Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA)
The Girl Scout organization is rich in history! Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia, in 1912 with a troop of only 18 girls. Today, Girl Scouts of the USA has a membership of nearly four million girls and adults, a significant growth from its modest beginnings nearly a century ago. In fact, more than 50 million women in the U.S. today are Girl Scout alumnae.


Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County (GSSCC)
In 1922, Girl Scouting began in Santa Clara County in Palo Alto. By April 13, 1962, the Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County was formally established with 11,521 registered members. Today, almost 15,000 girls and over 8,400 adults are registered with GSSCC.


Heritage Society
The Heritage Society is a group of committed volunteers who donate their time and energy in order to ensure retention of Girl Scout memorabilia. Materials related to Girl Scouting, both nationwide and within Santa Clara County, are collected and preserved so that they can be accessed by both present and future Girl Scouts.

The Heritage Society preserves the following items:

• printed materials, including handbooks, manuals, fiction, songbooks, program materials, catalogs, magazines, and newspaper articles
• badges, buttons, medals, patches and pins
• photographs
• uniforms
• council history, including unique programs and special events
• a library of taped interviews (audio and/or video)

Troops may borrow uniforms for events through the Heritage Society, and the society is always looking for any Girl Scout memorabilia prior to 1960. For questions or information regarding the Heritage Society, contact Michelle McCormick.

Heritage Society Coordinator: Nancy Mednick