Records of the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc.
Overview
The Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides support to local Girl Scouts and oversees the operation of the Lawrence Hidden Valley Camp, a campsite located in Lawrence, Kansas. The collection comprises administrative records, board of directors and committee records, documentation from events and programs, maps, records pertaining to site development and construction, and site maintenance records.
Dates
- Creation: 1950 - 2009
Creator
- Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc. (Organization)
- Lawrence Girl Scout Committee (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
No access restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Audio visual materials are stored in the KU Annex off-site storage area.
All researchers interested in reviewing this material must consult Spencer Research Library Public Services staff (785-864-4334 or ksrlref@ku.edu, 9-5 M-F CST) before a planned visit; staff will respond within three days, though materials may not be available in that timeframe. Access to audio visual materials may require digitization first. Be advised that drop-in requests for this material cannot be accommodated.
Spencer Library staff may determine other use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.
History of Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc.
The Lawrence Girl Scout Committee (currently known as Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee) was established in 1956 in order to manage funds bequeathed to Lawrence, Kansas area Girl Scouts by Alfred Bromelsick, a Lawrence businessman. Bromelsick's will distributed his estate amongst Lawrence area Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and 4-H Clubs, and each organization used the funds to purchase and develop properties, run events, and offer camperships, as well as to throw an annual joint Christmas party, a tradition that continues to this day.
The Lawrence Girl Scout Committee used Bromelsick funds between 1956 and 1958 to purchase the land that would become the Lawrence Hidden Valley Camp (frequently referred to as Hidden Valley or HV), located in west central Lawrence at the intersection of Bob Billings Parkway and Kasold Drive. The Bromelsick funds allowed the Committee to design and construct Arcalooka Cabin, Hidden Valley's first building, around the same time.
Over time, the Committee's remit expanded beyond simply the administration of the Bromelsick funds to include the maintenance and operation of the Hidden Valley Camp, used both by Girl Scouts and outside groups; facilitation of Girl Scout day camps and Hidden Valley-themed patch programs; and the provision of financial assistance to local Girl Scouts in the form of camperships and funding for troop camps. This expansion of activity is in part due to further bequeathments from other benefactors, including Lucy M. Kaegi and Arthur S. Peck. As a result of its expanded remit, a number of subcommittees were formed, including the Bromelsick Committee, Campership Committee, Friends of Hidden Valley Committee (a separate 501(c)3 itself as of 1996), Kaegi Committee, Nominating Committee, P.R. Committee, and Site Committee.
In 1983, the Committee changed its name to the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc., as it is known today. The 1990s saw the construction of the Hidden Valley Lodge, the property's second large structure, and the Committee continues to implement new developments and programs at the Hidden Valley site for the benefit of local Girl Scouts.
[Information for this history retrieved from materials in collection.]
Extent
12.5 Linear Feet (13 boxes + 2 oversize boxes, 12 oversize folders, 15 DVDs)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
This collection comprises materials relating to the operation of Lawrence Hidden Valley Camp and as well as to the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee's activities as an organization from its inception in the early 1950s through 2009. Documents include administrative records, such as annual reports, financial documents, and legal documentation; board of directors and subcommittee meeting minutes and reports; correspondence relating to fundraising and the development of surrounding properties; planning materials relating to Hidden Valley events and programs; materials relating to the history of the Hidden Valley Camp and the Committee; maps and plats; and documentation relating to maintenance, development of, and construction on the Hidden Valley property.
An initial 2005 donation of the collection was processed in 2005; these records are located at call numbers RH MS 580 and RH MS R99. The bulk of the collection was processed in 2019, and these records are located at call numbers RH MS 1504, RH MS Q465, RH MS R40-461, and RH MS S66. Oversize materials in both instances have been physically separated for appropriate housing. Audiovisual materials also have been separated into their own series and are described separately in this finding aid.
The majority of the materials in this collection were collected by Mariana Remple, former chair and longtime member of the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee who was heavily involved in the organization and its activities from its foundation until her death in September 2000. Another significant portion of the materials came from Ellyn Owen, a former member of the Kaw Valley Girl Scout Council Archives Committee.
Physical Location
RH MS 580
Physical Location
RH MS R99
Physical Location
RH MS 1504
Physical Location
RH MS Q465
Physical Location
RH MS R460
Physical Location
RH MS R461
Physical Location
RH MS S66
Physical Location
KC AV 87
Physical Location
A/V items at Annex (Contact Spencer Library Public Services)
Custodial History
Materials donated by Henry D. and Mariana Remple and their daughter Lucy McAllister were originally housed in an office leased by the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee in 1998. The Committee rented an office space in downtown Lawrence with file cases to house historical materials pertaining to the Committee and to Girl Scouting in Lawrence more generally. Individuals who were or had been involved with Girl Scouts in the area began to bring their historical materials from their homes to house in the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee office. In 2000, the Committee terminated their lease, and all historical materials were transferred to the home of Henry D. and Mariana Remple, where Mariana intended to arrange the materials for donation to the Kansas Historical Society, the Watkins Museum of History, and the Kenneth Spencer Research Library. Mariana died unexpectedly in September of 2000, so Mary Jo Mensie, Lynne Bodle, and Ellyn Owen, all members of the Hidden Valley Archives Committee, organized the materials over the course of several years, enabling the donation of the materials by the Remple family to go forward from 2007 to Spencer Research Library.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts: Henry D. and Mariana Remple on behalf of the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, 2005, 2007, 2013; Ellyn Oden, 2007; Lucy McAllister, 2015.
Source
- Remple, Mariana Lohrenz, 1912-2000 (Donor, Person)
- Oden, Ellyn (Donor, Person)
- McAllister, Lucy (Donor, Person)
Subject
- Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc. -- Records (Documents) (Organization)
- Lawrence Girl Scout Committee -- Records (Documents) (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc. Collection
- Subtitle
- Records of the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc.
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by ha/mab, 2005; revised by, cl 2010; finding aid encoded by ha/mab, 2005. Finding aid revised by vej, 2019.
- Date
- 2005
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Finding aid written in English.
- Finding aid permalink
- http://hdl.handle.net/10407/3037542683
- Preferred citation
-
Records of the Lawrence Hidden Valley Committee, Inc., RH MS 580, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas
Repository Details
Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository