Submitted by John Silver, GSCO Guest Blogger
Northern & Northeastern CO
Loveland
Where in Colorado can you see these Girl Scout things from years and years ago: More than 600 Girl Scout vintage uniforms (including sashes and vests and other accessories), and books, and camping equipment and jewelry and cameras?
Where can you try on vintage Girl Scout uniforms (choosing from dozens and dozens of different types) or get help with the “Playing the Past” badge and the “Girl Scout Way” badge by participating in a scavenger hunt to find special items of Girl Scout history?
Where can you borrow Girl Scout uniforms for local events or parades or memorials?
Where can you get help with your own fashion show of vintage Girl Scout uniforms? Where can you borrow the uniforms for the show and a script for the show that includes anecdotes and historical details about the uniforms?
I visited this very special place, the Girl Scouts of Colorado History Center in Loveland.
Here are the things at the center I liked the best:
The oldest uniform, dating from 1914
Blue uniforms for Girls Scouts who were Mariner Girl Scouts in troops focused on boating and sailing activities
A song book from the 1950’s which included my mother’s and sisters’ favorite Girl Scout songs, Make New Friends and The Chalet Song
A collection of “SWAPS,” which are small (often hand-made or personalized) mementos “swapped” (that is, traded) between Girl Scouts and Girl Scout alums at camps or conventions
The center obtains items mostly from Girl Scout alums, but sometimes from garage sales, thrift shops, and estate sales. It also participates in a sharing program with more than 50 similar centers across the country. Here’s how the sharing program works: If a history center in Tennessee comes across a historical item with ties to Girl Scouts in Colorado, it might offer the item to the GSCO History Center, and the GSCO History Center does the same with items it finds that have ties to other states, or with duplicate items.
A group of knowledgeable and dedicated volunteers runs the center, which is open between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. every Tuesday and by appointment on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. Troops can contact the center to schedule appointment outside regular hours.
Contact the History Center at: GSCO History Center, 2004 West 15th Street. Loveland, CO, 80538 or gscohistory@gmail.com.
Check this place out!