Boy Scout Jamborees at Valley Forge during the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations
Q.I am interested in finding out any information on Boy Scout Jamborees at Valley Forge during the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations. Were there any held between 1952-1955?
Lori Bogle, Fayetteville, Arkansas
A.There were three National Boy Scout Jamborees held at Valley Forge: 1950, 1957, and 1964. Boy Scouts had actually been camping in the Park since about 1910-1913. The 1950 Jamboree was the first to be held for the BSA since 1937. It was actually held from June 30-July 6 with over 45,000 in attendance. They encamped on the actual parade grounds and former sites of the 18th century brigades of the former Valley Forge encampment. President Truman and General Eisenhower both spoke during that week at Valley Forge: it was the same week that the North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel....Truman spoke of advocating fellowship and human brotherhood while Eisenhower damned the invasion and hinted at U.S. intervention. The second Jamboree in 1957 was held in the second term of President Eisenhower, but he was unable to attend and sent his vice-president in his stead: Richard Nixon. Reports show that the BSA president announced him as the President of the U.S.A!
For information about the Boy Scouts at Valley Forge, visit www.worldofscoutingmuseum.org.
