodge Advisor and Staff Advisor. Each of the five local district chapters also elects Chapter Chiefs with adult advisors. The Madockawanda Lodge still carries on the strong traditions of cheerful service to camp, and some of the larger projects in recent years have been rebuilding of the council rings at all of our camps and rebuilding the main waterfront at Camp Hinds. 

 
Visit the official site of Madockawanda Lodge.

A more complete history can be found on the documents page.


Page design and layout by:
Dean B. Zaharis
Created: November 24, 2005
Last Update: March 14, 204
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