Troop 1 BSA Unadilla, NY: Troop 1 Celebrates the Ninth Anniversary of BSA...in 1919!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Troop 1 Celebrates the Ninth Anniversary of BSA...in 1919!

On our way to the 100th Anniversary of BSA and our Troop 1 in 2010, this genteel news note from Unadilla Times in 1919 brings on a smile:

"The ninth anniversary celebration of the Boy Scouts of the United States [America] was observed by St. Matthew's Boy Scouts and friends last Friday evening from 7 to 10 in the H.Y. Canfield hose house parlors which had been prettily decorated for the occasion. Cotillion with patriotic Scouting favorites and figures entertained the young boys and girls. A full orchestra furnished the music. Hot chocolate, cake and sandwiches were served by Mrs. J.S. Seacord and assistants."

---Yale Lyon Scrapbooks, Vol. 3 (Sept 1916 to March 1919, pg 188).

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Troop 1 BSA Unadilla NY History Blogsite

Welcome to the blogsite of Troop 1 BSA Unadilla, NY--"America's Centennial Boy Scout Troop." Unadilla's Boy Scout Troop 1 will celebrate a singular honor in 2010 as the oldest continually chartered Boy Scout troop in the USA. While not the first troop to register with the new Boy Scouts of America organization in 1910--its charter was the 166th out of about 4,000 issued that year-- it has achieved a near-100 year record of unbroken registration unmatched by any other Boy Scout troop in the nation. The Rev. Yale Lyon, the troop's first Scoutmaster for twenty-seven years, established a strong tradition of Scouting in this small upstate community that still continues today.

The troop begun as a "little experiment with a community project for boys" has survived two World Wars, the depths of the Great Depression, and the changing patterns of family life and technology. Today the troop is sponsored by the Unadilla Fire Department, meets in the Unadilla Historical Association's Masonic Temple Community Hall and can claim nearly 2,000 men among its alumni.

This blog also represents a technical milestone in the troop's history. In 1960, a small gold covered pamphlet was published and distributed locally, The History of Boy Scouting--Golden Anniversary by Ray Hallock, a local newspaper publisher. The pamplet detailed the first half-century of the Boy Scouts of America and the equally venerable Troop 1 BSA Unadilla, NY; today, we can tell the story on the websites and blogs of the Internet for everyone across the world to read. We hope you enjoy what you read here as we "Celebrate the Adventure and Continue the Journey" of Scouting together.

Donald Tuttle
Lyon Patrol Leader, Troop 1 Alumni Association
Otschodela Council BSA Vice President Administration
100th Anniversary National Leadership Team