Original OA Constitution
Founded at the Narrows of the Harpeth Boxwell, the Wa-Hi-Nasa chapter of the OA has long been associated with camp. Indeed, in its early years, camp was critical to the OA as the tap-out ceremonies were only done at Boxwell and it was camp staff who nominated candidates!
Seen here is the first Constitution of the Wa-Hi-Nasa lodge from 1938, along with its first amendment. You can see it was short document and is definitely a relic of its time (The “Nashville Council” for instance). The amendment actually lowers total fees due to the chapter from a dollar to 90 cents, which shouldn’t be too surprising. 1938 is still in the middle of the Great Depression.
The document belonged to the now departed O.E. Brandon, Jr., who was not only of the VERY first to be inducted to the Lodge, but staff member at the Narrows Boxwell and a writer for the Council’s first newsletter, The Bugle.