“Once you get the dust of Horseshoe in your moccasins, you can never get it out.”

HSRAA
A Proud Benefactor to HSR Since 2000.

Submit Artifact

Submit Artifact

HSRAA VIRTUAL MUSEUM

The first goal in the HSRAA mission is “to preserve and promote the spirit and heritage of Horseshoe Scout Reservation and its camps…” To fulfill this goal, the HSRAA created and maintains the HSRAA Virtual Museum.

14078

ARTIFACTS IN THE MUSEUM

SEARCH

TOUR

TIMELINE

GLOSSARY

Let's "gopher" some items we need in the museum! Find these items and then click "Submit Artifact"! <p> <ul><li>2021 to 2025 Camp Staff Shirts!</li> <li>Pictures of the new Matje Eagle Resource Center program area in action!</li> <li>Boomtown images!</li> <li>Camp Jubilee / Ware staff lists!</li></ul> <p> Also check out the <strong>Most Wanted</strong> tab for more needed items!

Welcome to the HSRAA Virtual Museum! Select a floor below or take a tour!

The HSRAA Virtual Museum was created in 2008 as a virtual tool for cataloguing the rich history of the Horseshoe Scout Reservation. Contained within are 14078 images, videos, documents, audio and narratives that detail the various programs, memorabilia, events and historical happenings from the past years of camping on the reservation.

I. Hierarchy

The HSRAA Virtual Museum has the following hierarchy:

Floors > Rooms > Exhibits > Displays

Each Exhibit is its own page with displays contained there. Details can be found at every level of the hierarchy, including displays.

Details (click to expand)
Floor / Room / Exhibit / Display Details

Expanding these will give you more information about the floor, room, exhibit, or display. Not all displays have details.

II. Exhibits

A. Header Information

1. See Also

The appearance of this in an exhibit, room, or display lets you know there is related information. Click the button to expand it for more information, and then click the red HERE to follow that link. Try the button below to see it in action.

See Also

Click HERE to learn about the OA trail crew that maintains many of the HSR trails.

2. Tour Stop

The appearance of this in the exhibit lets you know that this exhibit is part of one or more tours. If you see this in an exhibit, you can click the “Tour Stop” button to go to the bottom of the exhibit that shows all of the tours and which stop you are on (green circle) in a particular tour.

Tour Stop

Display links show you a snapshot of all the displays in the exhibit. Below is an example of display links: they will be clickable in an actual exhibit and take you to the display. Unless explicitly Cub Scout content, the display link buttons will be red in color or green color (if there are no details for the display). Cub Scout content will be blue.

Displays that have multiple artifacts types will display two or more icons, as seen below with the “Scouts BSA Artifacts” example.


Pictures

Narratives

Scouts BSA Artifacts

Cub Scout Videos

Documents

Jigsaw Puzzle

Memorabilia

1. Icons

The following are a list of icons used to introduce and link to the displays in each exhibit. Icons that have a black image on a white background denote a display has image gallery content that is sortable and/or searchable. A red photograph icon indicates a special art gallery.

IconDescriptionIconDescription
Photographs (JPG or PNG format)
Audio (MP3 format)
Videos (MP4 format)Lists of Records
Documents (PDF format) Maps (PDF or JPG format)
Memorabilia (JPG or PNG format)
Jigsaw Puzzle
NarrativesPress Articles (PDF format)
Timeline of events
2. Hover

If you hover over the icon of a display link, if there is information about that display it will appear as a hovering dialog box. Note: most displays have information about the display. Hover on the example below to see it in action.

Here are some pictures of the 1997 Section NE-4B Conclave hosted by Octoraro Lodge 22.

III. Displays

Cub Scout content will be displayed with a blue header and Tour Stops will be displayed with a gold header. All other headings will be displayed as green.

Pictures

Cub Scout Videos

Tour Stops

The icon Link to stand-alone gallery is found in top left of a gallery display and is used to link to the stand-alone gallery to be shown on its own page instead of with the rest of the exhibit. This icon is found particularly on galleries of especially large exhibits that may take some time to fully load. This can help the user view just the gallery that they want to see instead of waiting for the entire exhibit to load.

The Horseshoe Scout Reservation Alumni Association (HSRAA) Virtual Museum was conceived and constructed by members of the HSRAA. The artifacts contained herein are all contributions from our members who have diligently preserved the rich history of the Horseshoe Scout Reservation by taking a watchful eye, wielding a steady camera and stuffing a foot locker full of goodies throughout the years. Without their kneckerchiefs, brochures, pictures, maps, leader mugs, stories, videos, patches and everything else not welded to the frame of a camp vehicle, the museum would be virtually empty.

For their contributions – small, medium or large – we would like to thank the following individuals for their generous submissions to the Virtual Museum. Click on their name to see what artifacts they contributed!

Mike Arles
Jeffrey D. Balmat
Meridith Barrett
Jim Battenfelder
Kenneth Beam
T. J. Belzer
Richard T. Bensing
Kevin Berger
Michael Berkeihiser
Linda Bowling
Jim Bratcher
Dan Brown
Steve Brun
James Buczala
Harris A. Butler
Matt Candy
Stephen Carroll
Gerry Cavanaugh
Peter Ciorrocco
Marc Circus
David Cline
Andrew Coe
Cynthia B Coe
A. Ray Coe
Greg Comolli
Michael Corbo
Richard K. Coster
Karen Cox
Edward E. Crompton
Steven D’Antonio
Chester Darlington
Earl Dering Sr.
Anthony J. DiAntonio
Mike DiDomenico
Craig Dickson
Kevin Diestelow
Joseph N DiStefano
Jon DiVirgilio
Ed Dougherty Sr.
James Dukovic
Joseph Eagan
Allen Eagles
Ron Eckert
Evan Ellwanger
Alan Fegley
Andrew Fish
Robert Fisher
Richard D. Foot
Cooper Ford
Jeff Frederick
Richard Gardner
Fred N. Gates
James H. Gawthrop
Chris Gilbert
Jeffrey L. Goodman
Rev. James Goudie
Clarke A. Green
Nathan Greway
Kevin Grewell
Matt Griffin
Will Grosick
William Grubb Jr.
Neil Gutherman
Mark C. Hammond
Ray Hayden
G. Ernest Heegard
Janet S. Hess
Alan Hicks
Robert Hinderliter
Bill Hohl
Scott Hoopes
Joshua Hughes
Dean Kaiser
Saralyn Kassel
William Kassel
Frank Keegan
Alex Keene
Jay Kemmerer
John Kemmerer
Andrew Keyes
Mitch King
Richard F. Kline
Brian Kotzer
Hannah Lamb
Nick Landis
Mike LaRosa
Ed Layton
Robert Lenker
Nick Leusky
Eric R. Lorgus
Clayton Lottes
Karla Loughead
Carla Lucas
Steve MacCall-Carter
Mark Mackowiak
Paul A Manili
Samuel Mantegna III
William Steven Mark Jr
Dale Mast
Robert E. Matje
James A. Matthews
Bill (William) K Mayer
Leonard M. McCabe
Tom McCabe
Robert K. McCarter
L. Chris McConnell
John McFadden
Kerri Lea McFadden
Dr. David Mellinger
David Mengel
Sean Miller
Steve T Miller
J. Roland Minshall
C. Brett Montich
James E. Montich
Mark Morris
Pete Motel
Dave Moyer
Paul Munscher
Thomas Murphy
Harry J. Murvin
Alexander Musto
Dr. Russell Neubauer
Matt Ostrowski
Paul Owens
Jacqueline Palmer
Tom Pantazes
Dan Pawling
Grayson Pitman
Jermaine Race
Jacob Regensburger
John B. Rettew III
Richard L. (Link) Rice
Craig Rittase
Bruce Robertson
Derrick Rowe
Sammy Roworth
Ted Ryan
Scott R. Salvatore
Gus Sauerzopf
Thomas Savoy
Jeff L Schaefer
Mark Schatz
Steven Scheidt
Gary M. Schroeder
Jake Segal
Rev. Thomas Shanklin
Dr. David J. Sherwood
Mark Siegle
Damon Sinclair
Andrew Smith
Richard E. Stick Smith Jr.
Jim Soltysiak
Matthew R Steinberger
Matt Stephens
James Sweed
James Swithers
Ronald Sykes
C. Spud Truitt
Tommy Valentini
William Warram
W. Stuart Watson III
C. William Waxbom
Christian Wells
Collin Wheeler
Brian White
Tom Williams
Matthew Wills
Bryan Wilson
Bruce Wilson
Karl W. Winsch
David B. Woodward
Richie D. Woodward
Wayne Woodward
John Zebley

Here is a listing of all of the floors, rooms, and exhibits of the Virtual Museum, including the date it was last updated.

Q. Why are captions important?
A. The HSRAA Virtual museum has lots of artifacts which span over 99 years and a variety of different programs. While listening to or viewing certain artifacts may hold obvious value to some museum patrons, many others will not know the context of what they have seen or heard. Captions should describe: who is doing the action (if applicable and if known), when the artifact was created, where the artifact took place (if applicable) and what is taking place.

Q. I have no idea what to contribute!
A. Look around in them museum and this will give you an idea of what artifacts are already there. You may see something missing from a collection that you can scan or photograph. Also, visit the Most Wanted List to see which artifacts are most needed by the museum.

Q. When was the museum started?
A. Construction on the museum began in March 2008 and was opened to the public in November 2008. The museum experienced a “refresh” in 2018 for its 10th anniversary and again in 2025.

Q. I have an old artifact that is not in perfect condition. Should I contribute it?
A. While the HSRAA Virtual Museum strives to provide quality artifacts to its patrons, due to the age or circumstances of an artifact we recognize that allowances must be made for certain artifacts. If the same artifact in better condition is contributed later we will replace the one in poorer condition.

Q. If I contribute an artifact will it be automatically incorporated into the museum?
A. No. We must assess that the artifact is relevant (see Artifact Scope under Submit Artifacts), that the same artifact hasn’t already been contributed and that the artifact meets our specifications (see Artifact Specifications under Submit Artifacts). We may crop and reduce file sizes / dimensions for images, documents, audio and video due to constraints on the site and for clarity of the artifact being displayed. We will also need to assign an artifact to its relevant floor, room, exhibit and display. For these reasons, artifacts cannot be automatically inserted and we cannot guarantee that all contributed artifacts will be displayed in the museum. We will strive to post artifacts as soon as we can but this is dependent upon the number of artifacts contributed in a similar period of time.

Q. What if I have a large number of artifacts that would be difficult to email or upload?
A. Email the Museum Curator at curator@hsraa.org and another arrangement may be made.

Q. Why is there more focus on some artifacts and not on others?
A. There is no intentional focus on any artifacts in the museum. Some collections may be lacking because of poor user contributions in that area. If you have a certain focus in an era or program, the best way to make the focus appear equitable is to submit artifacts!

Q. When will the museum be 100% completed?
A. Hopefully never. As long as the history for HSR continues to be written, the HSRAA will continue to post it here.

Q. I noticed that the information displayed for one of your rooms/exhibits/artifacts was wrong. How can I let you know this?
A. For erroneous or incomplete information, email curator@hsraa.org.

Q. Why are many of the newer pictures, especially ones like staff photos, not fully identifying some of the people in them?
A. The HSRAA Virtual Museum is compliant with the Safeguarding Youth policy of Scouting America. Pursuant to this policy, we do not list the full names of any youth (under 18) on the museum that are identified with the youth’s photograph, even in a large group photo such a staff photo. When we are satisfied that all individuals in a photograph are 18 or over, we will display the appropriate caption. If we have a picture of youth we may add a general caption that does not identify the name(s) of the youth(s).

Q. Why are there images (or videos) of activities that do not comply with the Guide to Safe Scouting?
A. There are a few artifacts in the VM that fall into this category. As with any museum, the intent is to show the extensive history of its subject and not necessarily celebrate every facet of the subject. In order to show as complete a history of HSR as possible, we have chosen to include a depiction of some of these activities that are no longer permitted by Scouting America standards. In some cases, we have directly labeled the material as no longer permitted by the Guide to Safe Scouting.

  1. Ware, Ware, Ware – Anything relating to Camp Ware, Jubilee and Explorer Base. The HSRAA recognizes that Camp Ware is grossly under represented in the VM. Our top priority is fixing this but we need your help.
  2. Roberts Day – In the 1930s through the early 1950s, a Saturday was designated Roberts Day. This special event featured facility dedications such for McIlvaine Lodge, the swimming pool, and Morrison Health Lodge, and other special dinners and speeches accompanied it.
  3. The 1950s and 1960s – While the editors are constantly in search for treasures from all periods at Horseshoe, the VM is most lacking in artifacts from these two decades. We are hoping that Packrats who camped or worked at HSR during this period can dig up some memories.
  4. Campwide Games and Activities – The VM only has a handfull of artifacts from campwide games and activities. Remember Diving Della and Herman the Flea? What about Beat the Clock in the seventies and eighties with Pink Floyd’s Time booming on the PA system for an hour? We are looking for artifacts from all games and time periods.
  5. Campsites – Much of camp life centers around the campsite. We need pictures, video and memories of the campsites at Horseshoe Scout Reservation.
  6. Outposts – Outpost camping was a big part of camp especially in the early days. Camp Thomas, Gray Horse and other outpost sites are pretty much memories today but unfortunately memories that are quickly fading. Help preserve this piece of history by submitting any pictures and stories of these overnight destinations.
  7. Troop Photos – Many troops memorialize their experience at camp with an official troop photo, and we’d love to display your troop’s photos from years past on the Virtual Museum. We have only a few dozen, yet – by our calculations – there should be over 1000 that were taken since they became standard in 1978.
  8. Special Camporee and Science Camp – Two integral parts of the Camp John H. Ware 3rd summer program since the 90s, yet we have only a few artifacts thus far. Photos and memorabilia (or even video!) would be great additions to these exhibits.
  9. Order of the Arrow Conclaves – Octoraro Lodge #22 hosts a Conclave on average every 6 years at Camp Horseshoe, and the virtual museum has just a smattering of the endless photos that must have been taken during those events. These are great events that capture the pageantry of Native-American dance, camping at its best, and all around great food, fun and fellowship. In particular, we are looking for photos from the 1991 and 2003 conclaves.
  10. Historical Documents and Newspaper Articles – Do you have an old contract that you signed to work at Horseshoe or Ware? What about press clippings of an article about hiking or biking to camp from Devon (I mention this example because one exists and we don’t have it)? Please send us publications that delve into the historical record or show the good face of HSR to the outside world. We have but a few of these to date.
  11. ??? – Is there something of particular interest to you that you do not see in the VM? Send an email to the VM curator with your suggestions.

The collection of artifacts in the Virtual Museum come from many sources. These treasures have been amassed because someone stopped to take a picture or video, happened to save it and took the time to submit it to the HSR Alumni Association. If you have something to share, click HERE to submit your artifact.

Artifact Scope
The museum contains artifacts pertaining to the history of the Horseshoe Scout Reservation (HSR), with most artifacts depicting events, individuals, and programs at HSR. Artifacts related to Scouting in Chester County Council but not necessarily HSR may be viewed on other Council, District or troop websites, including but not limited to www.octoraro22.org and www.cccscouting.org.


Artifact Specifications:

File formats: JPGs and GIFs

Dimensions: 1024 x 1024 pixels or less

File format: MP4 Video

Note: Though the file format displayed in the Virtual Museum is MP4, users can submit their videos in other formats and the museum specialists will convert the file format to MP4.

File formats: MP3 and WAV files

File format: PDF

Thank you for considering donating to the VM!

If you have a question about the Virtual Museum or want to discuss adding artifacts to the Virtual Museum, contact curator@hsraa.org.

1
History and Geography
2
Reservation Facilities
3
Summer Program
4
Camp Staff
5
Special Programs and Events
6
The HSR Collections

Follow us on social media

Last updated January 1, 2026

© Horseshoe Scout Reservation Alumni Association 2025

Submit Artifact

Submit Artifact

HSRAA VIRTUAL MUSEUM

The first goal in the HSRAA mission is “to preserve and promote the spirit and heritage of Horseshoe Scout Reservation and its camps…” To fulfill this goal, the HSRAA created and maintains the HSRAA Virtual Museum.

14078

ARTIFACTS IN THE MUSEUM

SEARCH

TOUR

TIMELINE

GLOSSARY

Let's "gopher" some items we need in the museum! Find these items and then click "Submit Artifact"! <p> <ul><li>2021 to 2025 Camp Staff Shirts!</li> <li>Pictures of the new Matje Eagle Resource Center program area in action!</li> <li>Boomtown images!</li> <li>Camp Jubilee / Ware staff lists!</li></ul> <p> Also check out the <strong>Most Wanted</strong> tab for more needed items!

Welcome to the HSRAA Virtual Museum! Select a floor below or take a tour!

The HSRAA Virtual Museum was created in 2008 as a virtual tool for cataloguing the rich history of the Horseshoe Scout Reservation. Contained within are 14078 images, videos, documents, audio and narratives that detail the various programs, memorabilia, events and historical happenings from the past years of camping on the reservation.

I. Hierarchy

The HSRAA Virtual Museum has the following hierarchy:

Floors > Rooms > Exhibits > Displays

Each Exhibit is its own page with displays contained there. Details can be found at every level of the hierarchy, including displays.

Details (click to expand)
Floor / Room / Exhibit / Display Details

Expanding these will give you more information about the floor, room, exhibit, or display. Not all displays have details.

II. Exhibits

A. Header Information

1. See Also

The appearance of this in an exhibit, room, or display lets you know there is related information. Click the button to expand it for more information, and then click the red HERE to follow that link. Try the button below to see it in action.

See Also

Click HERE to learn about the OA trail crew that maintains many of the HSR trails.

2. Tour Stop

The appearance of this in the exhibit lets you know that this exhibit is part of one or more tours. If you see this in an exhibit, you can click the “Tour Stop” button to go to the bottom of the exhibit that shows all of the tours and which stop you are on (green circle) in a particular tour.

Tour Stop

Display links show you a snapshot of all the displays in the exhibit. Below is an example of display links: they will be clickable in an actual exhibit and take you to the display. Unless explicitly Cub Scout content, the display link buttons will be red in color or green color (if there are no details for the display). Cub Scout content will be blue.

Displays that have multiple artifacts types will display two or more icons, as seen below with the “Scouts BSA Artifacts” example.


Pictures

Narratives

Scouts BSA Artifacts

Cub Scout Videos

Documents

Jigsaw Puzzle

Memorabilia

1. Icons

The following are a list of icons used to introduce and link to the displays in each exhibit. Icons that have a black image on a white background denote a display has image gallery content that is sortable and/or searchable. A red photograph icon indicates a special art gallery.

IconDescriptionIconDescription
Photographs (JPG or PNG format)
Audio (MP3 format)
Videos (MP4 format)Lists of Records
Documents (PDF format) Maps (PDF or JPG format)
Memorabilia (JPG or PNG format)
Jigsaw Puzzle
NarrativesPress Articles (PDF format)
Timeline of events
2. Hover

If you hover over the icon of a display link, if there is information about that display it will appear as a hovering dialog box. Note: most displays have information about the display. Hover on the example below to see it in action.

Here are some pictures of the 1997 Section NE-4B Conclave hosted by Octoraro Lodge 22.

III. Displays

Cub Scout content will be displayed with a blue header and Tour Stops will be displayed with a gold header. All other headings will be displayed as green.

Pictures

Cub Scout Videos

Tour Stops

The icon Link to stand-alone gallery is found in top left of a gallery display and is used to link to the stand-alone gallery to be shown on its own page instead of with the rest of the exhibit. This icon is found particularly on galleries of especially large exhibits that may take some time to fully load. This can help the user view just the gallery that they want to see instead of waiting for the entire exhibit to load.

The Horseshoe Scout Reservation Alumni Association (HSRAA) Virtual Museum was conceived and constructed by members of the HSRAA. The artifacts contained herein are all contributions from our members who have diligently preserved the rich history of the Horseshoe Scout Reservation by taking a watchful eye, wielding a steady camera and stuffing a foot locker full of goodies throughout the years. Without their kneckerchiefs, brochures, pictures, maps, leader mugs, stories, videos, patches and everything else not welded to the frame of a camp vehicle, the museum would be virtually empty.

For their contributions – small, medium or large – we would like to thank the following individuals for their generous submissions to the Virtual Museum. Click on their name to see what artifacts they contributed!

Mike Arles
Jeffrey D. Balmat
Meridith Barrett
Jim Battenfelder
Kenneth Beam
T. J. Belzer
Richard T. Bensing
Kevin Berger
Michael Berkeihiser
Linda Bowling
Jim Bratcher
Dan Brown
Steve Brun
James Buczala
Harris A. Butler
Matt Candy
Stephen Carroll
Gerry Cavanaugh
Peter Ciorrocco
Marc Circus
David Cline
Andrew Coe
Cynthia B Coe
A. Ray Coe
Greg Comolli
Michael Corbo
Richard K. Coster
Karen Cox
Edward E. Crompton
Steven D’Antonio
Chester Darlington
Earl Dering Sr.
Anthony J. DiAntonio
Mike DiDomenico
Craig Dickson
Kevin Diestelow
Joseph N DiStefano
Jon DiVirgilio
Ed Dougherty Sr.
James Dukovic
Joseph Eagan
Allen Eagles
Ron Eckert
Evan Ellwanger
Alan Fegley
Andrew Fish
Robert Fisher
Richard D. Foot
Cooper Ford
Jeff Frederick
Richard Gardner
Fred N. Gates
James H. Gawthrop
Chris Gilbert
Jeffrey L. Goodman
Rev. James Goudie
Clarke A. Green
Nathan Greway
Kevin Grewell
Matt Griffin
Will Grosick
William Grubb Jr.
Neil Gutherman
Mark C. Hammond
Ray Hayden
G. Ernest Heegard
Janet S. Hess
Alan Hicks
Robert Hinderliter
Bill Hohl
Scott Hoopes
Joshua Hughes
Dean Kaiser
Saralyn Kassel
William Kassel
Frank Keegan
Alex Keene
Jay Kemmerer
John Kemmerer
Andrew Keyes
Mitch King
Richard F. Kline
Brian Kotzer
Hannah Lamb
Nick Landis
Mike LaRosa
Ed Layton
Robert Lenker
Nick Leusky
Eric R. Lorgus
Clayton Lottes
Karla Loughead
Carla Lucas
Steve MacCall-Carter
Mark Mackowiak
Paul A Manili
Samuel Mantegna III
William Steven Mark Jr
Dale Mast
Robert E. Matje
James A. Matthews
Bill (William) K Mayer
Leonard M. McCabe
Tom McCabe
Robert K. McCarter
L. Chris McConnell
John McFadden
Kerri Lea McFadden
Dr. David Mellinger
David Mengel
Sean Miller
Steve T Miller
J. Roland Minshall
C. Brett Montich
James E. Montich
Mark Morris
Pete Motel
Dave Moyer
Paul Munscher
Thomas Murphy
Harry J. Murvin
Alexander Musto
Dr. Russell Neubauer
Matt Ostrowski
Paul Owens
Jacqueline Palmer
Tom Pantazes
Dan Pawling
Grayson Pitman
Jermaine Race
Jacob Regensburger
John B. Rettew III
Richard L. (Link) Rice
Craig Rittase
Bruce Robertson
Derrick Rowe
Sammy Roworth
Ted Ryan
Scott R. Salvatore
Gus Sauerzopf
Thomas Savoy
Jeff L Schaefer
Mark Schatz
Steven Scheidt
Gary M. Schroeder
Jake Segal
Rev. Thomas Shanklin
Dr. David J. Sherwood
Mark Siegle
Damon Sinclair
Andrew Smith
Richard E. Stick Smith Jr.
Jim Soltysiak
Matthew R Steinberger
Matt Stephens
James Sweed
James Swithers
Ronald Sykes
C. Spud Truitt
Tommy Valentini
William Warram
W. Stuart Watson III
C. William Waxbom
Christian Wells
Collin Wheeler
Brian White
Tom Williams
Matthew Wills
Bryan Wilson
Bruce Wilson
Karl W. Winsch
David B. Woodward
Richie D. Woodward
Wayne Woodward
John Zebley

Here is a listing of all of the floors, rooms, and exhibits of the Virtual Museum, including the date it was last updated.

Q. Why are captions important?
A. The HSRAA Virtual museum has lots of artifacts which span over 99 years and a variety of different programs. While listening to or viewing certain artifacts may hold obvious value to some museum patrons, many others will not know the context of what they have seen or heard. Captions should describe: who is doing the action (if applicable and if known), when the artifact was created, where the artifact took place (if applicable) and what is taking place.

Q. I have no idea what to contribute!
A. Look around in them museum and this will give you an idea of what artifacts are already there. You may see something missing from a collection that you can scan or photograph. Also, visit the Most Wanted List to see which artifacts are most needed by the museum.

Q. When was the museum started?
A. Construction on the museum began in March 2008 and was opened to the public in November 2008. The museum experienced a “refresh” in 2018 for its 10th anniversary and again in 2025.

Q. I have an old artifact that is not in perfect condition. Should I contribute it?
A. While the HSRAA Virtual Museum strives to provide quality artifacts to its patrons, due to the age or circumstances of an artifact we recognize that allowances must be made for certain artifacts. If the same artifact in better condition is contributed later we will replace the one in poorer condition.

Q. If I contribute an artifact will it be automatically incorporated into the museum?
A. No. We must assess that the artifact is relevant (see Artifact Scope under Submit Artifacts), that the same artifact hasn’t already been contributed and that the artifact meets our specifications (see Artifact Specifications under Submit Artifacts). We may crop and reduce file sizes / dimensions for images, documents, audio and video due to constraints on the site and for clarity of the artifact being displayed. We will also need to assign an artifact to its relevant floor, room, exhibit and display. For these reasons, artifacts cannot be automatically inserted and we cannot guarantee that all contributed artifacts will be displayed in the museum. We will strive to post artifacts as soon as we can but this is dependent upon the number of artifacts contributed in a similar period of time.

Q. What if I have a large number of artifacts that would be difficult to email or upload?
A. Email the Museum Curator at curator@hsraa.org and another arrangement may be made.

Q. Why is there more focus on some artifacts and not on others?
A. There is no intentional focus on any artifacts in the museum. Some collections may be lacking because of poor user contributions in that area. If you have a certain focus in an era or program, the best way to make the focus appear equitable is to submit artifacts!

Q. When will the museum be 100% completed?
A. Hopefully never. As long as the history for HSR continues to be written, the HSRAA will continue to post it here.

Q. I noticed that the information displayed for one of your rooms/exhibits/artifacts was wrong. How can I let you know this?
A. For erroneous or incomplete information, email curator@hsraa.org.

Q. Why are many of the newer pictures, especially ones like staff photos, not fully identifying some of the people in them?
A. The HSRAA Virtual Museum is compliant with the Safeguarding Youth policy of Scouting America. Pursuant to this policy, we do not list the full names of any youth (under 18) on the museum that are identified with the youth’s photograph, even in a large group photo such a staff photo. When we are satisfied that all individuals in a photograph are 18 or over, we will display the appropriate caption. If we have a picture of youth we may add a general caption that does not identify the name(s) of the youth(s).

Q. Why are there images (or videos) of activities that do not comply with the Guide to Safe Scouting?
A. There are a few artifacts in the VM that fall into this category. As with any museum, the intent is to show the extensive history of its subject and not necessarily celebrate every facet of the subject. In order to show as complete a history of HSR as possible, we have chosen to include a depiction of some of these activities that are no longer permitted by Scouting America standards. In some cases, we have directly labeled the material as no longer permitted by the Guide to Safe Scouting.

  1. Ware, Ware, Ware – Anything relating to Camp Ware, Jubilee and Explorer Base. The HSRAA recognizes that Camp Ware is grossly under represented in the VM. Our top priority is fixing this but we need your help.
  2. Roberts Day – In the 1930s through the early 1950s, a Saturday was designated Roberts Day. This special event featured facility dedications such for McIlvaine Lodge, the swimming pool, and Morrison Health Lodge, and other special dinners and speeches accompanied it.
  3. The 1950s and 1960s – While the editors are constantly in search for treasures from all periods at Horseshoe, the VM is most lacking in artifacts from these two decades. We are hoping that Packrats who camped or worked at HSR during this period can dig up some memories.
  4. Campwide Games and Activities – The VM only has a handfull of artifacts from campwide games and activities. Remember Diving Della and Herman the Flea? What about Beat the Clock in the seventies and eighties with Pink Floyd’s Time booming on the PA system for an hour? We are looking for artifacts from all games and time periods.
  5. Campsites – Much of camp life centers around the campsite. We need pictures, video and memories of the campsites at Horseshoe Scout Reservation.
  6. Outposts – Outpost camping was a big part of camp especially in the early days. Camp Thomas, Gray Horse and other outpost sites are pretty much memories today but unfortunately memories that are quickly fading. Help preserve this piece of history by submitting any pictures and stories of these overnight destinations.
  7. Troop Photos – Many troops memorialize their experience at camp with an official troop photo, and we’d love to display your troop’s photos from years past on the Virtual Museum. We have only a few dozen, yet – by our calculations – there should be over 1000 that were taken since they became standard in 1978.
  8. Special Camporee and Science Camp – Two integral parts of the Camp John H. Ware 3rd summer program since the 90s, yet we have only a few artifacts thus far. Photos and memorabilia (or even video!) would be great additions to these exhibits.
  9. Order of the Arrow Conclaves – Octoraro Lodge #22 hosts a Conclave on average every 6 years at Camp Horseshoe, and the virtual museum has just a smattering of the endless photos that must have been taken during those events. These are great events that capture the pageantry of Native-American dance, camping at its best, and all around great food, fun and fellowship. In particular, we are looking for photos from the 1991 and 2003 conclaves.
  10. Historical Documents and Newspaper Articles – Do you have an old contract that you signed to work at Horseshoe or Ware? What about press clippings of an article about hiking or biking to camp from Devon (I mention this example because one exists and we don’t have it)? Please send us publications that delve into the historical record or show the good face of HSR to the outside world. We have but a few of these to date.
  11. ??? – Is there something of particular interest to you that you do not see in the VM? Send an email to the VM curator with your suggestions.

The collection of artifacts in the Virtual Museum come from many sources. These treasures have been amassed because someone stopped to take a picture or video, happened to save it and took the time to submit it to the HSR Alumni Association. If you have something to share, click HERE to submit your artifact.

Artifact Scope
The museum contains artifacts pertaining to the history of the Horseshoe Scout Reservation (HSR), with most artifacts depicting events, individuals, and programs at HSR. Artifacts related to Scouting in Chester County Council but not necessarily HSR may be viewed on other Council, District or troop websites, including but not limited to www.octoraro22.org and www.cccscouting.org.


Artifact Specifications:

File formats: JPGs and GIFs

Dimensions: 1024 x 1024 pixels or less

File format: MP4 Video

Note: Though the file format displayed in the Virtual Museum is MP4, users can submit their videos in other formats and the museum specialists will convert the file format to MP4.

File formats: MP3 and WAV files

File format: PDF

Thank you for considering donating to the VM!

If you have a question about the Virtual Museum or want to discuss adding artifacts to the Virtual Museum, contact curator@hsraa.org.

1
History and Geography
2
Reservation Facilities
3
Summer Program
4
Camp Staff
5
Special Programs and Events
6
The HSR Collections

Follow us on social media

Last updated January 1, 2026

© Horseshoe Scout Reservation Alumni Association 2025

How may I help you?
Milton
Chatbot Image Hello, I am still under development. My answers are evolving as I continue to train. But feel free to start asking me things about HSR or HSRAA!

Powered by artificial intelligence, the bot can make mistakes. Consider checking important information.