Peoples United Methodist Church in
South Portland to mark 100 years since the first sponsorship of a Boy Scout Troop
On January 24, 1908 the Boy Scout
movement became official. A Boer War( South Africa) hero by the name of Robert
Baden Powell, who later was knighted had come home to England after that war
and was responsible for establishing impromptu Boy Scout Troops there. He was
the writer of “Scouting for Boys” and later added “Aids to Scouting”. These
were originally written for military use, but Baden-Powell adapted them for
adolescent boys.
In this same year Baden-Powell and
others set up a Boy Scout office and by the end of the year had records
indicating that 60,000 boys were now members of the organization in England
alone.
Baden-Powell also organized the Wolf
Cubs in 1916. Cub Scouts of America followed shortly thereafter.
William Boyce, on a business trip to
England, experienced the guidance of a Boy Scout while in the London fog. He
came home to the Chicago area and helped incorporate the Boy Scouts of America
on February 8, 1910.
Peoples Methodist Episcopal Church of
Ferry Village began sponsoring Boy Scout Troop 3 of the South Portland District
and received a charter on May 6,
1918. At some time after this, documents indicate the number became 20 and
finally in 1929 it became 23 as a member of the Pine Tree Council which
incorporated more towns and cities, perhaps a major reason for the designated
number change.
There was a break in the sponsorship
by Peoples during World War II from 1943 to 1948 perhaps due to the fact that
adult males were committed to the war effort. The other factor is that the
church was in the process of moving from the village to a new church building
on Broadway.
Since 1948, Troop 23 has continued to
operate and hundreds of young men have had the opportunity to experience both
Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts through the Troop and Cub Pack.
As Peoples UMC has continued to be
the primary sponsor of these Scout organizations we are humbled by the
dedication of both the Scouts and their leaders.
To close out the first 100 years of
sponsorship a committee consisting of Earle H, Rosemary H , Tom N and Art T with the help of present Troop leadership, are planning a
celebration on Sunday afternoon, May 6, 2018 at 2 o’clock in Ellis Hall.
If you were a part of Troop 23’s life
in the past and would like to help us celebrate with your presence please let
us know when you were a member and any stories of Scout life that you would
like to share either at the event or through an e-mail or letter to any of the
folks that you see listed above. If you have Scout memorabilia that you are
willing to display at this event please get in touch with us. You may respond with comments on this notice.
