First Scout Troops in Texas

Organized in 1915

The BSA has now issued 57 Merit Badge pamphlets.  Good turns at Christmas and Thanksgiving were stressed.  The Order of the Arrow was started.  Membership was now 182,303.  Fifteen Troops of 100 Boy Scouts of Fort Worth,  took part in a San Jacinto hike to Powell dam, six miles west of the city.  They spent the night, had a campfire, baseball games, roamed along the Clear Fork banks and came home. A few restless spirits started something by distributing dead snakes among their comrades, so reported the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on April 21, 1915.
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Community
Details
Houston

Troop 11 first organized in May 1915 as an independent troop, not affiliated with any church, school or creed.  Troop 11 was allied with scouting and nothing but scouting.

By June 1915, Troop 11 was well-known for having its scouts progress through tenderfoot, second class, first class and into merit badge work in less time than had ever been done in Houston before.

Troop 11’s goal was to have all their scouts reach first class rank before the troop was one year old.

J. Dixie Smith, a juvenile probation officer, was scoutmaster from 1915 to 1917.  His assistant scoutmasters were Seymour Bowman and Houston Wade.

Information taken from Troop 11 History by Forrest Davis.

Houston

Troop 12 began June 1915 and met at the West End Tabernacle.  Re-organized in June 1927.  Did not participate in the June 1929 Boy Scout Roundup.  Dropped in the 1930s.  Active again in 1934 and met at the Christ the King Catholic Church. Dropped in 1942.

Information taken from Troop 11 History by Forrest Davis.

Bogata Dallas Morning News, March 15, 1915.  "Special to The News. Paris, Texas, March 14 - A troop of Boy Scouts has been organized at Bogata by Scoutmaster Ralph DeStrong of Paris with twenty members.  The boys have already started work on a large log house in which to hold their meetings."
Teague Dallas Morning News, March 27, 1915. "Special to The News.  Teague, Texas, March 26 - Clean-up day was observed here yesterday.  A novel scheme was employed in getting the boys of the city interested in this work.  A prize was offered for the biggest pile of rubbish and tin cans in each ward.  The boy scouts in charge of Scoutmaster A. J. Puburn did some very effective work in this line."
Flatonia "The fourteen scouts of Flatonia marched to Deep Eddy for a three day encampment on June 25, 1915.  There were several activities where the Austin scouts joined in, assisted, or hosted the Flatonia scouts. They were under the leadership of their scoutmaster Allen."  Information from "Making a Difference Every Day, Ninety Five years of Central Texas Scouting, 1912-2007, 2007, page32, researcher and author: Te Starr.
Hillsboro Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 22, 1915.  "Hillsboro, Texas, Sept. 22 - E. L. Chase organized the local Boy scouts here last night with twenty members."
Martindale Two photos taken of Martindale Scouts appeared in a book  "Making a Difference Every Day, Ninety Five years of Central Texas Scouting, 1912-2007, 2007, page 33, researcher and author: Te Starr.  Here is one of those photos, taken in 1915.
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Last updated:  February 7, 2018

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