Shu-Shu-Gah Lodge
Founded 1925
In 1925, Brooklyn Council was among the first councils to organize an Order of the Arrow Lodge. The name chosen was Shu-Shu-Gah (the Blue Heron, from the Song of Hiawatha). The Lodge has grown through the years so that at the present time it ranks as one of the largest Order of the Arrow Lodges. Shu-Shu-Gah held its first induction in Camp Kanohvet at the old Brooklyn Scout Camps on Kanawake Lakes, located in what is now part of Harriman State Park.When Camp Brooklyn moved to Ten Mile River in 1928 the Lodge operated as a single unit serving the then established ten camps in Brooklyn. In 1937 the Brooklyn Camps became Camp Brooklyn of the Ten Mile River Scout Reservation, and had four divisions once again. Sacut, Accaponac, Oseetah and Ihpetonga were the chapters that served and inducted candidates in their respective divisions during the summer.
In 1938, behind Ihpetonga Village on Davis Lake, a home Troop formed the fifth chapter. It was named Waramaug, after Troop 123's former camp at Lake Waramaug in Connecticut. Saccaponac Chapter in 1945 serviced Kotohke. Oseeth Chapter serviced Camp Chappegat. In 1946 Bischuwi Chapter was formed to service the new kosher camp, Camp Kunatah, and Ihpetonga Village was serviced by Ihpetonga Chapter. In addition, after the 1948 National Order of the Arrow Conference, the lodge was divided into chapters.
District Order of the Arrow Service Committees, one for each of the ten districts, were formed to give service to the district and the individual units. These chapters remained camp units until 1953 when district chapters were established in accordance with the new National Council policy. So, there were ten districts in Brooklyn and there were likewise ten chapters. They were: Waramaug, Nakowa, Lenhacki, Abwenasi Tsungani, Petapan, Achewen Shingue, Uchtama, Showandasse, Wambuli, and Ktchquehellen. In 1956, two more chapters and districts were formed. They were Nah-Ne-Wah-Ye Chapter, and Sakanenk.
Over the years many of the Lodges chapters merged and in 1994, in an effort to improve the effectiveness of the Lodge’s operations, the chapter system was eliminated. This was the first time since 1937 that the lodge functioned as a single unit. In 1997, Chapters were once again integrated into the Shu-Shu-Gah Lodge structure: Eluwak, Phoenix and Shawondasse.