Boy Scout Memorial Statue (Baltimore, MD)
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Location
Sisson Street & Wyman Park Drive (Street View)
GPS: 39° 19′ 17.54″ N 76° 37′ 40.88″ W
History
Dating back to 1937, this sculpture is by R. Tait McKenzie and is also known as the Ideal Boy Scout. It stands outside the Morris and John D. Schapiro Scout Service Center, headquarters of the Baltimore Area Council. McKenzie’s sculpture has been duplicated for more than thirty Boy Scout centers across the nation. A small version of this scuplture was originally crafted as a desktop statuette by McKenzie in 1914. Between 1914 and 1937, a total of five scouts served as models for the completion of the life-sized statue which is a composite of these individuals. The Boy Scouts are one arm of the worldwide Scouting movement which was formed “…in 1907 when Robert Baden-Powell, Lieutenant General in the British Army, held the first Scouting encampment at Brownsea Island in England.” Scouting is an informal method of especially practical outdoor education intended to aid in the personal development of children to become valuable members of society.
Notes
The re-purposed Stieff Silver building is across the street to the north, and it houses the Scout Shop of Baltimore City, along with other businesses and non-profits. Across from Stieff Silver is also the trailhead for an excellent bike path which drops down a switchback to follow the Jones Falls along Old Falls Road. Or, you can cross the bridge to the west into Druid Hill Park, home of many monuments, sights and some great under-used bike paths.
Nearby
Links
- On Flickr & on Panoramio
- Smithsonian entry