Our Troop History
Looking Back, Driving Forward
As the oldest, active Scout Troop in Virginia's Stonewall Jackson Council, now Virginia Headwaters Council, we are honored to share our history with you.
As the oldest, active Scout Troop in Virginia's Stonewall Jackson Council, now Virginia Headwaters Council, we are honored to share our history with you.
Much thanks is given to Mr. Raymond Ezell -Virginia Headwaters Council Historian. Without his tireless efforts in preserving Scouting history, this page would not be possible. Please take a moment to view his Scouting Preservation Project here: https://historyofscoutingva.wordpress.com/.
An Early Beginning
Boy Scouts have been a part of Louisa County since the early years of Boy Scouting in America. The first record of a Boy Scout Troop in Louisa was in 1929, just 19 years after BSA was incorporated in the United States.
Troop 1, Louisa Virginia. Organization date 27 February 1929.
1 Scoutmaster, 1 Assistant Scoutmaster, 3 Committee Members, and 8 Scouts.
Sponsored by the Louisa County High School, the boys of Troop 1 met in the basement of the Boxley home. From 1932-1933, a group of citizens sponsored Troop 1 (National Troop 12) and they met in the Fire Hall.
- Recharter application 26 February 1932 by Scout Executive J. W. Fix.
- Scoutmaster G. E. Powell – 1932 – Troop 1
- Assistant Scoutmaster Wm. J. Garber and Rev. R. A. Atkins
- Committee Chair – Dr. H. S. Daniel
- Committee members – R. C. Crank and H. T. Vaughan
Scouts
- Lewis Armstrong, Milton Atkins, Norwood Bickerstaff, William Boyd, Henry Daniel, William DeLong, and Weir Gilmer.
Troop 1 (National Troop 20) was recharted in 1936 and remained active until 1944. The Citizens Committee of Louisa, Virginia sponsored this Troop and the Louisa Rotary Club picked up the sponsorship in 1939. Troop 1 was led by Pete May until 1945. At that time, the Troop became inactive for a while following World War II.
- Recharter application 13 July 1936 by D.B. Webb. Chairman of the Citizens Committee.
- Scoutmaster Robert (?)
Scouts
- Percy Gates, Hibert Hanseon, WM Bayyis Cloe, James McCarrie, Carroll T. Clark, Allen Flannagin, Jr., Russell Crank, Jr., Robert H. Ghiles, John Gilmer, Linden Chiles, WM Franklin Swartz, Harry Hallett, Billy Caborne, Bobby Boyd, Lindsay Gordon, Donald Lee Adkins, Henry Vaughan, and Alfred Biggerstaff.
- Recharted on 11 August 1937 by the Citizens Committee of Louisa, VA.
- SM William J. May
- ASM H. G. Byrd
- Chair H M. Woodward
- 23 Scouts
- Recharted on 19 July 1938 by the Citizens Committe of Louisa, VA and authorized by O. G. Clark.
- Meeting at the Club House, Louisa, VA on Wednesdays
- SM William J. May
- ASM H. Byrd
- Chair O. G. Clark
- 23 Scouts
- Recharted on 14 August 1939 by the Citizens Committee of VA, and Rotary Club.
- Meeting at the Club House, Louisa, VA on Wednesdays.
- SM William J. May
- ASM P. C. Wright
- Chair O G. Clark
- 25 Scouts
- Recharted on 15 August 1940 by the Rotary Club of Louisa, VA.
- Meeting at the Community Hall on Wednesdays.
- A sticker is affixed to the application and this is the first mention of BOY’S LIFE subscription from the previous year.
- SM William J. May
- ASM P. C. Wright
- Chair O G. Clark
- 26 Scouts
USA Enters World War II - December, 1941
- Recharted on 25 August 1941 by the Rotary Club of Louisa, VA.
- Meeting at the Club House on Tuesdays.
- First mention of patrols – Fox, Beaver, and Flying Eagles.
- SM William J. May
- ASM A. R. Davis
- 23 Scouts
- Recharted on 01 July 1942 by the Rotary Club of Louisa, VA.
- Meeting at the Club House on Tuesdays.
- Patrols – Eagle
- The low numbers may be in part to World War II enlistments. There were quite a few scouts in their late teens from the previous year’s recharter (1941). Ages of 16, 17, 18 were listed frequently in 1941.
- SM D. H. (?)
- ASM William J. May
- 9 Scouts
- Recharted on 09 December 1943 by the Rotary Club of Louisa, VA.
- Meeting at the Club House on Tuesdays.
- ASM William J. May.
- 13 Scouts
- 3 scouts have “IN SERVICE” listed next to their names and, based on the age, this may be due to military enlistment in World War II.
- These scouts were listed on many of the previous year’s enrollements: Allen Flannagan, A. H. Vaughan, and Russell McDonald.
- Recharted on 13 July 1944 by the Rotary Club of Louisa, VA.
- Meeting at the Club House on Tuesdays.
- This was the first time an application was marked in red with”Dropped December 1945″.
- SM A. R. Davis
- ASM D. L. Atkins
- Chair W. Earl Crank
- 17 Scouts
Due to World War II, Troop 3 is not recharted from 1944-1949.
In 1949, the Louisa Rotary Club reorganized the inactive Troop 1 as Troop 3.
The group was officially chartered in February, 1950, with a roster of 8 boys.
Rev. K. Alvin Pitt was the Scoutmaster and the Troop met for many years in a building behind H.M. Woodward’s house on Main Street.
In 1959, Robert Duke became Louisa’s first Eagle Scout under the leadership of Pete May.
The Troop also met for a while in a building on the Methodist Church property before moving to its current location, The Scout Hut, in 1963.
Some of the Troop’s historical documents include verbiage and terms that are considered inappropriate by today’s standards. There is no member in this organization that approves of the use of these terms; however, these historical documents are presented in an unredacted form to preserve their integrity and historical significance. We ask that these documents are viewed with an open mind and to reflect on how far we have progressed as a society in regards to treating all men and women, regardless of race, nationality, ethnicity, or gender as equal and significant under our Creator’s vision.
