Boy Scout National Jamboree moving to Goshen

In a move that is sure to help the surrounding localities of Rockbridge, Augusta, and Bath counties, the Boy Scouts of America announced they are moving their national jamboree to Goshen, Virginia. Located 30 minutes west of my house, the area around Goshen Pass stands out for its rustic beauty.

Held for years at Fort A.P. Hill in Carolina County, the new location is perfect for the Boy Scouts. If they locate at the 4,000-acre Goshen Scout Reservation, they will be adjacent to the George Washington National Forest, the Maury River, and the wide open spaces of western Virginia as well as surrounding Lake Meriweather.

The Goshen location won out over a location in Arkansas.

According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

“In its entirety, the center will offer a new American landmark — a multipurpose, year-round destination for Scouting activities that will become the epicenter for the best that Scouting has to offer,“ Jack D. Furst, who oversaw the selection process, said in a news release issued by the organization.

The same release quoted Patrick O. Gottschalk, Virginia secretary of commerce and trade, as saying the state was “committed to this process and know that we have a tremendous amount to offer in the long term to this time-honored celebration and the organizational goals of the Boy Scouts.“

The jamboree has been held at the 76,000-acre Fort A.P. Hill Army base near Bowling Green every four years since 1981. The event is scheduled there again in 2010 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

The jamborees routinely attract about 40,000 Scouts and their leaders, along with hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The organization’s release said the group selected Rockbridge County in part because of its natural beauty, the size of available land and its proximity to nearby Interstates 81 and 64 as well as commercial airports.

Welcome, Boy Scouts of America!