Ittawamba Lodge 235

History of Ittawamba 235

Ittawamba Lodge #235 functions at Camp Mack Morris, the Council camp located on Birdsong Creek, part of the Tennessee River, eight miles south of Camden and 8 miles north of Interstate 40. Parts of the camp were constructed in the late 1940's and early 1950's. In the summer of 1991, major reconstruction of the camp was completed with new cabins, dining hall, waterfront, rifle range and skeet range.

Look at the camp from space on Google Maps!
(There's a white speck on the edge of the Tennessee River in the center of the image. That's the Camp Mack Morris waterfront.)

Ittawamba Lodge was officially chartered to the West Tennessee Area Council, Boy Scouts of America on May 7, 1943. Mr. C.L. Carlisle, Council Scout Executive at the time, was primarily responsible for the founding of the Lodge. He brought a team of Scouts from the Yocona Area Council, members of Chicksa Lodge 202 of Tupelo, Mississippi, to Camp LaJoy in Chickasaw State Park to hold the first ordeal. This ordeal was held over the Thanksgiving weekend of 1942, and about 40 Scouts were inducted. Their work project on that weekend was to build a council ring.

These 40 charter members chose the name "Ittawamba", who was a Choctaw tribal chief from that area, as the official name of the Lodge. The tulip poplar leaf was chosen as the lodge totem. (The tulip poplar is the state tree of Tennessee.) These new members also held the first lodge election in 1943, and Jim Hodge of Jackson was elected the lodge's first chief. The official charter date for Ittawamba Lodge is 1943.

In the summer of 1945, Ittawamba Lodge assisted in the founding of Kaskanampo Lodge #310 of Huntsville, AL. The ceremony team from Ittawamba traveled to Camp Westmoreland near Scotsboro, Alabama and performed the first ordeal ceremony for 18 charter members.

The first Vigil Honor recipients in Ittawamba Lodge were Bruce C. Fails and C.L. "Scottie" Carlisle in 1950. This was also the first year that Region V had Vigil recipients.

The Order of the Arrow cabin was converted from the old Camp Director's cabin in 1987. It houses memorabilia and is used for sleeping quarters and meetings.

Ittawamba Lodge has participated in all conclaves since they began at Camp Currier in 1955. Ittawamba first hosted a Conclave in 1957, the V-C Conclave held here at Camp Mack Morris. In total, Ittawamba has hosted eight Conclaves, 1957, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1978, 1985, 1993 and 1998.