44-838: The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve , often shortened as Summit Bechtel Reserve ( SBR ), located in Fayette and Raleigh counties, near Beckley , West Virginia , is one of four facilities managed by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The others are Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico , Northern Tier National High Adventure Bases in Minnesota , as well as Manitoba and Ontario in Canada , and Florida National High Adventure Sea Base in
88-434: A female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 43.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 31,912 and the median income for a family was $ 42,077. Males had a median income of $ 39,301 versus $ 24,874 for females. The per capita income for
132-584: A large metal alloy plant in Alloy . The Mount Olive Correctional Complex , West Virginia's only maximum security state prison, is also located in Fayette County. The economy has shifted significantly in recent years, with a large amount of money being spent in outdoor recreation and tourism. 38°02′N 81°05′W / 38.03°N 81.09°W / 38.03; -81.09 Goshen, Virginia Too Many Requests If you report this error to
176-496: A natural extension to the property's lower bowl amphitheatre section, for a total arena area large enough for 80,000 people during national Scout jamborees. A lake at the center of the main site separates base camps from the arena, action areas, transportation centers, and other traditional core areas. A valley on the Summit property is crossed by a triple-walkway pedestrian suspension bridge sponsored by CONSOL Energy . The bridge
220-480: Is a popular whitewater rafting , mountain biking , rock climbing , and tourism destination. It is also the home of the New River Gorge Bridge , which hosts an annual base jumping event each October. The current goals of construction at the site are developing infrastructure and providing access to the area's resources for outdoor activities . The Summit is expected to inject $ 25.3 million into
264-646: Is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical data. Example applications that utilize the ArcGIS Platform supported at SBR include a 'story map', the SBR web map utilized for navigation during the 2013 National Jamboree, and a 'swipe map' comparing 2011 to 2013 development. The SBR property also contains the Thomas S. Monson Leadership Excellence Complex , which house several training and leadership components on
308-464: Is just shy of 800 feet (240 m) in length, and was made possible by the $ 15 million donation of CONSOL. The bridge connects the western and eastern portions of the core areas of the property. High Adventure Areas constructed on the property include: The Park (skateboarding), The Trax (BMX), The Pools (scuba and swimming), The Cloud (popular science & robotics), The Bows (archery sports), The Barrels (shooting sports), The Ropes (challenge courses in
352-785: Is part of the Beckley , WV Metropolitan Statistical Area in Southern West Virginia . Fayette County—originally Fayette County, Virginia —was created by the Virginia General Assembly in February 1831, from parts of Greenbrier , Kanawha , Nicholas , and Logan counties. It was named in honor of the Marquis de la Fayette , who had played a key role assisting the Continental Army during
396-575: The 2017 National Scout Jamboree and the 24th World Scout Jamboree in 2019, the latter having been co-hosted by Scouts Canada , Boy Scouts of America , and Asociación de Scouts de México . The site is a proposed venue for the 27th World Scout Jamboree . The Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base at The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, established in 2014, is the BSA's seventh consecutive and fourth operating national high adventure base program. The three currently operating programs are
440-728: The American Revolutionary War . The second Virginia county so named, it was among the 50 counties which Virginia lost when West Virginia was admitted to the Union as the 35th state in 1863, during the American Civil War . The earlier Fayette County , Virginia existed from 1780 to 1792, and was lost when Kentucky was admitted to the Union. Accordingly, in the government records of Virginia, there will be listings for Fayette County from 1780 to 1792 and Fayette County from 1831 to 1863. A substantial portion
484-697: The Keys . The Summit Bechtel Reserve is the current home of the National Scout Jamboree , the Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base , the James C. Justice National Scout Camp, and the John D. Tickle National Training and Leadership Center. The reserve comprises properties totaling over 14,000 acres (57 km). The facility's opening event was the 2013 National Scout Jamboree . On November 18, 2009,
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#1732780526150528-567: The NATO Phonetic Alphabet , which have the capacity to house up to 40,000 campers, a large outdoor arena with a capacity of approximately 80,000, and ten district adventure areas covering mountain biking, BMX, skate boarding, archery, rifle & shotgun shooting, zip lines, canopy tours, challenge courses, climbing & rappelling. Operating principles of The Summit Bechtel Reserve are centered on four core values: Leadership, Adventure, Service, and Sustainability. The SBR property
572-1149: The Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico , the Northern Tier National High Adventure Base in Minnesota , and the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base in Islamorada, Florida. Discontinued programs include the Northern Wisconsin National Canoe Base in Wisconsin , Maine National High Adventure in Maine , and the Land Between the Lakes National Outdoor Adventure Center in Kentucky . With
616-787: The Silver Buffalo Award , the BSA's highest volunteer recognition, in May 2012. The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve is in southern West Virginia bordering the New River Gorge National River. Approximately 11,400 acres (46 km) of the property are in Fayette County . The remaining roughly 2,600 acres (11 km) are in Raleigh County . The property borders the communities of Glen Jean , McCreery, Thurmond , and Mount Hope . To
660-532: The 1890s. In the 1970s, the historic magisterial districts were consolidated into three new districts: New Haven, Plateau, and Valley. Fayette County was the location of a disastrous mine explosion at Red Ash in March 1900, in which 46 miners were killed. Fayette County elected several African Americans to the West Virginia House of Delegates during the early decades of the 20th century including
704-476: The BSA announced the acquisition of the property comprising the main 10,600-acre site of what is now The Summit Bechtel Reserve. Its acquisition was made possible through a donation from the Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation . The $ 50 million donation is the largest in the history of the BSA. On October 22, 2010, the BSA announced that total donations had reached $ 100 million, including a $ 25 million donation from
748-522: The Republican Party between 1880 and 1932. Unionization of its predominant coal mining workforce during the New Deal made the county powerfully Democratic between 1932 and 2008: no Republican in this period except Richard Nixon against George McGovern won forty percent of the county's vote, and Lyndon Johnson in 1964 exceeded eighty percent against the conservative Barry Goldwater . However,
792-487: The Summit Bechtel Reserve as the home facility for their men's and women's cross country team. As well, Summit allows outside organizations to host retreats at the hotel and hall located on the premise. Fayette County, West Virginia Fayette County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia . As of the 2020 census , the population was 40,488. Its county seat is Fayetteville . It
836-731: The Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation . Both Stephen Bechtel and Walter Scott, Jr. are recipients of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award . October 22 is also the day the BSA announced the dates of the 2013 National Scout Jamboree and the day ground was broken at SBR with 22 golden shovels. The Scott funds funded the building of the Scott Scouting Valley and the Scott Visitor Center. Another gift from T. Michael and Gillian Goodrich led to
880-471: The addition of The Summit Bechtel Reserve's Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base as the newest high adventure base, participants will be exposed to programs unique to the New River Gorge region. The region offers white water rafting rated from Class II to Class V along the more than 50 miles of river within the New River Gorge National River area. Other outdoor activities that are popular to
924-429: The age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couples living together, 13.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.70% under
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#1732780526150968-467: The age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 24,788, and the median income for a family was $ 30,243. Males had a median income of $ 28,554 versus $ 18,317 for females. The per capita income for
1012-475: The area include Rock climbing , rappelling (abseiling) , mountain biking , hiking, geocaching , and orienteering . Some of the additional activities added with help from Scout feedback at the 2010 Jamboree , are skateboarding , freestyle BMX , mountainboarding , ATV riding, paddle boarding , dragon boat racing , and ziplines. West Virginia University Institute of Technology , located in Beckley, uses
1056-496: The county was $ 13,809. About 18.20% of families and 21.70% of the population were below the poverty line , including 31.90% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census , there were 46,039 people, 18,813 households, and 12,459 families living in the county. The population density was 69.6 inhabitants per square mile (26.9/km ). There were 21,618 housing units at an average density of 32.7 per square mile (12.6/km ). The racial makeup of
1100-473: The county was $ 17,082. About 16.4% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 30.9% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over. Fayette County's political history is typical of West Virginia as a whole. The county leaned Democratic during the Third Party System before the power of industrial and mining political systems turned it strongly towards
1144-468: The county was 93.5% white, 4.6% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.9% were German , 15.5% were Irish , 10.8% were English , and 9.5% were American . Of the 18,813 households, 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 12.5% had
1188-525: The county. The population density was 72 people per square mile (28 people/km ). There were 21,616 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 92.74% White , 5.57% Black or African American , 0.27% Native American , 0.30% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.15% from other races , and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.68% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 18,945 households, out of which 29.00% had children under
1232-651: The creation of centerpiece lake on the main site property now known as Goodrich Lake. Mike Goodrich is also a Distinguished Eagle Scout Award recipient. The Summit Bechtel Reserve is located adjacent to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve . Managed by the National Park Service , the National River comprises approximately 70,000 acres (280 km) that exemplifies the typically rugged Appalachian Mountains , and
1276-503: The decline of mining unions and the out-migration of historical black mining families has produced a rapid swing to the Republican Party in the 21st century, with the Democratic vote share plummeting to barely 30% by 2020. The county has a tradition of coal mining, which still serves as a primary source of employment in the area. A Georgia Pacific lumber mill has its home to the west of Mt. Hope, adjacent to U.S. Route 19. There exists
1320-586: The economic welfare of the United States. Program areas supported by the foundations include science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Education , environment , character and citizenship development, and preventive healthcare and selected research. The Bechtel Foundation donated $ 50 million to the BSA to help the Arrow Project purchase and develop the land that is now The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve. Since its inception,
1364-567: The feasibility of the West Virginia site becoming the sole site for all purposes. On November 18, 2009, the BSA announced that it had chosen the West Virginia site, known locally as the Garden Ground Mountain property, as the future home of the Summit Bechtel Reserve. One of the deciding factors for Project Arrow in choosing the West Virginia site was its adjacency to New River Gorge National River. More than 13 miles of
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1408-569: The first, second and third who served in the state legislature. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 668 square miles (1,730 km ), of which 662 square miles (1,710 km ) is land and 6.8 square miles (18 km ) (1.0%) is water. Plum Orchard Lake, a reservoir southwest of Oak Hill, is the second largest lake in West Virginia. As of the census of 2000, there were 47,579 people, 18,945 households, and 13,128 families living in
1452-474: The largest construction focus of the Arrow Project was preparing The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve property for the 2013 National Scout Jamboree , which was held July 15–24, 2013. The Jamboree saw over 56,000 participants and guests over the course of 10 days for the event. SBR became the third-largest city in West Virginia during the event. 2013 was the inaugural Jamboree held at SBR. All future BSA Jamborees will be held there. The site has hosted
1496-530: The local economy annually. Plans for The Summit began in 2007 when BSA leadership began looking for a permanent location for the National Scout Jamboree, which had been held at Fort Walker (at the time Fort A.P. Hill), Virginia since 1981 as well as seeking another high adventure base for the large number of Scouts who are wait-listed at the other three high adventure camps every year. A committee in charge of site selection and project planning
1540-686: The main site as construction progresses. Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. is the grandson of Warren A. Bechtel , founder of the Bechtel Corporation , the largest civil engineering company in the United States. He took over as manager of the company in 1960 at the age of 35 and retired in June 1990. He is an Eagle Scout . The S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and the Stephen Bechtel Fund , both family foundations, provide support to certain non-profit organizations that address challenges to
1584-578: The new venue. The top fifteen sites were visited in October 2008 and the list was cut to three final sites: Saline County, Arkansas ; Goshen , Rockbridge County, Virginia ; and the New River region of West Virginia. In February 2009 Arkansas was cut from the list, leaving Virginia and West Virginia. On August 4, 2009, the BSA announced it was no longer considering the Virginia site and was looking into
1628-527: The property borders the park, giving Scouts and Scouters access to the more than 70,000 acres of managed wilderness beyond the Reserve's property. On April 1, 2012, Justin D. (Dan) McCarthy was appointed Summit Group Director. He is responsible for all aspects of the operation of the Reserve. McCarthy is a retired Vice-Admiral of the U.S. Navy and served as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics. A lifelong scouter, McCarthy received
1672-435: The property contain large flat areas engineered to accommodate regional camp headquarters and sub-camps. The sub-camp farthest from The Summit's core area is 1.3 miles (2.1 km), with an elevation gain of no more than 300 feet (91 m). Pedestrian pathways reduce walking times from base camps to the core activity center to 12–15 minutes. A permanent arena on the far side of the valley seats 6000 to 8000 people, built as
1716-486: The south is the city of Beckley and to the north is the city of Oak Hill and the town of Fayetteville . To the northwest is Charleston , the state capital. The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve has three main components of activity: the Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base, the James C. Justice National Scout Camp, and the John D. Tickle Training and Leadership Center, each of which has unique program opportunities. There are six subcamps named based on
1760-603: The trees), the Rocks and Boulder Cove (climbing, bouldering, and rappelling), The Zip (zipline), Low & High Gear (mountain bike headquarters locations connecting over 36 miles of downhill and cross country mountain bike trails), The Canopy (canopy tours), and 'sampler' activities available within The Scott Summit Center. ArcGIS Online supports the SBR's geospatial initiatives, including deployment of mobile and web applications. A Geographic Information System
1804-461: Was created. The committee named the new venture Project Arrow, chaired by Jack D. Furst. Plans for Project Arrow grew to include not only a venue for the Jamboree, but also for a Scout camp, a high adventure base, and a training and leadership center, all housed on the same contiguous property. More than 80 sites in 28 states were visited over an 18-month span and inspected as possible locations for
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1848-539: Was formed from part of Falls Township in 1870. These townships proved impractical in the heavily rural state, and in 1872 the townships were converted into magisterial districts . The portion of Fayette County that was taken to form Summers County was from Sewell Mountain Township. A sixth district, Quinnimont, was organized in the 1880s, and a seventh, Nuttall, was formed from part of Mountain Cove District in
1892-433: Was once the site of extensive coal mining, an industry for which the state of West Virginia is known. The remnants of long abandoned surface mines within the property have created wide flat areas that tier the terrain into a series of benches, effectively pre-grading and excavating the property, and allowing for many of the roads and infrastructure on the property to begin construction with manageable earth moving. Sections of
1936-574: Was subdivided from Fayette County to form Raleigh County in 1850. In 1871, an Act of the West Virginia Legislature severed a small portion to form part of Summers County . In 1863, West Virginia's counties were divided into civil townships , with the intention of encouraging local government. Fayette County was originally divided into four townships: Falls, Fayetteville, Mountain Cove, and Sewell Mountain. A fifth township, Kanawha,
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