Georgia Society / The Legacy of Juliette Gordon Low

The Legacy of Juliette Gordon Low

Georgia Society

by REBECCA EDDINS Executive Director, the Andrew Low House Museum

The work of today is the history of tomorrow, and we are its makers. - Juliette Gordon Low

Over a century ago, before women had the right to vote, Georgia Dame Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts in the United States, which became part of a worldwide organization, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Encouraging girls to embrace their intellect, athleticism and individuality was, at the time, a radical idea. Like so many Dames, Juliette was famous for her resolve and determination. She did not let obstacles (including her significant hearing impairment) stand in her way.

Juliette Gordon Low Portrait by Edward Hughes, 1887, National Portrait Gallery

Juliette descended from a long line of strong, independent women. Her mother, Eleanor “Nellie” Kinzie Gordon, was the Georgia Society’s first president and one of 28 charter members in 1893. No doubt Juliette was greatly influenced by her mother’s love of country and encouragement of civic engagement. During the Spanish-American War, Nellie Gordon traveled to Miami, Florida where her husband’s brigade was stationed. Together with her daughter, Juliette, they commandeered and outfitted a vacant building to use as a convalescent home for soldiers who had been discharged from the hospital but were too sick to return to duty. With characteristic ingenuity, they bought cots and mosquito nets, secured a physician, ordered daily ice delivery and bought large supplies of food. Their unfailing resourcefulness helped countless soldiers recover and return to the field for duty or return home.

During World War I, Juliette traveled back and forth between England and the United States, volunteering in the war effort and actively keeping the Girl Scouts organization running. During this time the organization focused on planting victory gardens, assisting in soup kitchens and selling war bonds. When the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic hit, Juliette encouraged girls to help in ways that used their newly acquired scouting skills. Trained in first aid and basic nursing, Girl Scouts made vital contributions by providing food and supplies to the sick, and in some cases, taking care of patients who had fallen ill. At the Andrew Low House Museum in Savannah, where Juliette lived at the beginning of her marriage to Andrew Low’s son and for several years before she died, her words and her tenacity continue to ring true, especially over the last several months. As COVID-19 became a reality for Savannah, the Andrew Low House Museum faced a prolonged closure of the museum and the associated loss of revenue; in a typical year, the museum welcomes over 100,000 visitors. Their doors closed on March 18th. On June 1st, the museum reopened to a very different way of operating amidst the continuing pandemic. In these challenging times, Juliette’s words resonate and her actions inspire all Dames to do their best in the face of adversity.

Girl Scouts in Savannah, GA, first-aid training, 1917