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| Sea Scouting began. BOYS' LIFE was purchased to become the official magazine of the BSA. Membership during the year was 97,495. There were Scouts registered in every state. |
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| Abilene | In
March 1912, a troop was organized at the Central Presbyterian Church in
Abilene. The Scoutmaster was R. M. "Bob" Wagstaff, who at that time
was a senior in Simons College. Luther Clark, a local barber, was
his Assistant. Bob's father, J. M. Wagstaff served as Troop Committee
Chairman. There were some fifteen Scouts in the troop, ages 14 to
16. Go to:
http://www.westtexasscoutinghistory.net/troop_abilene.html A second troop was started
around June 20th according to the Dallas Morning News. This
one was Troop 2 at the First Baptist Church. Mr. F. G. Brunner was
Scoutmaster with Rev. C. C. Coleman, pastor of the church, as Chairman
of the Troop Committee. By July 1912, the troop has 32 Scouts and
was full. Brunner moved to Houston in August of that year and Leon
N. Haney took over as Scoutmaster. Go to:
Information was obtained from "A History of Chisholm Trail Council, Boy Scouts of America," a thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate School of Hardin-Simons University by Claude Olen Willis, August 1952. |
| Cisco | Dallas Morning News, March 30, 1912. "Special to The News. "Cisco, Tex., March 29 - Scoutmaster H. L. Winchell went to Abilene this week to organize a troop of of boy scouts. Mr. Winchell has a large troop in Cisco, and much interest is being manifested in the movement. Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church Rev. J. D. Leslie will preach a sermon to them. Special music will be arranged for the occasion." |
| Plainview | Hale County Hearld,
April 1912. According to both an April 1912 issue of the Hale
County Herald and the 1937 book History of Hale County, Texas
by Mary Lee Cox, the first Boy Scout Troop in Plainview was organized on
April 24, 1912.
"“The boys of Plainview met on Wednesday evening (April 24) at the City Hall and organized a patrol of Boy Scouts. James R. DeLay (Plainview’s mayor at the time) accepted the leadership of the boys as Scoutmaster." The paper noted that 10
boys were present at that first meeting. Elected as officers
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| Shiner | "In May,
1912, when I was fifteen years of age, a local troop of Boy Scouts was
organized here (in Shiner, TX) and I became a charter member. The
motto, 'Be Prepared.' became my watchword, and it was the height of my
ambition to work my way up in the greatest movement ever started for the
elevation of the American boy," wrote W. E. Merrem of Shiner, Texas, the
"First Eagle Scout West of the Mississippi." For more information on Merrem
got to:
http://www.westtexasscoutinghistory.net/other_merrem-obituary.html |
| Coleman | Dallas
Morning News, June 10, 1912. "Special to The News. "Coleman,
Tex., June 9 - A company of Boy Scouts was organized here by Rev. T. O.
Perrin of the Presbyterian Church. While they are organized under
the auspices of the Presbyterian church, the membership is not restricted
to that denomination.
"There were twenty boys enrolled at the first meeting. Another meeting will be held next week when plans will be perfected for some preliminary 'hikes,' and a summer encampment discussed. The boys are very enthusiastic over the organization and expect to add others to their list." |
| Arlington | "Troop 1
was established in Arlington during the month of August 1912. This first
unit Arlington was established by Arlington educator J. A. Kooken, whom
Kooken School was named after, and Colonel W. A. Bowen, who owned the local
newspaper.
"Arlington Troop 1 was organized that August day at the home of Colonel Bowen, where J. A. Kooken was elected as the first Scoutmaster. It was a groundbreaking day as Twenty-Three scouts from our small town were enrolled as founding members of the troop. Regular meetings were held at the location of Hightower-Garten’s Plumbing Shop in downtown." Information provided by Steve Barnes of Arlington, by a booklet he is writing on " Early Scouting in Arlington." |
| Jacksonville | Dallas Morning News, August 29, 1912. "Special to The News. Tyler, Tex. Aug. 28 - Fourteen boy scouts from Jacksonville, under the command of Rev. Thomas Dean, were here yesterday for several hours. They were dressed in suits of drab khaki. There ages ranged from 10 to 18 years. Each boy carried a roll containing a blanket across his back. Since leaving home they have visited Longview, Big Sandy and intermediate points. they are now on their return trip and will reach home tonight or tomorrow morning. They stated that the best roads they had encountered on the trip were those in Smith County." |
| Athens | The
late Joe Owen reported that the first troop in Athens was founded at the
First Christian Church in 1912. He was too young to be a Scout, but
said they sort of made him their mascot. One achievement of the troop
was the planting of the elm trees, donated by Mr. LaRue, on the courthouse
lawn. The troop disbanded in 1917 during World War I. For more information
go to:
http://www.athensfumc.com/community_boyscouts.htm |
| Claude | According to records,
it appears that Troop 1, now Troop 17, of Claude, Texas, received its first
charter from the Boy Scouts of America, dated September 30, 1912, and aside
from 1989-1993, has been continuously chartered and is active today. The
first Scoutmaster was Dr. William Warner who organized the troop.
For more information to go:
http://www.westtexasscoutinghistory.net/troop_claude.html |
| Last undated: March
29, 2010
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