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The History Center on Main Street, 83 N. Main Street, Mansfield PA 16933 histcent83@gmail.com
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| The Bachelor's Club, Troy PA |
Dear Editor - This photo is from Virginia Hough and thought to have
been taken in the 1940's at the New Trojan Restaurant in Troy.
All have been identified except one - possibly one of your readers
will know. From the left, seated: Lester Kelly, Charles McCormick,
John Blackwell, Vinnie Vineski, John Jung; Front of table from the
right: Russell Ward, Liston Alexander, Edward Hayes, Bob Ballard.
Standing from left: Oliver (Nubby)Stanton, Walt Williams, John Scholtz,
Bob Shook, Bob Smith.
Don Stanton
Back Row -L to R: Oliver Stanton, Walt Williams, John Scholtz, Bob Shook,
Bob Smith.
Seated - L to R: Lester Kelley, Charles McCormick, John Blackwell,
Vinnie Vineski, John Jung, Bob Ballard, Edward Hayes, Liston Alexander,
Russell Ward.
Caption: Troy Bachelors Club Meets, Hails Newlyweds
The Article: The men, members of the Troy Bachelors Club, met
recently at the Troy Restaurant, where they had hung their banner flag
the night before. The insignia shows a feminine leg and a battleaxe.
The club's theme song, oddly, or intentionally, is "In My Arms."
V. A. Vine led in "prayer." Four new members were added. Herbert
Holcombe Jr., Harold Brown, Sam Bardwell and Oscar Scowdburgs. Oliver
Stanton was named vice-president.
The club enjoyed a program by the Gay Nineties Quartet and voted to
give Mrs. Matie Newell a Mother's Day gift in appreciation of use of her
restaurant for meetings. After benediction, the club repaired to a
"horning bee" for Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Burnett, newlyweds.
Don
| Troy Boy Scouts, Troop No. 1 |
| D.F. Pomeroy, first scoutmaster in the nation under BSA charter
granted by Congress, posed with Troy's first troop. They included (from
left):
First Row: Russell Bright, Harold McCollum, Hartley Smith, Leon Smith, D.F. Pomeroy Jr, Edward Morse, Louis Wagner, Robert VanSyckle and Medford Sherman. Second Row: Fred Leonard, George Joralemon, Arthur Tomlinson, Nelson Watson, Francis D (Pat) Ballard, James R Pierce, Donald Besley, Jay Rollison, Blaine Ide and Lloyd Rolison. Not in picture were troop members Manley Platt, Albert Watkins and Theodore Watkins. |
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Locally Troy's Boy Scout Troop is reputed to be the first formed in the United States. We have been unable so far to either confirm or dispute that using other Boy Scout history sites we have searched. The Boy Scout organization was started in Great Britain and spread to this country about 1910 where it was incorporated as Boy Scouts of America. Was Troy's troop the first in the U.S., first in Pennsylvania, or not ??? In any case, I am presenting this as is and hope that we will eventually be able to determine if it was indeed the first to be formed in the U. S. - or not.
March 1, 1912
Troy, PA
Mr. Pomeroy Provides Club Room for Boy Scouts
Mr. D. F. Pomeroy has provided a room in his barn 50x20 and 15 feet high for the use of his Troop 1, Boy Scouts, as a gymnasium and general club room. It is to be lighted by electricity and heated by a large stove. Flying rings, traveling rings, trapeze, horizontal bar, climbing rope, and climbing pole, striking bag, jumping and vaulting standards, Indian clubs, dumb bells, and other apparatus are to be provided. Also a goodly number of games including a Burough’s billiard table. The room is to be open to members of the Troop Friday and Saturday evenings until 9 P.M. and all day Saturday. The tennis court has been provided with standards so that it can be used for out door basket ball when not being used for tennis.
Don
At 11:24 AM 04/19/2005, you wrote:
Dear Mr. Stanton,
Thank you for your inquiry to the National Scouting Museum Archives. I am responding to your request about the first troops. Unfortunately, you are asking a question that Scouters have been trying to answer for years. There are a few different troops that claim that position. When the BSA was incorporated in 1910 there had already been Scout troops formed. We have records of troops that date back to 1908. Even answering the question of which troop was first chartered by the BSA is something that is questioned. I’m sorry there is not a clear answer in this instance. If you have any other questions do not hesitate to write or call.
Yours in Scouting,
Steven Price, Archivist
National Scouting Museum S-505
Boy Scouts of America
1325 W. Walnut Hill Lane
P.O. Box 152079
Irving, TX 75015-2079
972.580.2453
1.800.303.3047
fax 972.580.2020
TROY – Boy Scout week, being observed currently, perhaps means more
to Troy that any other community in the country.
The reason is that Troy Troop 47 was the first re-registered as a unit
of the Boy Scouts of America, so chartered by congress in 1913.
The initial link in the chain of American Boy Scouting was forged in a thick London fog. An American businessman was attempting to orient himself. A small uniformed figure suddenly emerged from the mists and asked if he could help. The offer was gladly accepted and the boy unerringly guided the man to his destination, a business meeting. Offered a tip, the boy politely declined, explaining that he was a Boy Scout and accepted no money for a good deed. A brief question and answer period between the two followed, the American exhibiting a intense interest in the Scout movement. It was arranged that after the appointment the obliging youngster would escort his charge to Boy Scout headquarters, which he did…then disappeared into the fog and oblivion.
The American was William D. Boyce, newspaper and magazine publisher form Chicago. At headquarters he met the founder of the Boy Scout movement, Lord Baden-Powell. When Boyce left for the United States a few days later, he brought along a trunkful of scout literature, uniforms and insignia. Such was Boyce’s enthusiasm that, upon arriving home, he immediately took counsel with Colin H. Livingston of Washington, D. C., and other persons in the Capitol and with them established on Feb. 8, 1910, a new corporation, the Boy Scouts of America which was chartered under the government of England. Although the English boy, actually responsible for bringing the program to this country was never located, he was honored nevertheless. Seventeen years after “the good turn” he received the highest award the Boy Scouts of America has to offer, the Silver Buffalo, “for distinguished service to boyhood.” A large replica cast in bronze and mounted on a wooden pedestal was erected at International Boy Scout Training Center Gilwell Park, England. Lacking the boy’s identity, on his behalf the Prince of Wales received the award “To the Unknown Scout” from American ambassador Alanson B. Houghton of Corning in the presence of Lord Baden-Powell and other prominent men of Great Britain.
After the formation of the Scouts under British sponsorship, the group of men who had formulated the organization in New York City sought to have the movement incorporated under U. S. law. They applied to Congress for a charter. This was granted on Sept. 30, 1913. The Troy Boy Scout troop became the first in the country to be registered under the new U. S. Charter. Edward Morse (Rev. Edward Morse later of Elmira according to Ed Morse of Troy) received the first Scouting certificate.
Locally, Daniel F. Pomeroy Sr., who was prominent in business and active in church and community affairs, was responsible for the Troy unit’s being re-registered as Troop 1 under the new charter. Mr. Pomeroy organized a troop consisting of a Sunday school class in the Troy Presbyterian Church. It was certified under the original charter on Dec. 21, 1910. When notification of the re-chartering was received by Scoutmaster Pomeroy, he immediately filled out the necessary form and rushed it to Washington. His was the first certificate in the U. S., dated Sept. 30, 1913, and signed by Woodrow Wilson as honorary president and William H. Taft and Theodore Roosevelt as honorary vice presidents.
Mr. Pomeroy’s dedication to Scouting was carried on by his son, D. F. Pomeroy Jr. The younger Pomeroy, among other activities in conjunction with Scouting, was treasurer of General Sullivan Council for 18 years and for a long term served as committee chairman for the Troy troop. As a member of his father’s troop he received the Eagle badge. In 1949 he was awarded the Silver Beaver award. In recognition of a half century affiliation with practically every aspect of Scouting, Pomeroy was awarded the Golden Anniversary Citation in 1960 at a special ceremony in Washington.
Troy assistant police chief Ted York, scoutmaster of Troop 47 from 1949-50 and 1960-66 when he relinquished the post to Jerry L. Cobliegh and remained on as assistant scoutmaster, answered the question why the Troy troop originally recorded as Troop 1 has advanced to 47.Sometime during the first decade after the re-registration he explained, the Troy group through some oversight was not rechartered, an annual procedure. By the time the error was discovered and rectified, another troop had acquired the number 1 and the nearest Troy could get to the deservedly accurate figure was 47.
From 1927 to ’66 33 members of the Troy troop have received Eagle badges.
The first went to Jack Bloom. Under York’s leadership seven were
awarded including one to present scoutmaster Cobleigh. Cobleigh,
in turn, got off to a good start with his first Eagle badge winner, Richard
Rockwell, who earned the award last year.
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Janet PETERS Ordway sent in this scan of THE certificate. Dr John Weis, local boy scout leader found it for us. It is dated 21 DEC 1910. I am not sure if it proves anything as there are still questons such as the recertification mentioned in the above article. AND the number on it is 1480. Not sure what it all means. JMT |
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The History Center on Main Street, 83 N. Main Street, Mansfield PA 16933 histcent83@gmail.com
