The BSA owns a large collection of original Norman Rockwell art, a portion of which is on exhibit at any one time. This for me was the highlight of the trip. These images may seem sentimental and sappy but in person they seemed more real and less cheesy than when seen in cheap reproductions. I was impressed at the variety of the images and how Rockwell was creative enough to keep coming up with material so that something fresh could be made.
The museum contained general Scouting historical pieces.
Special displays addressed an appreciate for Native American (Indians) and the controversial issue of race in Scouting (African Americans used to be banned from mixing with whites in Troops and they were forced to have separate Troops). What the Order of the Arrow is, was explained. My older son is a member; it is like a National Honor Society for Boy Scouts and Scouts must be elected into it by their peers.
Council Patch display:
Our former Connecticut Council path is in the center display, second row down, in the middle. We liked being able to find it in this huge display. After being involved with that Council for eight years with two sons which equalled eleven years of different Scouting experiences, it is still near and dear to all of our hearts.
What an Eagle Scout is was explained in a way that was impressive. I could imagine the goal being to entice younger Scouts to respect the rank and to desire to one day become an Eagle Scout.
My sons were aged 14 and 11 at the time of this visit. I'm glad we took the time for this visit.
If you attended the Boy Scout National Jamboree in 2010 and saw the museum there, to be honest, it seemed to have more information on a wider scope of historical documents than this museum did, with the exception of the fantastic art display of Rockwells.