First Scout Troop - 1910

"Rev. George W. Sheafor, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Comanche, Texas, has organized a troop of boy scouts with five patrols, named the kangaroo, lion, wild cat, wild boar and buffalo.

The troop has already made many trips out in the woods, learning, camping, tracking, signaling, etc. Nineteen have taken the tenderfoot oath and some are ready now for the second class scout oath. The scout master is expecting to take the troop on a week's camping expedition in the near future.

This troop in Comanche was the fourth organized in the state and has shown great interest and zeal in the work and its constantly adding to its membership."

Rev. George W. Sheafor was the first Texan registered as a Scoutmaster of the BSA. He was the 37th registered Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America according to records at the National Scouting Museum of the Boy Scouts of America. Susan Morgan, Curator of Collections, stated that in the early days of Scouting, BSA listed the Scoutmasters in a book (Registration Records, Vol. 1,1910 On, BSA) starting with the number 101. No date was posted by their name nor was any record of their troop kept at the time. We do not have at this time a list of the Scouts in the troop or when it was organized in 1910. We do know more about its Scoutmaster.

Rev. Sheafor was called as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Comanche, Texas from Gatesville, Texas. He arrived with his family on Wednesday night, March 2, 1910 and moved into the Baptist parsonage. He served as pastor in Comanche until he moved to Brownwood, Texas on July 1, 1914, to become pastor of the Coggin Ave. Baptist Church. He served as pastor for four years and resigned during World War I to become Director of Work with the soldiers at Camp Travis in San Antonio, Texas. Mrs. Sheafor conducted the music program for the church in Brownwood.

Prior to coming to Comanche, Rev. Sheafor served as a supply pastor for Dr. Gates at Gatesville, while the pastor was arranging to take over the presidency of Wayland College.  He had resided in Denver for a number of years previously and had engaged in city missionary work.  We do not know where he obtained his knowledge of the Boy Scouts of America.