Why every Girl Scout should pay homage at this home in Savannah, Georgia

Daisy Low’s Revolutionary Girl Scout Vision in Savannah

Savannah’s Juliette Gordon Low changed what girls could do in America forever.

Born in 1860 and nicknamed “Daisy,” she lost most of her hearing through a medical mishap and wedding accident. After her unhappy marriage ended with her husband’s death in 1905, she found new purpose.

In 1911, Low met the Boy Scouts founder in London and soon brought the idea home. On March 12, 1912, she started the first American Girl Guide troop with 18 girls in Savannah.

Her phone call to her cousin said it all: “I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah, and all America. ” The modest birthplace home where this vision began still stands in Savannah’s Historic District today.

A Difficult Marriage Led Juliette to Find Her True Calling

Juliette Gordon Low married William Mackay Low in 1886 in Savannah when she was 26. Their marriage hit trouble right away.

During the wedding, rice got stuck in her ear, and removing it damaged her eardrum. This left her nearly deaf in both ears, as childhood infections had already hurt her right ear.

William cheated on her and cut off her money, forcing her to seek divorce. He died suddenly in 1905 before the divorce was final, leaving his money to his mistress.

At 45, without kids and now widowed, she felt lost and traveled to find purpose.

She Met a Man Who Changed Everything

In May 1911, Juliette went to a London party where she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts. His group already had 40,000 members across Europe and America.

His program mixed outdoor skills with fun, which got Juliette thinking.

She talked with him many times that year, learning about Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides run by his sister Agnes.

She liked his focus on honor and self-discipline but felt frustrated that girls had such limited roles in these programs.

Testing Her Ideas With Scottish Girls First

Juliette started her first Girl Guides group near her Scottish home in August 1911. She taught the girls to be self-reliant through skills like knot tying, map reading, knitting, cooking, and first aid.

Friends with military backgrounds helped teach the girls camping, signaling, and drilling. The girls learned useful skills like spinning wool and caring for farm animals.

By winter 1911, Juliette had created two more Girl Guides groups in London.

One Phone Call Started a Movement

Juliette came back to America in early 1912 on the same ship as Baden-Powell. As soon as she got to Savannah, she called her cousin Nina Pape, a local teacher.

Juliette told her: “I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah, and all America, and all the world, and we’re going to start it tonight.”

On March 12, 1912, she signed up the first two American Girl Guides groups with 18 girls. Her niece Margaret “Daisy Doots” Gordon became the very first member.

Girls Playing Sports Behind Curtains

Juliette fixed up a building for Girl Guide Headquarters and built basketball and tennis courts across the street.

The girls played sports wearing bloomers behind heavy curtains for privacy, which was unusual when many people thought exercise could harm girls.

She taught activities other groups thought wrong for girls, like camping and outdoor sports. By summer 1912, the Savannah troops split into smaller groups called patrols, each named after a flower.

Boy Scout Leaders Tried to Block Her Progress

The Camp Fire Girls, partly created by Boy Scouts boss James E. West, became Juliette’s biggest rival.

West strongly believed boys and girls should stick to old-fashioned roles and thought Girl Guide activities were too boyish. He worried they would make Boy Scouts seem less manly.

Juliette asked Camp Fire Girls to join forces, but they refused.

Camp Fire Girls grew faster at first, so Juliette went to England for advice from British Girl Guides.

From Tiny Office to National Movement

Juliette rented Room 502 in the Munsey Building in Washington DC in June 1913, paying $15 monthly for her national office. She hired her friend Edith Johnston to handle mail asking for information, handbooks, and badges.

That same year, she changed the group’s name from Girl Guides to Girl Scouts, which fit better with America’s pioneer history. In 1913, she published the first American handbook called “How Girls Can Help Their Country.”

She designed and patented the trefoil badge in 1914.

Her Personal Fortune Built the Girl Scouts

The group officially formed in 1915 when membership reached 15,000, and the main office moved from Washington to New York City.

Juliette wrote new rules creating a committee and National Council to build a stronger central group. She got famous women to become supporters, including Thomas Edison’s wife.

Juliette became the first national president in 1915 until 1920.

From 1912 to 1917, she paid for most Girl Scout costs herself, even selling her pearls to keep things going.

War Service Boosted Membership

When America joined World War I in 1917, the Girl Scouts offered to help President Woodrow Wilson. Girl Scouts worked with Herbert Hoover’s food programs and helped sell Liberty Bonds.

Juliette set up housing for families visiting wounded soldiers and helped Belgian refugees. Membership grew past 7,000 in 1917 and kept climbing quickly.

Juliette traveled all over the United States recruiting leaders and members, talking to any group that would listen about her vision for girls.

She Dropped Pamphlets from an Airplane

Juliette stepped down as national president in January 1920 to focus on promoting Girl Scouting worldwide and visiting troops across America.

Her birthday, October 31, became Founder’s Day, which Girl Scout troops still celebrate every year. By 1920, nearly 70,000 girls had joined.

Juliette worked on “The Golden Eaglet,” the first Girl Scout movie, and tossed pamphlets from an airplane during a New York fundraising campaign.

She Kept Her Cancer Secret While Building Her Legacy

Juliette found out she had breast cancer in 1923 but told no one and kept working tirelessly for the Girl Scouts.

She tried experimental treatment in England with colloidal lead injections, which failed and gave her lead poisoning.

Doctors told her she didn’t have much time left, but she kept organizing events and promoting the organization anyway. She died at her Savannah home on January 17, 1927, at age 66.

They buried her in her Girl Scout uniform with a note in her pocket saying “You are not only the first Girl Scout, but the best Girl Scout of them all.”

By the time she died, more than 140,000 girls had joined in every state across America.

Visiting Savannah Historic District, Georgia

You can visit Juliette Gordon Low’s childhood home at 10 E Oglethorpe Avenue at Bull Street, where she planned the Girl Scouts in March 1912.

The house is open daily 10am-4pm with 40-minute guided tours starting every few minutes until 3:50pm. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors, $10 for Girl Scouts, and kids 4 and under get in free.

No reservations needed, but buy tickets online during busy times.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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