The Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia (GSHG) are asking the community for help to rebuild its property at Camp Tanglewood.
Hurricane Helene devastated the property, more than 108 acres, located at 4687 Columbia Road in Martinez, which the GSHG has used as a campground and a site for various events and activities–such as its annual S’morevivor event– for 84 years.
“It’s kind of a hidden gem here locally,” said Brianna Jarvis, marketing specialist with GSHG. “A lot of people don’t even realize that we have the property out in Columbia County.”
Half of its cabin units and the bathhouses were destroyed, the site’s signature ADA-accessible camp lodge suffered extensive damage and more than 200 trees fell. Fortunately, the home of the park ranger who lives on the property was unharmed, Jarvis explained, and no one was lodging on the campsite during the storm.
The Girl Scouts have since undertaken fundraising efforts toward clearing debris, repairing broken pipes and rebuilding the lodge and cabins, organizing a GoFundMe campaign for $50,000.
Earlier this year, the GSHG successfully petitioned Columbia County to rezone the property from Single-family Residential (R-2) to Special (S-1) to make way for a proposed new office building on the premises. The Augusta GSHG branch office is currently at 508 Shartom Dr.
Restoration efforts are in their infancy, but the Girl Scouts still hope to host its annual summer camp at Camp Tanglewood in summer of 2025, Jarvis said.
Those who would like to support the rebuilding of the campsite are encouraged to visit the GoFundMe page or, to donate directly, the GSHG website.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
