Year of the Girl

Girl Scout Museum

Girl Scouts has been making a difference in the lives of girls since 1912. Just as our membership has grown, so has our place in history.

The Girl Scout National Historic Preservation Center, a department at Girl Scout Headquarters in New York City, includes a Girl Scout Museum and Archives. It was established in 1987  to preserve and promote Girl Scout History. The Collection dates back to 1912, the inception of Girl Scouting, has over 60,000 photographs, 7,000 publications, 5,000 periodicals, 650 Girl Scout Uniforms, Ephemera and official records of the National Organization. Our media/audio-visual collection consists of over 600 cubic feet of materials in various formats dating back to 1918.

Girl Scouts of the USA, National Historic Preservation Center, 420 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y., is open to the public Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm.

Visitors to the Girl Scout Museum are encouraged to make arrangements in advance:

We also welcome researchers to access our archive collection, by submitting an application (PDF).

Here's a sampling of items from our museum. Be sure to also see our vintage uniform exhibit.

 

In the Beginning: 1912-1937


Widening the Scope of the Girl Scout Program: 1938-1962


Program and Membership Expansion: 1963-1976



Worlds to Explore: 1977-1997



Twenty-first Century and Beyond