CAMP ORCHARD POND

Camp Orchard Pond was the area's first official scouting camp.  It was located on a small lake off Meridian Road.  It existed, and served the Boy Scouts of the area for 20 years.  The camping endeavor was ended in 1947.  It was quite small, having only four campsites.  Tallahassee was a very small community then.  The economy was based on agriculture, and everybody knew everybody else.  The owner of Orchard Pone, John Thitts, lent the space to the Scouts.  Their leaders organized activities, and enjoyed the bonding of a small, simple camp until 1948, when the camp relocated to Camp Silver Lake and Camp Lake Pond.

The boys camped for a week at a time, and, like scout camps today, participated in nature study, archery, rifle shooting, conservation, etc. The young boys from then are now in their late seventies, early eighties. In 2005, the Suwannee River Council hosted a reunion for them.  This council has created a lot of scouting opportunities and activities for the past 90 some years.  It now has its summer camp operations at Wallwood Scout Reservation near Quincy on Lake Talquin.  You can visit the camp and tour it, however, the original is long gone.