Does munching on your Samoas and Thin Mints make you wonder about the history of Girl Scouts? How long have girls been dressing up in green uniforms and earning patches anyway? Answer: 99 Years! Juliette Gordon Low held the first Girl Scout meeting on March 12, 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. There is a timeline of Girl Scout history on the Girl Scouts of the United States of America web site. Though it was founded in Georgia, we have a long tradition of Girl Scouting in Ohio. Here is a picture of First Lady Florence Harding in her Girl Scout uniform.

Florence Harding with the first family’s dog, Laddie Boy, at the White House, Washington, D. C., ca. 1921-1923. Mrs. Harding is wearing the uniform of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

We also have manuscript collections from women who were Girl Scouts.

Audrey Wilcke Evans (on left) with members of her senior Girl Scout troop at Camp Sagamore Hill near Dayton, Ohio, October 15, 1933.

Evans Family Collection Call Number MSS 1320 AV

Scouts from the Black Diamond Girl Scout Council at a statewide celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Girl Scouts in May 1987. 

Kathleen M. Meeker Girl Scout Collection Call Number MSS 1384 AV L. Wood, Curator for Visual Resources