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Society of Georgia Archivists Preserving the past and the present for the future...

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Volume 42, Issue 2, Summer 2010
Institutional Profile
by Luciana M. Spracher


Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Inc. History/Archives
Mailing Address:
5601 North Allen Road, Mableton, Georgia 30126
Telephone: Margaret Paschal, Council Staff, (770) 702-9610
Email: Carol Pilgrim, History/Archive Committee, gsleaderw@yahoo.com
History Archives Website: http://gaac.clubspaces.com/ (under construction)
Council Website: http://www.girlscoutsofgreateratlanta.org/


The new Girl Scout Service Center building was just awarded a “Silver Leaf” for its Green design.  Photograph courtesy of the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Inc. History/Archives.

The Girl Scouts of the USA was established in Savannah, Georgia in March 1912 by Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low.  In 1914, Lone Troop #429 was organized in Griffin, Georgia.  From this troop, through many merges (the last in 2008), would grow the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, Inc., which serves over 40,000 girls and over 17,000 adult members in 34 counties in the greater metropolitan Atlanta area, northwest Georgia, and Polk County, Tennessee.  The Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta recently moved into their new administrative headquarters and a volunteer service center, awarded a “Silver Leaf” for its environmentally-friendly design, in Mableton, Georgia.


The entrance to the Girl Scout Service Center is encircled by display cases showcasing artifacts and memorabilia from the Archives’ collections.  Photograph courtesy of the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Inc. History/Archives.

Here in Mableton, you will find their History/Archives which began in 1980 and serves to collect, preserve and display objects of a historical nature related to Girl Scouting and its members in the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta; to promote interest in and disseminate information about the history of Girl Scouting; and to make this history available to Girl Scouts and the community by serving as a resource for historical information.  The Archives is staffed by the History/Archives Committee, made up of Girl Scout Adults, Ambassadors and Seniors from throughout the council area.  The Committee meets every three weeks, and currently has about eight active members.  The History/Archives Committee actively gathers memorabilia and artifacts related to Girl Scouting and the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta council, conducts oral history interviews with former and current Girl Scouts, and visits with local troops to share national and council history.


One of the most common requests the Archives gets is about the older uniforms and if the young Girl Scouts can try them on.  Photograph courtesy of the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Inc. History/Archives.

The Archives’ collections are stored in the Girl Scout Service Center in a temperature and access controlled room.  Twelve display cases throughout the service center display objects of historical nature related to Girl Scouting and its members.  Current special exhibits include “Girl Scout Age Levels” and “Girl Scouting, A World of Friendship.”  Scouts have an opportunity to earn a History Patch at each age level by learning more about the history of Girl Scouting in the local area.  Girls enjoy seeing historical items from when their mothers were Girl Scouts, and their mothers can relate to those items from their own childhoods.  Over one-hundred Girl Scouts visit the Archives and service center displays each year.


Displays in the downstairs lounge offer a peek into past activities of the Girl Scouts.  Photograph courtesy of the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Inc. History/Archives.

Planning a visit?
The Girl Scout Service Center displays are open to the public Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The Archives is open by appointment only.


Special thanks to Carol Pilgrim for her cooperation in the preparation of this institutional profile.

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