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Goodykoontz MUSEUM

The Goodykoontz Museum of Girl Scout History is located at 3000 Southwest Freeway in Houston Texas. The museum, named for lifetime Girl Scout, historian, and philanthropist Dorothy Goodykoontz, opened in 2007 at GSSJC’s Program Place for Girls in Houston.  

                                              

Goodykoontz Museum Hours

Sunday and Monday: Closed

Tuesday - Thursday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Friday - 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Saturday - 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Plan Ahead: Check the Council Calendar. Tours are not available when the Museum is closed for an event or for day camp. 

What to Expect When Visiting the Museum

Museum visitors are invited to take their own self-guided tour. There are exhibits and hands-on activities for all Girl Scout levels, Daisy through Adult. Tour at your own pace!  See as many or as few exhibits as you would like. Every exhibit now has a QR code to access audio descriptions and related songs or other information. There are printed tour notebooks available for use while in the museum if you prefer reading about the exhibits.  Be sure to sign in whenever you visit the museum, and complete the evaluation (see QR code) when you finish your tour. 

Enjoy your visit!

Click on a category to expand the topic. Click again to collapse the category.

Here is a list of exhibits that visitors to the Goodykoontz Museum can expect to see:

  • Juliette Low Exhibit
  • Donor Wall
  • Shell Multimedia Room, now showing "The Golden Eaglet" film
  • Historical Photos
  • Decade Windows and History by Decade from 1900s through 2000's
  • Camp Tejas Exhibit
  • Dr. Pidd Miller Doll Case, with select dolls from our collection
  • Discovery Boxes containing various historical activities
  • Thanks Badge Honorees...and Surprises (surprises sometimes change!)
  • Council Headquarters
  • Gold Awards and Scholarships
  • Dorothy Goodykoontz Exhibit
  • Gold Award Recipients Wall


These exhibits are currently available, however they will be replaced from time to time.

  • GSSJC 100-Year Timeline
  • Girl Scouts in 1913
  • Khaki Uniform & Bugler Badge
  • Evolution of Girl Scout Membership Pin
  • Council Cookie Awards
  • Postcards from Camp
  • Rose Wood Arledge Exhibit
  • Council Patches
  • STEM
  • World Centers
  • Girl Scout Stamps and Medals
  • Fall Product Sales
  • Astronomy
  • Niche Wall Exhibits
  • Mannequins Wearing Vintage Girl Scout Uniforms
  • Wall Art, including photographs, quilts, and more

Here is a list of some of the hands-on activities in the museum:

  • Discovery Boxes containing activities like knots, puzzles, and more
  • Discovery Drawers filled with interesting items to look at and vintage clothing to try on
  • “Program Place Puzzle Cache” Directions (download and print)
  • Mariner sailboat diagram on floor adjacent to sailing window panels
  • Clothespins & milk bottles game
  • Semaphores
  • Girl Scout Cookie Hopscotch
  • 1913 Handbook for Girl Scouts fun activity in a box
  • Council map on floor and blocks representing camp locations to place on the map
  • White board in Alkek Café with special markers to draw or write messages
  • Performance area: Use ideas and props provided or create your own show. Current choices provided include "The Story of Juliette Low," an action play for girls, and a song with props entitled, "Can A Woman?"


NEW materials for girls -- download and print before visiting the Museum!
  • Museum Discovery Pages (with puzzles and a picture scavenger hunt)
  • Museum Discovery Page Answers
  • Color Scavenger Hunt
  • Museum Discovery Page: Badges & Patches (The GSSJC shop has a limited number of Doll Collector patches available, along with other discontinued patch programs, while supplies last. Please note that older council patches are often kept at lower stock numbers due to the shift in content – and once they’re gone, they may not be reordered. We recommend contacting the Girl Scout Shop at 713-292-0247 to ensure the number you need is available so you can purchase them before beginning the patch curriculum.)


COMING SOON:

  • More fun and surprises!

Brownie Uniform      

This exhibit highlights the first known Brownie Pack in Houston.

                                               

  • The uniform was a brown dress with self-belt and bloomers (bloomers not shown). Council owns a replica with a dancing brownie elf pin on its collar.
  • Notice the Brownie Promise: How does it differ from the Girl Scout Promise of today?
  • Brownies were supposed to be little elves- to be helpful--especially at home.
  • The photo with the flag was taken in 1926.
  • The yellow post card also from the 1920’s, shows the Brownie uniform.
  • The wooden bowl (Toadstool), painted by Mrs. Dan Miller, shows that it was Houston Pack #1.
  • Pack #1 was organized in November of 1929.
  • There are several sixes (patrols) listed. Doctor Pidd Miller, noted local doll collector, now deceased, was in Fairy Six.
  • Be sure to read about the Toadstool that brownies held their meetings around.
  • The photo of Brownies around their toadstool is not a Houston Pack
This exhibit was retired in 2024.


Girl Scouts of World War 2

This case displays items from the Wing Scout Program and Girl Scout Service Bureau. Both were program options for Girl Scouts during the early 1940’s.

The Wing Scout program was open to high school age girls who were Senior Girl Scouts. It was intended for girls who were interested in flying or wanted a career in aviation. Girls would learn enough about aviation to be able to serve their country. During World War 2, Wing Scouts learned how to spot aircraft to aid in their country’s defense.

                                                

Items featured:

  • The Houston Chronicle 1944 article of a Houston area Senior Scout, Georgia Robertson, who was a Wing Scout. She is pictured in front of a Braniff Airplane. She was part of a GSUSA publication promoting the Wing Scout Program.
  • Girl Scout Guide to Girl Scouting insert from the GSG-to-GS Senior book describing the Wing Scout Program, which was the first civilian defense program for girls age 15-18.
  • Wing scout Pin, Wing Scout Manual, and Wing Scout Book.

This exhibit was retired in 2024.


Cookie Display

 Girls Scouts of San Jacinto Council has a wonderful cookie history. The council has had many “firsts” in cookie sales.

·      1976 was the first time our council reached one million dollars in sales

·      1979 was the first-time local volunteers and girls appeared in pictures on cookie boxes

·      1988 was the first time we had the largest cookie sale in the country

·      2000 was our first $10 million cookie sale

                                                 


We began selling cookies in 1950 and offering prizes in 1952. Booth sales began in 1959, but only Cadettes and Older girls could sell cookies at a Cookie Booth, until 1978. However, Daisies could not sell at Cookie Booths until 2009.

GSSJC offers Mega Drops for Troop cookie pick up and Cookie Cupboards for filling extra orders. We began using direct deposit of cookie receipts by troops in 1986. GSSJC had its first $10 Million cookie sale in 2000.

Troops began using bakery software to place cookie and award orders using Cookie Works in 2006. When the Older Girl Option was introduced, Cadette and older troops were allowed to receive extra troop bonus money instead of the awards.

Cookie sales provide a large part of our budget.

Participating in the Girl Scout Cookie Sale is an important part of Girl Scouting. It teaches the girls business, personal and safety skills.

This exhibit was retired in 2024.


Sailing

Special Interest Group

                                                   

Our sailing program is based out of Casa Mare, in Seabrook.

Nestled on Galveston Bay, Casa Mare’s bayside paradise offers a wide variety of camp activities for ocean lovers and science explorers alike. For older campers, sailing is the main attraction. Girls can learn beginning sailing skills or advance their skills even further. Campers of all ages can focus on STEM activities as well as learning outdoor skills. Whether you love the bay and want to sail, unleash your creativity with STEM, or cook up a storm, Casa Mare has the session for you. 

This exhibit was retired in 2024.


Equitation

Special Interest Group

                                                   

Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council SIG (Special Interest Group) has two riding programs, S.P.U.R.S and STARS. The SIG meets monthly, year-round.

S.P.U.R.S (Super Terrific Awesome Riding Scouts) program is at Camp Misty Meadows in Conroe. S.P.U.R.S. has 6 levels of expertise to give our girls the best equestrian experience available. It is open to Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors.

STARS (Super Terrific Awesome Riding Scouts) program is at Camp Pryor in Nada. It is also for Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors. SPURS includes 4 levels and STARS training.

Girls learn about riding and build their leadership ability by helping and teaching others about horses and horseback riding.

This exhibit was retired in 2024.


National Conventions

This case features the highlights and memorabilia of the two Girl Scouts of the USA national conventions hosted by the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council. 

                                                  

The 42nd convention was held October 25th – 28th 1981 at the Albert Thomas Convention Center with Kansas senator Nancy Kassebaum giving the keynote address. Proposals that were passed included the establishment of a lifetime membership and an alumni membership category to include graduating seniors.

The 57th convention was held in Houston November 8 th – 11th, 2011. This convention included a welcome address by Houston mayor Anise D. Parker and keynote speakers Katie Couric and Robin Roberts both who are Girl Scouts. Over 1200 girls gathered for the Girl Scout Leadership Institute where the theme was “Leadership and Innovation, the Next Hundred Years.”

This exhibit was retired in 2024.


Thank You Gifts for Volunteers 

This exhibit highlights a sampling of many of the informal tokens of appreciation that have been given to volunteers for their service over the decades – in the Community (Service Unit), and for their contributions on committees, or membership to groups. These thank you gifts vary greatly. Some were given by volunteers to volunteers, others were appreciations for volunteer service from the Council.

                                                 

Some of the items featured include:

  • GSSJC Binder with pad holder
  • Embossed GSSJC case with Post It notes
  • 100-year Commemorative Coin
  • Heart necklace
  • Casa Mare paper weight
  • GSSJC Lunch Backpack
  • GSSJC umbrella
  • Assorted cups and thermoses
  • Pearl and Pink stone bracelet—created as a nod to JGL death from breast cancer
  • Personalized Note pad
  • Engraved GSSJC baskets—each is filled with the tokens given by the Council to volunteers

This exhibit was retired in 2024.

Coming Soon!  Watch for announcements!

Now available in the Girl Scout Shop!


If interested in donating items to the museum, please review our donation policy:

Our scope of collections is as follows: "[Our purpose is] to collect and preserve objects of an historical nature related to Girl Scouting and its members, especially in the area now comprising the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council; and to promote interest in and disseminate information about the history of Girl Scouting within the Council."

The Goodykoontz Museum of Girl Scout History is happy to accept objects that fit our scope of collections. These objects might include, but are not limited to, the following: uniforms (sashes, vests, dresses, shirts, hats, socks, etc.), badges/patches/pins, Girl Scout memorabilia (hats, cups, plaques, dolls, etc.), pre-2000s resources (leader books, Girl Scout magazines, badge books, handbooks, etc.) or photographs illustrating girl activities, historical moments, prominent individuals or other special moments. (We ask that with all photographs, please include a piece of paper detailing the date, location, who is featured and a brief description.)

Museum Donation Policy

Museum Gift Agreement Form


To make a monetary donation to the Museum:

Visit the "Donate" section of the Council Website at www.gssjc.org, and follow the instructions to make a monetary donation. If desired, designate "Goodykoontz Museum" in the memo for your donation.