The rumors are true. The Girl Scouts are selling Macy in New York.
I meant to write sooner, but I needed to collect my thoughts.
I have many thoughts, so this will be a series of posts.
The Girl Scouts Own Macy?
Yes. But not the department store. Same family tree, but different branch.
The Girl Scouts of the USA have owned the Edith Macy Conference Center in Briarcliff Manor, New York, since 1926. The name has changed slightly over the years, but the facility has always been defined as a school for adults–primarily staff, but also council boards of directors, council trainers, and historians. An Archival Research Center opened onsite in 2024.
Who Was Edith Macy?
Born in 1870, Edith Carpenter was a well-educated, wealthy woman already interested in social issues before she married V. Everit Macy in 1896. Everit was the grandson of the department store founder, but his branch of the family tree had made its fortune in shipbuilding and oil. His father died young and left $20 million to his five-year old son.
Even though their families had New York mansions only blocks apart, the couple first met on the French Riviera and announced their engagement in Venice.
They built a 44-room estate, Chilmark, in Ossining, New York, and had seasonal residences around the eastern United States. The couple had two sons and a daughter, Edytha.
Everit held an architecture degree from Columbia University, but he and Edith preferred to use their wealth and social prominence to address social welfare issues in Westchester County, where they lived. Specifically, Everit turned his attention to prison reform, public health, and public parks.
Rights for Children and Women
Edith focused on childhood poverty, health, and nutrition. She established the Westchester County Children’s Association in 1914, paying the salaries of six social workers. She actively campaigned for women’s suffrage and became the first director of the Westchester League of Women Voters.
Organizers often highlighted Edith’s support for women’s voting rights, believing her endorsement would help legitimize the cause.
Edith Becomes a Girl Scout
Edith took note of the Girl Scouts when it formed in 1912. She believed the Movement could be a vital channel for developing young girls into future voters.
Founder Juliette Gordon Low asked Edith to join the National Board of Directors in 1918. She joined the campaign to raise $500,000 to grow Girl Scouts across the country, personally donating $25,000–one of the largest individual contributions.
Edith was elected national board chair of the Girl Scouts in 1919 and held the post until her death.
Girl Scouts Need Trained Adults
Edith instinctively understood the value of the Girl Scout program, but she also recognized the urgent need for more qualified adults. She thought this might best be accomplished through a permanent national training school.
Very few photos of Edith Macy exist, much less in uniform, but I’m pretty confident this is Edith.
At the time, training was held at temporary locations, mainly regional camps. Edith and Girl Scout National Executive Director Jane Deeter Rippin often discussed the matter as they walked near their Westchester County homes. They especially enjoyed strolling around Camp Andrée Clark, a national camp for older girls in Briarcliff Manor.
Edith died suddenly of a heart attack on February 1, 1925, at age 54.
Tributes to Mrs. Macy
Edith’s passing was marked by many newspaper tributes and civic resolutions honoring her work. Jane Deeter Rippin recalled:
Mrs. Macy not only gave freely of her wealth, but of her time and energy to this work for the girls. No demand was too exacting if in anyway it would contribute to the welfare and happiness of American girlhood. To her, Girl Scout work was the highest patriotic work she could give.
Herald Statesman (February 1925).
Her husband made donations in her honor to a number of her interests and concerns.
He donated 41 pieces of Italian Renaissance maiolica ceramics to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Museum lauded this “Princely Gift” in its June 1927 Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin.
The University in the Woods
For the Girl Scouts, Everit decided to fulfill his wife’s wish for a permanent training facility. He purchased 250 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to Camp Andrée Clark. He donated the land to GSUSA, along with a $100,000 endowment fund. His only stipulation was that at least 25 leaders must receive training at the facility for two consecutive years. If this did not occur, the land would revert to Westchester County, New York, where he was the newly elected parks commissioner.
Executive Director Rippin immediately began making long-range plans for the new property dedicated to her late friend. It would be purpose-built to address the specific needs of the Girl Scouts and managed by professional staff from the national headquarters. It would be a model training facility, where adults learned from the best teachers and took their new knowledge home to share.
As plans took shape, Juliette Gordon Low had one request.
to be continued …
© 2026 Ann Robertson, writer, editor, Girl Scout historian, but NOT a Girl Scout employee.
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