History

In 1999, the Boy Scouts of America oversaw a number of council mergers. In 2000, the Morris-Sussex Area Council (based in Denville, NJ) and the Watchung Area Council (based in Mountainside, N.J.) underwent such a merger, forming the Patriots’ Path Council – now based out of Cedar Knolls, N.J.

As there can only be one lodge for every council, there were merger meetings between the two lodges (Allemakewink #54 and Miquin #68). Since it was a NOAC year, and Allemakewink was both celebrating its 70th anniversary and hosting a Section Conclave, it did not want to merge immediately. The merger committee decided it was best to merge the lodges in the following year.

The merger committee wanted the number to be low because both prior lodges had lower numbers (#54 and #68), and wanted to incorporate elements of the two previous lodges into the new one. The name decided on was Woapalanne #43, roughly translating to “eagle”. The merger committee decided that the lodge color would be green, and that the totem would be an eagle with outlined feathers. In 2005, however, the totem was modified by the LEC to incorporate the eagle exclusively.

The Winter Banquet was held that January at the Morristown Armory, the first time both lodges met as one.

In the spring of 2001, the lodge held its first Fellowship Day, and two Ordeal Weekends. The lodge decided to have two Ordeal Weekends in the spring (one at each camp) and one Ordeal Weekend in the fall (rotating the camp). The lodge’s first National Jamboree was also in this year. Also starting in 2001, the lodge decided to hold an annual OA Day at each summer camp at which service would be accompanied by a brotherhood conversion ceremony for eligible Ordeal members and a cracker barrel for all brothers attending camp. Peter Keays, the Lodge’s first chief, was elected to be NE-2B Section Chief in that same year – the first in the Lodge’s young history to hold a section position.

In 2002, Woapalanne participated in its first NOAC at Indiana University. The theme was “Test Yourself and So Discover”. Woapalanne was one of only two lodges in the Northeast Region and one of only eight in the country to earn the E. Urner Goodman Camping Award.

In 2003, Woapalanne held its first section conclave for Section NE-2B at Mt. Allamuchy Scout Reservation. The theme was “How Uncas Got His Groove Back.”

In the summer of 2004, NOAC was held at Iowa State University, and a contingent of Woaplanne brothers attended. That same summer, the lodge LEC voted to give a donation to the council for the purchase of a new sail boat for Camp Somers. The boat was named the S.S. Woapalanne, in honor of the donation. In the fall of 2004, the lodge created a new campsite near the chapel at Camp Somers. Site 14 received the name “Woapalanne” to commemorate the lodge’s service in its construction.

In 2005, the lodge participated in its second National Jamboree.

On Jan. 1, 2006, the lodge celebrated its 5th Anniversary. At the NE-2B Section Conclave, our immediate Past Lodge Chief, Joe Maugeri, was voted in as the Section Vice Chief, the second lodge member to hold a section position. In the summer of 2006, a Woapalanne contingent of 8 traveled to NOAC at Michigan State University.

In 2008, the sections were reshuffled, and Woapalanne found itself in Section NE-7A, along with Central NJ, Northern NJ, and Greater NY council lodges.  Our lodge sent a small contingent to ArrowCorps5 to build trails in George Washington National Forest.

In 2009, 22 Arrowmen from Woapalanne traveled to Indiana U. for NOAC 2009.  Frank Caccavale began a two-year stint as Lodge Chief.  Our lodge was designated as a Quality Lodge for the year.

2010 saw us host our first Section NE-7A conclave at Camp Winnebago, with the theme “A Band of Brotherhood.”  It would be the last, as we were, once again, re-sectioned into NE-5A, encompassing most of New Jersey.

In 2011, 16 of us traveled by van out to West Virginia, where we joined Week 2 of SummitCorps, a national service project to build a mountain biking trail in New River Gorge National Park.  We were, once again, named as a Quality Lodge.  Lodge member Bill SanFilippo started the first of 2 terms as NE-5A Section Chief.

NOAC returned to Michigan State in 2012, and Woapalanne was there with a contingent of 15.  We traveled out in 3 minivans and visited the R&R Hall of Fame on the way out.

Woapalanne hosted the NE-5Asection Conclave in 2013, which saw the election of Nick Kaufman as Section Chief.  The theme was “Year of the Arrowman.”  We finished the year having earned JTE Gold Status.

At the start of 2014, we had the largest banquet in our history, with 114 attendees.  Again, we finished the year as a JTE Gold lodge.  Much of the year was devoted to the upcoming centennial celebration of the OA.  With the demise of Central NJ Council and Sakuwit Lodge #2, Woapalanne added those Arrowmen and troops from the area assigned to PPC.  The “new” Brothers have been a decided plus for our lodge.

2015!  100 years old!  For the first time, we offered a package plan for dues and events.  Again, our banquet broke records with 148 in attendance.  In 2015, we secured a National Service Grant, repurposing one of the Wheeler Cub cabins to a STEM/computer facility.  We were also chosen to host ArrowTour, and national road show for our Centennial.  230 people attended.  We named 9 people as “Centurion Award” winners, and 3 were given a Lifetime Service Award.  In August, 53 traveled to NOAC, once again at MSU.