Rice Woods is a 132 acre woods located on the North East corner of 1100 E. and 600 N in Grovertown.  Located on the property are 10 campsites, a pavilion, pitcher pump, latrine, and this cabin with 20 bunk beds, wood stove and a small kitchen area.  There is no electricity to the lodge so it is lit with lanterns.  The camp is very rustic and very much a place where boys can camp the way Scouts are meant to, with only the bare essentials. 

        This camp was donated to the Boy Scouts on March 7, 1968 by Dan and Estelle Rice who owned it at the time.  They had lived in Grovertown 50 years, coming from Chicago.  Dan for many years had an Electric Motor repair business and at one time he had a working lumber company on this property.  This cabin was once the building that he stored his lumber in.  When asking area people about them some said they think Estelle was once a teacher, and she was also a big donator to the Humane Society.

        Dan and Estelle let the local Boy Scout Troop and Cub Scout Pack hold their meetings in this building back in the 60s and 70s.  Many area men that were once in the Scouts tell that they remember going there for meetings and campouts, and having Dan help at a lot of the meetings.  He was never a leader, but he loved to spend time with them. 

        Dan and Estelle enjoyed the scouts and decided to deed the woods to them so they could always have a place to go that would be left in a rustic state to camp.  The first paragraph of the deed states that “their love, affection and esteem for the Scouts” is their reason for deeding them the property.  One area couple that once worked for Dan told me that they asked Dan to sell them his house at one time, as they loved it, and Estelle said they would never sell it, as they had left it all to the Boy Scouts.  

        Dan died April 23, 1974 at the age of 75, and Estelle died May 17, 1973 at the age of 74.  When Dan died, several local Boy Scouts of Troop 35 were honor guard at the 3 day viewing and carried his coffin as pall bears.  They were, to the best of my knowledge, Randy Holms, Lloyd Rosander, Ralph Gillies, David Bowers, Russell Brown & another unknown.  The Scoutmaster at the time was Harry Harness.          

        Area people tell me they were the type of people to buy a book or gift for a child, or give them $100.00 to start a savings account just because they wanted to.  One area lady told me they were like grandparents to her.  Dan and Estelle had no children, but loved children enough to leave them the property they loved so much, this property that has given many boys and adults so many wonderful camping memories.  Dan and Estelle, we that have used this camp in the past, present and hopefully future Thank You for your kind heart and generosity, you were two wonderful people.

Written and displayed by

Melladee Williams

Committee Chairman

Troop 235

Hamlet/Grovertown

10/6/2007