Semialachee Lodge

Semialachee Lodge is the Suwannee River Area Council’s Order of the Arrow Lodge.

The Order of the Arrow (OA) is the National Honor Society of Scouting America. In 1915, Camp Director E. Urner Goodman and Assistant Camp Director Carroll A. Edson searched for a way to recognize select campers for their cheerful sprits of service at Treasure Island Scout Camp in the Delaware River. Goodman and Edson founded the Order of the Arrow when they held the first Ordeal Ceremony on July 16th of that year. By 1921, as the popularity of the organization spread to other camps, local lodges attended the first national gathering called a Grand Lodge Meeting.

The Order of the Arrow was one of many camp honor societies that existed at local Scout camps across the country. As the years went on and more camps adopted the Order of the Arrow’s program, it gained prominence and became part of the national Boy Scout program in 1934. By 1948, the OA, recognized as the BSA’s national brotherhood of honor campers, became an official part of the Boy Scouts of America. Toward the end of the twentieth century, the OA expanded its focus to include conservation, high adventure, and servant-leadership.

Throughout the years, the Order of the Arrow has played an integral role in the scouting program and in the community service its members contribute to their communities. To date, more than one million people have been members of the Order of the Arrow.

Presently, the Order of the Arrow consists of nearly 300 lodges, which form approximately 48 sections in four regions. Leadership positions and voting rights are restricted to members under the age of 21. Through the program, members live up to the ideals of brotherhood, cheerfulness, and service set forth by E. Urner Goodman and Carroll A. Edson.

Inducted members, known as Arrowmen or Brothers, are organized into local youth-led lodges that harbor fellowship, promote camping, and render service to local councils and their communities. Each lodge corresponds to a BSA council in the area. Lodges are further broken down into chapters, which correspond to a district in scouting. Members wear identifying insignia on their uniforms, most notably the OA pocket flap that represents their individual OA lodge and the OA sash worn at official OA functions. The OA program sponsors several events, awards, and training functions.

For over 100 years, the Order of the Arrow (OA) has recognized Scouts and Scouters who exemplify the Scout Oath and Law daily. The OA is Scouting’s National Honor Society. As an integral part of Scouting America, the OA delivers peer-led advanced leadership experiences that help to build lifelong bonds through service and enrich each member’s Scouting journey. OA members are defined by the fellowship they share, service to others, commitment to personal growth, and self-driven initiative to make a difference in their community.

Mission

To achieve the mission of Scouting America through transformative fellowship that ignites limitless Scouting journeys.

Purpose

As Scouting’s National Honor Society, we forge lifelong bonds among the leaders in Scouting and:

  • Recognize those who exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives and, through that recognition, cause others to act in the same way.
  • Reinforce a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.
  • Create and deliver peer-led, adult-guided, advanced leadership experiences for Scouts and Scouters that positively impact their unit, community, and ultimately our nation.
  • Be an integral part of Scouting America and encourage participation in all it offers through units, outdoor adventures, and national events to further the Scouting experience.

The Order of the Arrow is not a badge; it is recognition and a call to greater service. Scouts must be elected to the Order by the members of their unit. To be eligible for election, Scouts must be a registered member of a Scouts BSA, Venturing, or Sea Scout unit.  For full details on elligibility requirements, see the Order of the Arrow’s Membership page.

Lodge Executive Committee Meetings

1st Thursday of the Month at the Troop 115 Scout House

Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church
1700 N Meridian Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32303