Local Lore
The History of Camp Potomac Woods
VICTOR LOUGHEED, AUTHOR AND INVENTOR
The last owners of the land that is today’s Camp Potomac Woods, before it was purchased by the Arlington Girl Scout council in 1948, were Victor & Mary Lougheed. Mr. Lougheed was an accomplished author and inventor, a genius with a fourth-grade education.
His last name, Lougheed, was pronounced “Lockheed,” just like the modern-day aerospace company. That is no coincidence. The founders of today’s aerospace firm, Lockheed-Martin, were Victor Lougheed’s two younger half-brothers, Allan and Malcolm Lougheed, who changed the old Scottish spelling of their name to the more phonetic spelling, Lockheed.
Victor Lougheed began his career as an automotive engineer in the early 1900s, and soon thereafter, when hired to try to install an automobile engine in an early airplane glider, became one of the very first aeronautical engineers.
Victor Lougheed was at the forefront of the airplane design revolution, as both a mechanical engineer and as an author. In 1909, only six years after the Wright Brothers’ first powered flight, Victor Lougheed published his comprehensive book on the history of flight, “Vehicles of the Air.”
DOWNLOAD 1909 Lougheed Victor ENTIRE BOOK Vehicles_of_the_Air.pdf
He also published many other books and magazine articles on automobile design and aviation advancements.
Although he didn't work at the Lockheed company due to a disagreement with his brothers, Victor Lougheed was a designer of airplane engines, wings and propellers. His “Taft-Pierce-Lougheed V-8 Engine,” built in 1911, is on display in the Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia.
The Taft-Pierce (Victor Lougheed) V-8 Airplane Engine, National Air & Space Museum, Chantilly, Virginia.
http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19600151000
In the 1930s, Mr. & Mrs. Lougheed purchased this property outside of Lucketts, Virginia for their home and his workshop. He worked as a freelance inventor and as a consulting engineer. Mr. Lougheed had many patents (inventions) to his name, some of which were for designs he created while living right here. His patents included designs for automobile wheels and brakes, airplane wings and propellers, plastic mold casting, a new type of radio knob for Magnavox, a nipple for baby bottles, and a new type of safe electric razor.
In his final years, just prior to World War II, Mr. Lougheed was employed by the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. One or more of his inventions involved testing his designs using a wind tunnel. It is rumored that Victor Lougheed’s abadoned wind tunnel is buried somewhere beneath Camp Potomac Woods.
Victor and Mary Lougheed lived in an old farmhouse, demolished in the 1950s, which was located between today’s flagpole and Administration building. The house, used as a camp headquarters and infirmary by the Girl Scouts, was dubbed “Termite Hill” due to its decrepit condition. The fire pit which today is located directly behind Kresge Dining Hall, sits in a depression where the basement of Termite Hill was located before it was backfilled with gravel and covered over with soil.
Victor Lougheed died in an automobile accident in New York City in 1943, at the age of 66. The 101 acres of land that constitute Camp Potomac Woods was purchased by the Arlington Girl Scout Council (predecessor to the current GSCNC) on May 8, 1948 from Mary Lougheed, widow. The first scouting season opened only a month later, on June 19, 1948, under the name “Arlington Girl Scout Camp.” The property was given its permanent name of “Camp Potomac Woods” in 1949.
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VICTOR LOUGHEED’S PATENTS
as listed on patents.google.com
Grant USD73504S Victor Lotjgheed The Magnavox Com
Priority • Filed 1925-06-15 Granted 1927-09-20
Sept. 20, 1927. Des. 73,504 C v. LOUGHEED RADI'ODIAL Filed June l5. 1925 F13/J. :a. Jim/e171 0l/ 1. aff/'0792 ey,. i Des. 73,504. Patented Sept. 20, 1927. i i. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. VICTOR LOUGHEED, OF OAKLAND, CALFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MAGNAVOX COM- PANY, OF ...
Grant USD57921S Victob Lougheed
Priority • Filed 1920-11-26 Granted 1921-05-17
DESIGN. V. LOUGHEED. VEHICLE WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED NOV: 26. 1920. Patented May 17, 1921. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. VICTOR LOUGHEED, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA , ASSIGNOR TO DUODISK STEEL WHEEL CORPORATION, 0]? LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A ...
Hollow pattern and method of producing molds
Grant US1364123A Victor Lougheed Entpr Foundry Company
Priority 1919-08-18 • Filed 1919-08-18 Granted 1921-01-04
3e it known that I VICTOR LOUGHEED, a citizen of the United tates, residing at San -Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Hollow Patterns and Methods of Producing Molds; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact ...
Grant US1379352A
Priority • Filed Granted 1921-05-24
VICTOR LOUGHEED, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 DUODISK STEEL WHEEL CORPORATION, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE. DISK-WHEEL ASSEMBLY. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented May 24, 1921. To all whom it may concern:.
Method of removing patterns from molds
Grant US1364124A Lougheed Victor Entpr Foundry Company
Priority 1919-08-18 • Filed 1919-08-18 Granted 1921-01-04
T 0 all to ham it may camera Be it known that I, VICTOR LOUGHEED, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Method of Removing Patterns from Molds; and I do hereby declare that the following is a ...
Grant US1303928A
Priority • Filed Granted 1919-05-20
... the post, said memof the steering post, a relatively movable arm hinged to the cross-arm and having a partin fixed engagement with the wheel,. means for latching the fixed arm and the 100 In witness whereof, lha ve hereunto sub- 105 scribed my name this 3rd day of April, 1917. VICTOR LOUGHEED.
Reinforced plastic and material therefor
Grant US2202013A Lougheed Victor Lougheed Victor
Priority 1938-01-13 • Filed 1938-01-13 Granted 1940-05-28
LOUGHEED REINFORCED PLASTIC AND MATERIAL THEREFOR Filed Jan. 13, 1938 INVNTOR ATTQRNEY Patented May 28, 1940 UNITED STATES REINFORCED PLASTIC AND MATERIAL THEREFOR Victor Lougheed, Lucketts, Va. Application January 13, 1938, Serial No. 184,797. 4 Claims.
Lid or closure for receptacles
Grant US1373437A Lougheed Victor Lougheed Victor
Priority 1919-08-21 • Filed 1919-08-21 Granted 1921-04-05
Be it known that I, VICTOR LOUGHEED, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lids or Closures for Receptacles, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates ...
Grant US1457375A Victor Lougheed Entpr Foundry Company
Priority 1919-08-18 • Filed 1919-08-18 Granted 1923-06-05
VICTOR LOUGHEED, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, TO ENTERPRISE FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- FOBNIA. No Drawing. To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VIo'roR Louermno, a citizen of thellnited States, and ...
Grant US1903823A Lougheed Victor Lougheed Victor
Priority 1928-12-28 • Filed 1928-12-28 Granted 1933-04-18
Patented Apr. 18, 1933 UNITED STATES VICTOR LOUGHEED, 0E WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AERODYNAMIC SURFACE Application filed December 28, 1928. Serial No. 328,982. The principal object of my invention isfor reducing the air friction on and improving the aerodynamic and ...
Reinforced plastic structure and method of making same
Grant US2197132A Lougheed Victor Lougheed Victor
Priority 1938-02-17 • Filed 1938-02-17 Granted 1940-04-16
LOUGHEED' REINFORCED PLASTIC STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Feb. 17 , 1938 d. 4 2 M m ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16,1940. PATENT OFFICE REINFORCED PLASTIC STRUCTURE .METHOD OF MAKING SAME AND Victor Lougheed, Luckettl, Va. Application February 1'] ...
Aeroplane wing structure and method of making the same
Grant US1922311A Lougheed Victor Lougheed Victor
Priority 1931-04-06 • Filed 1931-04-06 Granted 1933-08-15
AEROPLANE WING STRUCTURE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENTOR Filed April 6. 1931 Patented Aug. 15, 1933 AEROPLANE WIN G STRUCTURE AND METHOD MAKING THE SAME Victor Lougheed, ,Washington, D. 0. Application April 6,1931. Serial No. 528,108.
Grant US2223179A Lougheed Victor Lougheed Victor
Priority 1937-08-14 • Filed 1937-08-14 Granted 1940-11-26
26, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT 2,223,179 NURSING NIPPLE Victor Lougheed, Lucketts, Va. Application August 14, 1937, Serial No. 159,190 I 1 Claim, (01. 128-252) My invention relates to rubber or similar nursing nipples, designed for the artificial feeding of infants with rapidity comparable to that ...
Grant US1470017A Victor Lougheed Alfred J Cleary
Priority 1919-02-04 • Filed 1919-02-04 Granted 1923-10-09
Be it known that I, VICTOR LOUGHEED, a citizen of the United States, residing at city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have discovered certain new and useful Improvements in lVings for Flying Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the ...
Air propeller blade and material for making same
Grant US2202014A Victor Lougheed Victor Lougheed
Priority 1938-02-10 • Filed 1938-02-10 Granted 1940-05-28
... width of the web corresponding to the peripheries and cross secbeing of a length and varying width of the web I tions respectively of the blade from tip to tip, said layers being rolled about their portions of narrowest width and then subjected to pressure 10 and heat in a mold. VICTOR LOUGHEED.
Process for making molds for casting
Grant US1320770A Victor Lotjgheed Enterprise foundry Company
Priority • Filed 1919-08-18 Granted 1919-11-04
... delivering the mold-.forming material to the pattern by the suction resulting from such reduction 1n pressure. 3. The improvement in the process 'of molding a mold, Which consists in applying the mold- forming material to the pattern n vacuo. Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this th day VICTOR LOUGHEED.
Grant US1380398A Lougheed Victor Enterprize Foundry Company
Priority 1919-08-18 • Filed 1919-08-18 Granted 1921-06-07
... mold material composed of from two to five parts by weight of calcium sulfate to one part by weight of kieselguhr. A m'old material composed of kieselguln', a suitable binder, and other mold materials in subordinate quantities. Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 25th day of July, 1919. VICTOR LOUGHEED.
Grant US1880207A Lougheed Victor Lougheed Victor
Priority 1931-02-26 • Filed 1931-02-26 Granted 1932-10-04
Jazz-L; INVENTOR Patented Get. 4, 1932 Ara'r Fries VICTOR, LOUGHEED, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA POROUS COVE-RING FOR AIRCRAFT Application filed February 26,1931. Serial No. 518,554. My discovery or invention relates primarily to the sustaining elements of aeroplanes ...
Grant US1849012A Victor Lougheed Victor Lougheed
Priority 1930-02-19 • Filed 1930-02-19 Granted 1932-03-08
... be forced down by springs 28 and thus the blade 10 will be returned to its normal position. What l claim is: 1. A variablespitch propeller comprisinv hub` a plurality of blades, flexible Wires hdl ing said blades in said hub against centrifugal force due to its mass, and an actuating VICTOR LOUGHEED.
Grant US1909186A Lougheed Victor Lougheed Victor
Priority 1931-02-09 • Filed 1931-02-09 Granted 1933-05-16
9, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN-ron Patented May 16, 1933iy UNITED STATES I VICTOR LOUGHEED, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AIRPLANE WIN'G;V. Application filed February 9, 19x31. Serial No. 514,619. My discovery or invention thus relates primarily to the sustaining elements ...
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