Scouting in Rhode Island has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs that suit the environment in which they live.

It was headquartered in Fall River, Massachusetts and served that city and the surrounding communities of Somerset, Swansea, Westport, Tiverton and Little Compton.

The primary source for Boy Scout uniforms and gear was McWhirr's department store on South Main Street in Fall River.

It was decided in 1921 at a Fall River Council Executive Board meeting that the purchase of a 100-acre (0.4 km2) wooded area would take place, naming it Camp Noquochoke.

The physical facilities were significantly improved in the late 1950s with a new dining hall (constructed by Fall River (Building) Trades Council with site work provided by the Navy SeabeesReservists) and an in-ground pool.

Camp legend, the basis for many campfire stories, was a character named "Three-fingered Willie."

This property, off Rock O' Dundee Road in South Dartmouth [2], was too small and lacked adequate water sources, both for drinking and swimming.

In 1945, the Cachalot Council conducted a capital fundraising campaign expressly for the purpose of acquiring a suitable camp.

After considering several properties [5], they placed on offer on a large parcel adjacent to the southeastern corner of Myles Standish State Forest, owned by "The Five Mile Corporation."

Camp Noquochoke was sold due to its smaller size and fewer prospects, and later became a residential neighborhood.

In 1930 Annawon Council was organized, but it was not until January 9, 1931, that it was incorporated under the laws of Massachusetts, and legally established as of April 20, 1933.

At the time of organization, the Council included the communities of Attleboro, Mansfield, Norton, Taunton, Raynham, and Berkley.

In 1916 the first Scouting charters in Massachusetts were granted to the Fall River and the Fairhaven-New Bedford Councils.

Although considerable thought was given to a site on Lake Mashpee on Cape Cod, the Council reneged on a thirty-day option to buy the property.

After considerable study in 1934, the Council purchased 25 Acres on Darby Pond in Plymouth for use as a camp site.

On June 24, 1935, William A. Collins of Norwich, Connecticut and a graduate of MIT was appointed Scout Executive.

In 1940 the land north of the original property of 25 acres was purchased for $300.00, it included an abandoned house in a large field.

In 1950 Ellis Brewster from the Plymouth Cordage Company donated 100 acres to Annawon council to increase the size of Camp Norse.

That same year, the shallow well was replaced with a deeper well and then was enclosed in a block house through a grant from the George Magee Memorial Fund.

The council was divided into the following districts serving 11 communities in Bristol and Plymouth Counties: In June 1941, Tulpe Lodge, Order of the Arrow was approved by the executive board.

In these locations, troops were organized and affiliated with the National Council Boy Scouts of America.

It was formed in the 1950s from Yawgoog's honor society, The Wincheck Indians, when the Order of the Arrow became growing in national popularity.

Administrative functions are housed at 10 Risho Avenue in East Providence, Rhode Island.

The newly merged operation, which will take the name of the Narragansett Council, includes all of Rhode Island, 34 communities in Massachusetts and one in Connecticut, and boasts nearly 14,000 Scouts, the largest in Northeast Area 1.

The Narragansett Council operates a Scout Shop in the Summit Square Plaza on Route 2 in Warwick, Rhode Island.

Administrative functions are housed at 10 Risho Avenue in East Providence, Rhode Island.

The Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves all of the state of Rhode Island and some of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

In 2014, Girl Scouts of Rhode Island underwent a name change to become Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England (GSSNE) in an effort to gully encompass the expanded service demographic which includes all of Rhode Island, thirteen Massachusetts towns, and Pawcatuck, CT.

The Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England have a museum at Camp Hoffman, and their headquarters is in Warwick, Rhode Island.