Boy Scouts of America® Tuscarora Council

Council History

In 1923, the Goldsboro Rotary Club and a group of citizens in Smithfield and Kinston started what would eventually become the Tuscarora Council of the Boy Scouts of America. During that time, the organization served 474 boys through 24 troops in Duplin, Greene, Wayne, Johnston and Lenoir counties.

Several camps were used by the council during its history. One of the early camps at Holt’s Lake (near Smithfield) was so remote that campers and guests had to reach the site by canoe. From 1929-1972, the Scouts used the Eagle’s Nest Camp near Mt. Olive. Camp Tuscarora, our current camp in Four Oaks, was opened in 1973.

The Council and Scouting has grown significantly since its founding days. Today, the Tuscarora Council serves more than 8,000 youth and adult volunteers in Duplin, Johnston, Sampson and Wayne counties of eastern North Carolina. The East Carolina Council now serves Greene and Lenoir counties.

Several of the original troops from 1923 are still in existence including Troop 7, now sponsored by Daniels United Methodist Church, and Troop 8, sponsored by New Hope United Methodist Church.