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Troop 2 History
Troop 2, of Wilmette, Illinois, has been at the First Congregational Church since October of 1921, when it was first chartered. But its unofficial history appears to go back almost ten years earlier.
Troop 1, also of Wilmette but now no longer in existence, was founded in the spring of 1910 (the same year scouting was organized nationally) at the First Congregational Church, giving it the reputation of being the oldest troop west of the Allegheny Mountains (the history of Troop 1 itself is an interesting sidelight--see below). Troop 1 grew quickly, and several sources mention that when it numbered 120 boys, it divided into two troops, the second sponsored by the Methodist Church in Wilmette. Though no written source dates this split, and there appears to have been no charter for the second troop at the Methodist Church, several items in the Wilmette Historical Society indicate that Troop 2 had been formed by early 1912.
A printed program for a celebration of "the First Anniversary of the organization of the Wilmette Boy Scouts," held on January 19, 1912, lists the presentation of "First Troop Drill, Drill Call, Assembly, First Troop March," and "Second Troop Unison Drill, Speed Contest, First and Second Troop Squads."
The local paper Lakeshore News mentions, in an article of May 29, 1912: "Wilmette troops have completed Business organization in each troop. The officers of the first troop being: president, Hugh Paterson; vice president, Shelby M. Singleton, Jr.; treasurer, William Kleinpell; secretary, Erwin Wolf. Officers of the second troop: president, James Paterson; vice president, Clarence Wolf." At this time, the article mentions, there were seven boy scout troops in the city and suburbs of Chicago (including, according to the May 22, 1912 issue, the first troop of "colored Boy Scouts" in the country in neighboring Evanston, Illinois).
On June 5, 1912, the Lakeshore News again reports on the scouts, this time in a parade for Decoration Day: "The boy scouts formed the larger part of the parade, there being a troop from Evanston and two from Wilmette. The second troop of scouts from Wilmette being the largest and best drilled of the two troops, made a very good showing on the parade, which was very pleasing to all concerned. Six months ago, the second troop of Wilmette was the smaller and least experienced troop of the two, but today they are the largest and best informed of the two troops, there being forty-three boys in the second troop with one scoutmaster and one assistant, while the first troop has thirty-two boys with two scoutmasters and five assistants. Much credit is due Mr. James G. Barber, 621 Linden avenue, for the success of the second troop."
The final evidence in the "pre-history" of Troop 2 is a "Flag of the Bear Patrol of Boy Scout Troop 2" in the possession of the Wilmette Historical Society, which the society has dated between 1912 and 1914 based on letters accompanying the flag that state its provenance. It is a 24" x 9" red pennant with a black felt bear; a brown felt "Wilmette No. 2" is stitched toward the point. It was in the possession of an original troop member, Harvey Happ, who gave it to A. A. Hughes, a scout executive, in 1969. From there it was given to Mr. Henry D. Thorsen, Jr., of Winnetka, for his collection of scout memorabilia in the 1970s, and from Thorsen it passed to Gene Selby, scoutmaster of Troop 2, who then donated it to the museum.
That it was not unknown for an early troop to exist for some time before being chartered is perhaps suggested by a February 5, 1996 article in the Pioneer Press on the 75th anniversary of Troop 3 of Wilmette: "Troop 3 was formed in 1918 at St. Francis Xavier Church in Wilmette. In early 1922, the troop applied for a charter in the church that became Trinity United Methodist Church and has remained there ever since. The enrollment that year was 19 scouts."
Upon the charter of Troop 2 in 1921, the First Congregational Church hosted two troops, with Troop 1 meeting in the church on Mondays, Troop 2 on Tuesdays. By 1931, Cub Pack 1 had been added, joined in 1953 by Explorer Post 2 and in 1955 by Cub Pack 2. Today the scouts of Troop 2 still proudly meet in the basement of the Congregational Church, where the scouts of ninety years ago also held their meetings.
"In the spring of 1910, a number of articles appeared in newspapers and magazines concerning the work of the Boy Scouts in England under the leadership of Baden-Powell. Mr. W. D. Boyce of Chicago had seen the work of the Boy Scouts of England and was greatly impressed with the value of this method of training boys for better and more effective living. . . .
"Mr. Arthur L.
Rice, then living at 518 Central Avenue, and Mr. Alonzo J. Coburn,
living at 400 Eighth Street, each had boys 12 years of age, and both
were interested in finding a plan that would more fully meet the needs
of their own boys and of other boys this age. . . .
"In the early
summer a meeting was arranged with Reverend Roy E. Bowers, pastor of
the Congregational Church, Dr. Lucius O. Baird, western superintendent
of the American Missionary Association, Mr. Rice, and Mr. Coburn in Mr.
Coburn's yard. Over a camp-fire and while roasting weenies, the matter
was discussed.
"The two
ministers were of the opinion that the work should be confined to the
boys who were attendants at the Sunday school of the Congregational
Church. The other two men felt that the work, while having its
headquarters in the Congregational Church, should be community wide in
its inclusion. Several meetings were held during the summer,
invitations being sent to all who were interested.
"Father
Vattman, who had been an army chaplain and who was a personal friend of
Theodore Roosevelt, was of great assistance during the formation period
with his enthusiastic advice and counsel. It was decided to form Troop
1, Boy Scouts of America, Wilmette. Mr. Rice was the first scoutmaster
and Mr. Coburn was assistant scoutmaster. Actual work with the boys
began in October, 1910. . . .
"We met
Saturdays at 2 p.m. in the basement of the Congregational Church, but
most of the work was done out of doors. We had no financial backing;
the boys paid small dues and purchased their own uniforms and
equipment. . . .
"We worked at
first with the English manual and were filled with joy when the first
American manual, and the first scoutmasters' manual, were published. .
. .
"Boys of all
church affiliations were included . . . , Protestant, Catholic, and
Jews. . . . While the scoutmasters felt that the movement should be of
a character-building nature and not of a military cast, yet some drill
was necessary, so we persuaded Captain Harbaugh . . . to take charge of
the phase of the work, and we soon had a well drilled troop, with a
splendid drum and bugle corps."