Girl Scouts centennial exhibition opens at Old Alabama Town | Community Spirit

Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama’s exhibition “A Centennial Legacy” is now open at Old Alabama Town of Montgomery. On display until mid July, the exhibit features a journey through time with restored Girl Scout photos, vintage sashes, patches and newspaper clippings as well as mannequins dressed in traditional Girl Scout Uniforms. The exhibit is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

March 12, 2012 marked the 100th anniversary of the first Girl Scout Troop meeting. The inaugural meeting consisted of 18 girls led by Girl Scouts founder Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low in her hometown of Savanna, Georgia. Since that time, Girls Scouts has grown to 3.7 million members and is the largest educational organization for girls in the world.

Girls Scouts initially came to the Montgomery area in February of 1921. The first troop was formed at Trinity Presbyterian Church and consisted of 13 girls. The first national charter emerged in Montgomery under the name of Girl Scout Council of Montgomery. Over time, the local organization expanded and merged with other councils realigning in 2007 to become Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama. Currently, GSSA serves 30 counties in Southern Alabama and has more than 9,000 registered Girl Scouts with an additional 3,000 volunteers. “A Centennial Legacy” will feature large format photographs from the early years of the organization in this area, a handmade lashed table, and shadowbox displays of badges, pins and newspaper clippings showing the growth of Scouting throughout the decades.

“One of the most interesting things featured in the exhibit is the lashed table,” Gloria Burton, Program Manager for GSSA, said. “We’ve gotten a lot of compliments on it since the exhibit opened.” Other featured items include archival photos of former Girl Scouts at historic landmarks, including early photographs of Maxwell Field. The exhibit will be moving and featured at other locations throughout the council, including east Alabama, west Alabama and the Wiregrass areas. The exhibition “A Centennial Legacy” is made possible in part by GSSA staff, Carole King and the Old Alabama Town Staff.

Source:  Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama