Roy Weatherbee sends along an image of what might be the earliest memorabilia issued for what we would now call a conclave. Prior to the Area Designations which matched the Region Alignment, the Order of the Arrow was broken up into various Areas which had Letter designations. Roy sends along an image and some information for the 1941 Area C Fellowship Conference or Fellowship Meeting hosted by Chappegat Lodge #15 at their Camp Siwanoy.
The neckerchief refers to this as an Fellowship Conference, while the program calls it a Fellowship Meeting. The program does not contain an official list of Area C lodges, but the below lodges are mentioned in the program. I do not know if this represents a complete list.
Here’s a summary of the info I’ve been able to collect:
1941 Area C Conference/Meeting
Host Lodge: Chappegat Lodge (15)
Location: Camp Siwanoy, Wingdale, NY
Dates: Saturday, August 30 – Monday, September 1 ,1941 (Labor Day weekend)
Lodges mentioned as participating (in the program):
- Chappegat (15, NY)
- Shu-Shu-Gah (24, NY)
- Lekau (77, NJ)
- Sanhican (2, NJ)
- Ranachqua (4, NY)
- Minquin (86, NJ)
- Man-a-hattin (82, NY)
- Cowaw (9, NJ)
Roy Adds:
This is the oldest Conclave/Conference item I have in my collection. The next oldest is a leather neckerchief slide from 1948 (Area A). I have no idea what else may exist for those very early (pre-1948) meetings, though it is clear they were being held.
Does anyone else have any information on pre-1949 lettered Area meeting where NYS OA Lodges attended or hosted?
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“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” –Thomas Paine
Looks like you’ll need to update the table you have on your NYS Area Conclaves main page. Sorry about that, but I though you’d appreciate the info.
In wWw,
Roy
Roy,
Thanks for the comment.
While I could create a new page for the Lettered Area’s, I think that this post would be pretty lonely. I know NY had various lettered Area’s, but I’m not aware of any other memorabilia issued for these events.
It is unlikely that any events were held during WWII and at least in the early “Area” days Southern NYS conclaves/conferences were not held in years with national events.
Rob Higgens has a write-up here: http://www.oasections.com/26areas.html
I’ll likely add a row to the Area Conclave Page until I have more data on other Letered Conclaves.
An embroidered neckerchief also exists for this event.
One turned up on eBay last fall from the estate of an early Chappegat Lodge member who clearly attended (and likely staffed) the event. I don’t know if it was specifically a Host Lodge issue, Staff issue, Officer issue or what, but it is clearly “special.”
I didn’t win it (so it’s still a need for me), but I’ll send you a photo from the auction listing to add to this column for future reference.
BTW, I currently have a dupe of the screened neckerchief pictured above available for trade.
Articles in the Mt Vernon Daily Argus and Yonkers Herald Statesman indicated an attendance of 290 Arrowmen from 18 lodges including 11 from Tahawus (32,Yonkers,NY) and 17 from Hanigus (47,Mt Vernon,NY). Other lodges mentioned as being in attendance are Mohican (178, Blairstown, NJ) and Chautauqua (165,Jamestown,NY). The articles also indicate that Man-a-hattin was to host the next conference in 1943.
Another article mentions the attendees by council:
NY: Yonkers[Tahawus 32], Siwanoy[Chappegat 15], Hendrick Hudson[Wiccopee 286], Bronx Valley[Hanigus 47], Fenimore Cooper**, Glens Falls, Bronx[Ranaqua], Brooklyn[Shu-Shu-Gah], Queens[Suanhacky], Manhatten[Man-a-hattin, Staten Island, Chautauga Lake, Lake Shore(Dunkirk), Susquenango(Binghampton), NJ: Trenton-Mercer*, Raritan, Hudson(Jersey City), Watchung(Plainfield), Burlington, Camden County, Robert Treat(Newark), Cumberland(Millville), Tamarack(Ruthorford) and MA: Hamden(Springfield).
*supposedly this had merged and was no George Washington by 1937.
**The lodge in Fenimore Cooper[Wakoda] did not come into existence until 1943 although is possible there were some members that had transferred in.