Scouting Begins in the Trenton Area

The following material is taken from the Trenton Historial Society webpage. The best way to access the set of pages is to use your favorite search engine, since the page seems to relocate from time to time. This appears to be part of a booklet written around 1929

The first troop of Boy Scouts was organized at the Y.M.C.A. in 1912 with Gilbert H. Roehrig as scoutmaster. The oldest official record is dated January 16, 1914, when a meeting was called to organize a second class council. The first officers were Dr. W. A. Wetzel, president, William E. Green, vice-president, Owen Moon, Jr., treasurer, Gilbert H. Roehrig, secretary, and William Burgess, Jr., commissioner. The first camp was held on Marshall's Island, August 1 to 9, with Walter L. Hughes as director. Seventy-four boys attended.

There were then twelve troops and two hundred boys in the organization. The first council was organized in November 1916, with Samuel Haverstick, president, Dr. Wetzel, James Kerney, General Murray and Samuel Levy, vice-presidents, Howard L. Hughes, secretary, William E. Green, treasurer, J. Connor French, S. E. Kaufman, M. G. Rockhill, D. W. Scammell and J. H. Sines, additional members, D. William Scammell, commissioner, and William Burgess, Jr., scout executive. William D. Durling was elected scout executive on December 28, 1917, and served until his resignation, January 1, 1921. Scouting rose to a high state of efficiency under his leadership. In 1921 W. F. Abriel was elected executive and served until February 1923. In May 1923 E. R. Carrick was elected and is serving at present.

The council owns Camp Pahaquarra on the Delaware in New Jersey, about eight miles above the Delaware Water Gap. It is 1450 acres in area and was once an old copper mine operated in pre-Colonial times by the Dutch (1645-57). It was purchased (1925) by the council for $19,900 and is at present equipped to care for one hundred twenty-five boys per week. The troops are affiliated with the churches, lodges, the American Legion, the Knights of Columbus, the Y.M.H.A., the School for the Deaf, etc., and on January 1, 1928, there were nine hundred Scouts in Trenton (1127 in the County), divided into forty-eight Troops. Boys not old enough to be Scouts may join the Wolf Cubs. In Indian sign-language the sign for "scout" and "wolf" is the same, and therefore junior Scouts are "Wolf Cubs."

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March 9, 2009