Seton Castle Burned Down This Week

[Miki101 14]

I was saddened to hear today of the tragic burning of Ernest Thompson

Seton's final estate, the Seton Castle just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.

It had recently been purchased by the Academy for the Love of Learning

from Seton's daughter, Dee.

 

 

This place was the spiritual home of Seton's legacy - a place to study

nature and Indian Lore. Pilgrims from all over the world made their way to

the Castle for many years, even after his death in 1946, but now, it will

be different.

 

 

Most of you know that Seton's work is all over the Boy Scouts of America.

He assisted in co-authoring in the 1910 BSA Handbook and was our first and

only Chief Scout. The OA program was partially inspired from one of his

lectures that Carroll Edson heard in 1915.

 

 

The Cub Scout program was one that he initiated in the US but was not

fully adopted until 1930. As a student of Scouting History, I am greatly

saddened at the loss, but not so much for the fact that I had not been

able to get to the Castle, but for those who knew it well and for the

Seton family.

 

http://www.kobtv.com/index.cfm?viewer=storyviewer&id=22770&cat=HOME

 

David C. Scott

 

 

 

 

[Kahuna 172]

Shame! I only visited there once, but can still remember the feel of the place. A lot or all of his stuff had been moved to the museum at Philmont, so I guess the loss wasn't as great as it could have been. It was a beautiful piece of Southwestern architecture.