The recognition comes alongside the camp’s 75th Anniversary celebration.
HOUSTON, Texas (Dec. 10, 2024) – Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council (GSSJC) is excited to announce that Camp Robinwood, one of the council’s most beloved camp properties, was approved for the installation of a Texas Historical Commission Historical Marker. The council is holding a marker dedication ceremony during the 75th anniversary celebration of Camp Robinwood on Dec. 14.
The Texas Historical Commission Historical Marker program recognizes historically significant places and events across the state, ensuring that their stories are preserved for future generations. This honor places Camp Robinwood among a select group of locations acknowledged for their enduring impact on education and community development.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone in Camp Robinwood’s history,” said Mary Vitek, CEO of GSSJC. “For 75 years, this camp has been a place where girls have flourished while discovering the great outdoors. Receiving a historical marker is a testament to the camp’s enduring legacy and its role in developing girls’ courage, confidence, and character.”
In the late 1940s, Girl Scouts membership was growing, and Houston had over 650 Black Girl Scouts active in troops. The closest camp available to them was in Oklahoma.
Four prominent Black figures in the Houston community were instrumental in the development of Camp Robinwood: Clarence Dupree, Hobart Taylor, Sr., Carter Wesley, and James Jemison. They were businessmen, philanthropists, activists, and leaders in creating equal rights. In 1948, they donated half of the proceeds needed to purchase the land, then launched a public fundraising campaign to raise the remaining $8,240.
Camp Robinwood was officially established the next year. In June 1949—five years prior the Brown v. Board of Education ruling—the president of the Houston and Harris County Girl Scouts, H.O. Johnson, received a deed covering the property, which states, “no girl scout shall ever be denied use of said property because of her race, color or creed.”
The property has since been a site of countless camping adventures, leadership training, and outdoor activities that shape generations of young women into confident leaders.
GSSJC partnered with the Montgomery County Historical Commission to apply for the historical marker. The application was approved by the Texas Historical Commission, and Camp Robinwood will soon receive a subject marker at the front entrance of the camp.
75th Anniversary Celebration
Date: Dec. 14
Time: 10 a.m. – noon
Location: Camp Robinwood
Address: 9877 Calvary Road, Willis, TX 77318
To learn more about GSSJC camp properties, visit https://www.gssjc.org/en/camp-and-outdoors/camping-experiences/camp-properties.html.
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