Rare Patch Issues
Sanhican Lodge 2

About this page
This page was originally posted on the The Scout Patch Auction website, by the subscriber ramore. Because of the importance of the display, it seems reasonable to preserve this on the Sanhican website. The following text accompanied the photo.

From the The Scout Patch Auction website
A favorite quote of mine comes from collector Dr. Jeff Morley - "What we know about pre-WW 2 Order of the Arrow is an accident." Everything in David's display is pre-1940. Just amazing. The 2 R1 is one of the earliest OA patches, not just the first issue for lodge 2 but one of the first lodge patches period. It dates to roughly 1928 and is contemporaneous with the 1 R2 (formerly 1 R1). Similar design. Similar material. Probably made by the same company.

Also, the membership card is noteworthy not just for its vintage but it does not show a lodge number. This could have been made before lodges were numbered.

We know the name of the recipient of the Vigil sash. It was from a Lodge 2 member who received it in 1935. From some research Paul Myers is doing on Vigil memorabilia, there were barely more than 100 Vigils in the whole country as of this time. The hobby generally does not realize how rare and scarce these early Vigil items are. All in all a wonderful display. Often it is not quantity but quality that really matters. And it is much more than just patches that make for an interesting display. Well done David.

Randall Holden replied to the Scout Patch Auction website
The pin in the upper right hand corner was issued to Brother Barber in 1929 (the card verifies the date). It was the Brotherhood pin for Sanhican with the snake superimposed on the arrow. The pin on the left was issued to another brother in 1947 at Camp Pahaquarra. I am also not aware of the R1’s existence prior to 1932. I wish to thank David for sharing this top dozen pieces from NJ at the recent East Coast TOR.

From a Past Unami Chief and Adviser
I always put the Unami white twill patch as being from 1928, however, some recent review of older Treasure Island camp staff photos showed that 1930 is when it first appeared. Prior to 1930 (we have 1927, 28, and 29 photos too) members wore only a totem pin. In the 1932 staff picture the red version of this patch first appears.

From Wikipedia
In 1915, E. Urner Goodman, a newly hired field executive for the Philadelphia Council, was assigned to serve as director of the council's summer camp at Treasure Island Scout Reservation on the Delaware River. He believed that the summer camp experience should do more than just teach proficiency in Scoutcraft skills; rather, the principles embodied in the Scout Oath and Scout Law should become realities in the lives of Scouts. Along with his assistant camp director, Carroll A. Edson, he started an experimental program, Wimachtendienk ("Brotherhood" in the Lenape language), to recognize those Scouts best exemplifying those traits as an example to their peers.

 

Lodge Issues Row 2, Column 1