Scouting America
Three Harbors Council
330 South 84th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53214-1468
414-774-1776
www.ThreeHarborsScouting.org
Three Harbors Council - ContentCouncilScout Heritage Museum

UPDATE ~ The Scout Heritage Museum is now open on Friday's from 1 -4 pm and on Saturday's from 10 am - 2 pm.  

Scout Heritage Museum

 
Three Harbors Council's Milwaukee office is the home of the Scout Heritage Museum. The museum was organized in July of 1975 with a mission to collect, repair, preserve, and prepare for exhibit Scouting items of historical value and interest. Today, the museum houses items from both Three Harbors legacy councils in one of the finest collections of historic Scouting memorabilia in the United States.

Cub Scout Advancement and Scouting Merit Badges. The Scout Heritage Museum provides a number of opportunities for Cub Scouts to fulfill rank requirements.

Cubs can learn about two Scouts who were astronauts.  They can view collections of knives, axes and uniforms and games.  A knot tying board displays most common knots including the bowline and square knot.

Scouts BSA working on Collections or Scouting Heritage Merit Badges can view an extensive collection of Scouting items including handbooks, uniforms, patches and Jamboree flags.  The display of Lord Baden-Powell, Gilwell Park and related items should be of special interest.  Museum guides can share their own experiences as Scouts and adult leaders.

Earn Merit Badges through the Scouting Heritage Museum

  • Are you interested in the Scouting Heritage Merit Badge or the Collections Merit Badge?
  • Three Harbors Council Scout Heritage Museum can help you get there.
  • Any one of the volunteer staff can help you with a portion of either merit badge. Simply coming to the museum covers a requirement.

Trade-O-Ree

The Scout Heritage Museum invites you to the 48th Annual Trade-O-Ree, Saturday, November 7, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Milwaukee Scout Service Center, 330 South 84th Street, Milwaukee. This event makes a great field trip for packs and troops. See thousands of Scout memorabilia, artifacts and collector items. Admission is FREE!
 


Northwoods Camps
Commemorative Patches

 
Sets of the final LeFeber Northwoods Camps and Robert S. Lyle Scout Reservation patches are available at the Kenosha and Milwaukee Scout Service Centers. The price for the two-patch set will be $10.00 with a limit of no more than three sets per person. The sale of these patches will benefit the Scout Heritage Museum.   
 

 

Museum Tours
 

The Scout Heritage Museum is managed and staffed by a group of dedicated volunteers who can provide you and your unit with a guided tour, as well as answer your questions if you just want to stop in for a few minutes during your visit to the Milwaukee Scout Service Center or the National Scout Shop. Posted museum hours are Friday's from 1 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and on Saturday's from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. The museum is closed on Saturday's from June through August. Since volunteers staff the museum, it is best to call ahead.  Please contact Marianne Mikush Monday-Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at (414) 443-2870 or by clicking here. Tours are free.
 

Advancements Available

By visiting the Museum and speaking to one of our staff, the following can be earned: 
 
Cub Scout Advancements

Tigers: Tigers: Sky is the Limit 

  • Find out about 2 astronauts who were Scouts
  • James Lovell display 
  • Tiger Tales
  • Visit a historical museum

Wolfs: Collections and Hobbies

  • Visit a museum that displays different collections or models 

Bears: 

  • Bear claws 
  • Knife Safety -Knife display 

Webelos:

  • Scouting Adventure -Tie a square knot, 2 half inches 
  • Art Explosion -Visit an art museum - Ben Hunt tie slides 
  • Looking Back, Looking Forward - Create a record of the history of Scouting 

Scouts BSA Advancements

Scouting Heritage Merit Badge:  1, 2b, 3, 4c, 5,  8 partial
Collections Merit Badge: 

Current Exhibit Update - November 2025

Metal Boy Scout and Other Miniatures

Beginning in the early 1900's a number of companies including Rapaport Brothers, Ace, Barclay Manoil, Marx and Porter Chemicals offered these characters.  Home casting kits became popular in the 1930s and were advertised as a father and son activity.  Home casting was done by heating a mold, melting metal in a ladle, pouring the metal into the mold, and then painting the cooled figures.  The hobby of home casting declined during WWII but saw a resurgence in popularity afterward with figures continuing to be made and collected for decades. 

While the tradition of making these figures has continued, production methods have changed over time, with lead giving way to other metals due to toxicity concerns.  Modern miniatures now are typically made from white metal, pewter, and other alloys or by plastic injection molding.

Boy Scout miniatures are still popular today and are used in dioramas and other historical or fantasy settings.

The hobby has grown into a large and diverse one, with a wide range of figures available for collectors and hobbyists.

LeFeber Camp Staff Paddles

 
A recent addition to the museum is a display of LeFeber Northwoods Camps Staff canoe paddles. Each paddle has the names of the staff for a particular year. These staffers helped generations of Scouts earn merit badges, experience nature and build lasting friendships all in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. The paddles are hanging from the ceiling...You have to look up!

 

Museum Committee Membership


If you have an interest and want to learn about joining the museum's volunteer team, please contact Marianne Mikush at (414) 443-2870 or by clicking here.

Scouting America Three Harbors Council  I  330 South 84th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53214-1468

414.774.1776